Stephen Hawking was one of the greatest scientists in modern history. He was born on 8 January 1942 in Oxford, England and was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author, who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge at the time of his death. Stephen Hawking was without a doubt one of the most motivating and life-changing people of the last century. In 1963, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease (MND; also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis "ALS" or Lou Gehrig's disease) that gradually paralysed him over the decades. Stephen was always keen for his work to be accessible to everyone, not just scientists. He wrote books that explained his theories in simple terms for everyone to understand. His most famous book, A Brief History of Time, sold more than 10 million copies! He died on 14 March 2018 at the age of 76, after battling the disease for more than 50 years.
Here are some of his most famous quotes.
(This page contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.)
“Most of the threats we face come from the progress we’ve made in science and technology. We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognize the dangers and control them. I’m an optimist, and I believe we can.”
"Quiet people have the loudest minds.”
"The thing about smart people is that they seem like crazy people to dumb people."
"People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining."
"There is no unique picture of reality."
"Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."
"When one's expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have."
"Even if it turns out that time travel is impossible, it is important that we understand why it is impossible."
"Success in creating AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately, it might also be the last, unless we learn how to avoid the risks."
"I hope I have helped to raise the profile of science and to show that physics is not a mystery but can be understood by ordinary people."
"There could be shadow galaxies, shadow stars, and even shadow people."
"God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator."
"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."
"I don't think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space."
“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."
“If time travel is possible, where are the tourists from the future?”
"What was God doing before the divine creation?"
"Keeping an active mind has been vital to my survival, as has been maintaining a sense of humor."
"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special."
"Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it."
"I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these 'how' and 'why' questions. Occasionally, I find an answer."
"Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change."
