We are governed not by armies, but by ideas.

We are governed not by armies, but by ideas.

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context -- a chair in a room, a room read more

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context -- a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan. - "Time", July 2, 1956.

It has always seemed to me extreme presumptuousness on the part of those who want to make human ability the read more

It has always seemed to me extreme presumptuousness on the part of those who want to make human ability the measure of what nature can and knows how to do, since, when one comes down to it, there is not one effect in nature, no matter how small, that even the most speculative minds can fully understand. -Galileo Galilei.

I assert that the cosmic religious experience is the strongest and the noblest driving force behind scientific research.

I assert that the cosmic religious experience is the strongest and the noblest driving force behind scientific research.

The only thing you will ever be able to say in the so-called 'social' sciences is: "some do, some don't.".

The only thing you will ever be able to say in the so-called 'social' sciences is: "some do, some don't.".

... it is certain that the real function of art is to increase our self-consciousness; to make us more aware read more

... it is certain that the real function of art is to increase our self-consciousness; to make us more aware of what we are, and therefore of what the universe in which we live really is. And since mathematics, in its own way, also performs this function, it is not only aesthetically charming but profoundly significant. It is an art, and a great art.

...there is no prescribed route to follow to arrive at a new idea. You have to make the intuitive leap. read more

...there is no prescribed route to follow to arrive at a new idea. You have to make the intuitive leap. But the difference is that once you've made the intuitive leap you have to justify it by filling in the intermediate steps. In my case, it often happens that I have an idea, but then I try to fill in the intermediate steps and find that they don't work, so I have to give it up.

In Cyberspace, the First Amendment is a local ordinance.

In Cyberspace, the First Amendment is a local ordinance.

Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination. - The Quest for Certainty.

Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination. - The Quest for Certainty.