Just because scientist do n’t broadly major in English does n’t intend they ca n’t ferment a phrase . specially when that idiomatic expression is hateful - spirited . Take a look at ten verbal burn that scientists have cut over the eld .
1 . Feynman gets snide with biology educatee
Richard Feynman was a splendid human beings with an admirable curiosity and signified of gaiety , but he was also insufferably smug . In one of his books he describes apply a public lecture to 4th - year biological science students . He draws a Caterpillar and starts naming the muscular tissue in it . They evidence him they experience the muscle groups :
“ Oh , ” I say , “ you do ? Then no wonderment I can catch up with you so fast after you ’ve had four age of biological science . ” They had squander all their time memorize stuff like that , when it could be see up in fifteen minutes .
It would be kind of hilarious if one of them had grow up to be a doctor , had waitress until Feynman had had some sort of medical hand brake and then said , “ Just give me fifteen minutes to look up what to do ! Did n’t want to waste my time with memorization ! ”
2 . Marie Curie gives a verbal slap to reporters
Marie Curie ’s sinful success , her grammatical gender , and her tragic other - widowhood made her an icon . Everywhere she went , newsman followed her . They reported dirt whenever it seemed that she had induct a new relationship . In the end , Curie bring forth tired of all the questions , and issued the curt quote , “ In science we must be interested in things , not people . ” It did n’t work , but it was a dainty line .
3 . Marie Curie also verbally slaps other scientists
Curie herself , her husband , her girl , and her girl ’s husband were all well - known scientists , and much plant in the community . In any community feuds saltation up . Since Curie was famous , she manage to get the last discussion in . Here was her great transmission line : “ There are sadistic scientists who rush to hunt down computer error or else of establishing the truth . ”
4 . Rutherford bang everyone except for physicist
Ernest Rutherford was a severely - working New Zealander who is considered the father of nuclear physic . And like all proud papas , he think his kid was the best on the block . And like all proud jerked meat , he allow people cognize about it . He lived in a time when physicists were earn great find about the structure of the universe , while other scientist were often sidelined into tedious classification rather than field sketch . And so he follow out with the famous , if obnoxious inverted comma : “ All of science is either physics or stamp collection . ” effective affair he did n’t live to meet the genetics rotation .
5 . Richard Feynman evidence multitude that Physicists Do It Superfluously
Good old Feynman . you could always reckon on him for a good line . One of his most famouse one - liner was in answer to masses who question the practicality of some forms of physics . To them he said , “ Physics is like sexuality . Sure , it may give us some practical results but that ’s not why we do it . ”
6 . Ernest Lawrence shut down a General
General Leslie Groves was in explosive charge of the Manhattan Project during the war . He was not pleased with his assignment . The scientists working on the project were not pleased with his naming either . From the beginning there were personality battle . On orchard ’ first merging with Ernest Lawrence , the inventor of the cyclotron atom smasher and a famous Nobel Prize winner , Groves told Lawrence that his report depended on his piece of work on the Manhattan Project . Lawrence respond , “ My reputation is already made . It is yours that bet on the outcome of the Manhattan Project . ”
7 . Newton stands on the shoulder joint of giant star and spit on his brusque protagonist
The phrase , “ If I have run into farther than other mankind , it is because I have stand on the shoulder of giant , ” has deep roots . Plenty of people have used it , admit Isaac Newton . Many people have translate this as Newton being menial about his genius . Others have taper out that he write this line in a letter to Robert Hooke , after inactive - aggressively pan Hooke ’s theories . They also point out that Hooke had have some childhood medical problems and was a slight man . It ’s not clear if this quote really is a burn – which make it the braggy burn of all , since Hooke would have had to reply courteously .
8 . Wolfgang Pauli gives a newspaper the ultimate insult
Wolfgang Pauli was a physicist and a perfectionist . Not only did he ride himself to idol , but he expected it of those around him . When they fell far short , he know how to kvetch them when they were down . He famously said of one newspaper , “ This is n’t right ! It ’s not even incorrect ! ” The phrase has since been used to name the shortcomings of an controversy that does n’t manage to grasp the basics of a problem . If someone were to say that five squared equal twenty - five , they ’d be ripe . If they tell it equaled one hundred and twenty - five , they ’d be wrong . If they soak up the number five in a square and said that was the answer , they ’d have demo that they need to be civilise on the signification of ‘ five squared ’ before they could even get the ill-timed answer . They ’d have given an answer that ’s ‘ not even wrong ’ .
9 . Niels Bohr slaps down Einstein
One of the best furrow in all of science was used to score point against arguably the most famed scientist of all time . One night , a group of physicist including Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein were discussing the frustrating nature of quantum mechanic . Einstein was in full form , express his famous quotation mark , “ God does not play die with the existence . ” Bohr looked at him and replied , “ Einstein , do n’t tell God what to do . ”
EDIT :
10 . Lewis Thomas give me an apology .
Oops . My original post only had 9 point . In looking for an actual tenth quote for this daily ten , I leafed through Richard Dawkins – he ’s got a million of them – but then I find this little gem from Lewis Thomas , a Dr. , researcher , and celebrated science author :
The capacity to blunder somewhat is the literal marvel of DNA . Without this particular attribute , we would still be anaerobic bacterium and there would be no euphony .
Damn , Lewis . If you submit away the ‘ slightly ’ part – I ’m well in the lead of the curve .
ViaAstro Central , Columbia , Quotations Page , Brainyquote , andGood Reads .
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