Enrico Fermi - Brilliant and Fabulous quotes - english

There are two possible outcomes. If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. Whatever nature has in store for mankind, unpleasant as it may be, men must accept, for ignorance is never better than knowledge. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician, he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale. If I could remember the names of all these particles, I'd be a botanist. The weaker meat, the strong do eat. We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using nature's inexhaustible sources of energy, sun, wind and tide. If one spends too much time in study of scientific method, one is apt to forget that scientific method is simply a method for asking foolproof questions and getting meaningful answers. The use of scientific method is merely a step in the mental process of an intelligent human being. It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge. There are several interesting questions that come up when considering the subject of matter, its origin, its end and its purpose. Before I came here, I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture, I am still confused but on a higher level. The universe is very big and very old. It's also very bright and very beautiful and it works in a very orderly fashion. I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest. If you want to understand science, study engineering. If you want to understand nature, study mathematics. There are many strange and wonderful things but nothing is stranger or more wonderful than man. The scientist has marched in and taken the place of the poet. But one day somebody will find the solution to the problems of the world and remember, it will be a poet not a scientist. If you want to succeed in science, you need to be able to think outside the box. It is no secret that I believe in the importance of exploring our world and the potential of science and technology to solve many of our problems. There are two possible outcomes. If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery. Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. The best way to learn is to teach.