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Our task is not to penetrate the essence of things, the meaning of which we do not know anyway, but rather to develop concepts which allow us to talk in a productive way about phenomena in nature

Niels Bohr

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Niels Bohr
Age: 77 †
Born: 1885
Born: October 7
Died: 1962
Died: November 18
Association Football Player
Chemist
Nuclear Physicist
Philosopher Of Science
Physicist
University Teacher
København
Niels Henrik David Bohr
Nicholas Baker
N. Bohr
Talk
Task
Rather
Anyway
Nature
Develop
Way
Tasks
Things
Concepts
Allow
Phenomena
Essence
Penetrate
Meaning
Productive

More quotes by Niels Bohr

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A physicist visits a colleague and notices a horseshoe hanging on the wall above the entrance. 'Do you really believe that a horseshoe brings luck?' he asks. 'No,' replies the colleague, 'but I've been told that it works even if you don't believe in it.'
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We are trapped by language to such a degree that every attempt to formulate insight is a play on words.
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The very nature of the quantum theory ... forces us to regard the space-time coordination and the claim of causality, the union of which characterizes the classical theories, as complementary but exclusive features of the description, symbolizing the idealization of observation and description, respectively.
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Rutherford is a man you can rely on he comes regularly and enquires how things are going and talks about the smallest details - Rutherford is such an outstanding man and really interested in the work of all the people around him.
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A visitor to Niels Bohr's country cottage, noticing a horseshoe hanging on the wall, teasing the eminent scientist about this ancient superstition. Can it be true that you, of all people, believe it will bring you luck?' 'Of course not,' replied Bohr, 'but I understand it brings you luck whether you believe it or not.'
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There are some things so serious you have to laugh at them.
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Truth is something that we can attempt to doubt, and then perhaps, after much exertion, discover that part of the doubt is not justified.
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No, no, you're not thinking you're just being logical.
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You must come to Copenhagen to work with us. We like people who can actually perform thought experiments!
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How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.
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Einstein, stop telling God what to do!
Niels Bohr
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When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry.
Niels Bohr
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Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true.
Niels Bohr
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Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.
Niels Bohr
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Predition is risky, especially of the future.
Niels Bohr
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An independant reality in the ordinary physical sense can neither be ascribed to the phenomenon nor to the agencies of observation.
Niels Bohr
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A deep truth is a truth so deep that not only is it true but it's exact opposite is also true.
Niels Bohr
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It is the hallmark of any deep truth that its negation is also a deep truth.
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It is, indeed, perhaps the greatest prospect of humanistic studies to contribute through an increasing knowledge of the history of cultural development to that gradual removal of prejudices which is the common aim of all science.
Niels Bohr
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Physics is the belief that a simple and consistent description of nature is possible.
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