Quotes by Stephen Hawking

“When ones expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have”

“I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

“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.”

“Not only does God play dice, but... he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen.”

“The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go to all the bother of existing?”

“All the evidence shows that God was actually quite a gambler, and the universe is a great casino, where dice are thrown, and roulette wheels spin on every occasion”

“To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit.”

“Even if there is only one possible unified theory, it is just a set of rules and equations. What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe?”

“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”

“It is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value”

“It matters if you just dont give up”

“If we find the answer [the unified theory], it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for we would know the mind of God.”

“I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was able to reason”

“The universe is a machine where you have been placed, and like a machine the outcome can be known. Every battle has already been won or lost. All that is left is for you to choose your side.”

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

“If intelligence is the ability to adapt to change, then wisdom is to know how and why to adapt for more than personal or economic gain.”

“We have limited knowledge, or else science and philosophy would not be necessary.”

“Why should humans in their unsurity decide what species are and are not important to humans? Is natures characteristic ability to naturally select species not the most perfect decision maker we humans have access to on this issue? Just as we expect human children to respect their human elders, let us humans collectively respect our significant elder--Nature.”

I think computer viruses should count as life ... I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. Weve created life in our own image.

I have noticed that even those who assert that everything is predestined and that we can change nothing about it still look both ways before they cross the street