Welcome to our collection of profound quotes by one of the greatest minds of our time, Stephen Hawking. Renowned for his groundbreaking work in theoretical physics and cosmology, Stephen Hawking captivated the world with his intellect, wit, and unyielding curiosity about the universe. Despite facing immense physical challenges due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Hawking’s indomitable spirit shone through, inspiring millions with his insights into the mysteries of space, time, and the nature of existence.
Throughout his life, Stephen Hawking shared his remarkable wisdom through eloquent words that transcended the boundaries of scientific discourse. Whether delving into the origins of the cosmos or pondering the profound questions of human existence, his quotes resonate with clarity and depth, offering profound insights into the complexities of the universe and the human condition. As we embark on this journey through Stephen Hawking’s quotes, prepare to be enlightened, challenged, and inspired by the brilliance of one of the greatest scientific minds in history. Now, let us delve into the wisdom of Stephen Hawking as we explore the quotes below.
Although September 11 was horrible, it didn’t threaten the survival of the human race, like nuclear weapons do. Stephen Hawking
Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Stephen Hawking
The universe is governed by science. But science tells us that we can’t solve the equations, directly in the abstract. Stephen Hawking
The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities. Stephen Hawking
If you believe in science, like I do, you believe that there are certain laws that are always obeyed. Stephen Hawking
Earth might one day soon resemble the planet Venus. Stephen Hawking
There is no unique picture of reality. Stephen Hawking
However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. Stephen Hawking
Someone told me that each equation I included in the book would halve the sales. Stephen Hawking
What was God doing before the divine creation? Stephen Hawking
We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe. Stephen Hawking
It is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value. Stephen Hawking
Nothing cannot exist forever. Stephen Hawking
When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything one does have. Stephen Hawking
People won’t have time for you if you are always angry or complaining. Stephen Hawking
Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion. Stephen Hawking
Science is beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations. Examples include the double helix in biology and the fundamental equations of physics. Stephen Hawking
I have so much that I want to do. I hate wasting time. Stephen Hawking
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? Stephen Hawking
Some forms of motor neuron disease are genetically linked, but I have no indication that my kind is. No other member of my family has had it. But I would be in favour of abortion if there was a high risk. Stephen Hawking
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. Stephen Hawking
No one undertakes research in physics with the intention of winning a prize. It is the joy of discovering something no one knew before. Stephen Hawking
With genetic engineering, we will be able to increase the complexity of our DNA, and improve the human race. But it will be a slow process, because one will have to wait about 18 years to see the effect of changes to the genetic code. Stephen Hawking
Philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science. Particularly physics. Stephen Hawking
The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years. Stephen Hawking
There is a real danger that computers will develop intelligence and take over. We urgently need to develop direct connections to the brain so that computers can add to human intelligence rather than be in opposition. Stephen Hawking
Before 1915, space and time were thought of as a fixed arena in which events took place, but which was not affected by what happened in it. Space and time are now dynamic quantities… space and time not only affect but are also affected by everything that happens in the universe. Stephen Hawking
The universe is not indifferent to our existence – it depends on it. Stephen Hawking
Not only does God play dice, but… he sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen. Stephen Hawking
There are no black holes in the sense of regimes from which light can’t escape to infinity. Stephen Hawking
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. Stephen Hawking
There could be shadow galaxies, shadow stars, and even shadow people. Stephen Hawking
I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived. Stephen Hawking
My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all. Stephen Hawking
God not only plays dice, but also sometimes throws them where they cannot be seen. Stephen Hawking
Scientists have become the bearers of the torch of discovery in our quest for knowledge. Stephen Hawking
A few years ago, the city council of Monza, Italy, barred pet owners from keeping goldfish in curved bowls… saying that it is cruel to keep a fish in a bowl with curved sides because, gazing out, the fish would have a distorted view of reality. But how do we know we have the true, undistorted picture of reality? Stephen Hawking
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. We’ve created life in our own image. Stephen Hawking
Computers double their performance every month. Stephen Hawking
I was born on January 8, 1942, exactly three hundred years after the death of Galileo. I estimate, however, that about two hundred thousand other babies were also born that day. I don’t know whether any of them was later interested in astronomy. Stephen Hawking
I believe things cannot make themselves impossible. Stephen Hawking
I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science. The laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws. Stephen Hawking
I believe there are no questions that science can’t answer about a physical universe. Stephen Hawking
If we want to travel into the future, we just need to go fast. Really fast. And I think the only way we’re ever likely to do that is by going into space. Stephen Hawking
We are all different. There is no such thing as a standard or run-of-the-mill human being, but we share the same human spirit. Stephen Hawking
In less than a hundred years, we have found a new way to think of ourselves. From sitting at the center of the universe, we now find ourselves orbiting an average-sized sun, which is just one of millions of stars in our own Milky Way galaxy. Stephen Hawking
Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Stephen Hawking
I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so. Some say it has yet to appear on planet Earth. Stephen Hawking
God not only plays dice, He also sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen. Stephen Hawking
If you understand the universe, you control it, in a way. Stephen Hawking
I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer. Stephen Hawking
Observations indicate that the universe is expanding at an ever increasing rate. It will expand forever, getting emptier and darker. Stephen Hawking
Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of. Stephen Hawking
Our population and our use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially, along with our technical ability to change the environment for good or ill. Stephen Hawking
I think the brain is essentially a computer and consciousness is like a computer program. It will cease to run when the computer is turned off. Theoretically, it could be re-created on a neural network, but that would be very difficult, as it would require all one’s memories. Stephen Hawking
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? Stephen Hawking
We should seek the greatest value of our action. Stephen Hawking
It is generally recognised that women are better than men at languages, personal relations and multi-tasking, but less good at map-reading and spatial awareness. It is therefore not unreasonable to suppose that women might be less good at mathematics and physics. Stephen Hawking
My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically. Stephen Hawking
My discovery that black holes emit radiation raised serious problems of consistency with the rest of physics. I have now resolved these problems, but the answer turned out to be not what I expected. Stephen Hawking
If we do discover a complete theory, it should be in time understandable in broad principle by everyone. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people be able to take part in the discussion of why we and the universe exist. Stephen Hawking
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. Stephen Hawking
I think we have a good chance of surviving long enough to colonize the solar system. Stephen Hawking
Up until the 1920s, everyone thought the universe was essentially static and unchanging in time. Stephen Hawking
Keeping an active mind has been vital to my survival, as has been maintaining a sense of humor. Stephen Hawking
When we understand string theory, we will know how the universe began. It won’t have much effect on how we live, but it is important to understand where we come from and what we can expect to find as we explore. Stephen Hawking
The human race may be the only intelligent beings in the galaxy. Stephen Hawking
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. Stephen Hawking
Imaginary time is a new dimension, at right angles to ordinary, real time. Stephen Hawking
The fastest manned vehicle in history was Apollo 10. It reached 25,000 mph. Stephen Hawking
We think that life develops spontaneously on Earth, so it must be possible for life to develop on suitable planets elsewhere in the universe. But we don’t know the probability that a planet develops life. Stephen Hawking
We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain. Stephen Hawking
There are plenty of dead scientists I admire, but I can’t think of any living ones. This is probably because it is only in retrospect that one can see who made the important contributions. Stephen Hawking
My wife and I love each other very much. Stephen Hawking
No one can resist the idea of a crippled genius. Stephen Hawking
I used to think information was destroyed in black hole. This was my biggest blunder, or at least my biggest blunder in science. Stephen Hawking
Wagner manages to convey emotion with music better than anyone, before or since. Stephen Hawking
Time travel used to be thought of as just science fiction, but Einstein’s general theory of relativity allows for the possibility that we could warp space-time so much that you could go off in a rocket and return before you set out. Stephen Hawking
I don’t have much positive to say about motor neurone disease. But it taught me not to pity myself because others were worse off, and to get on with what I could still do. Stephen Hawking
It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else. Sometimes it is years before I see the way forward. In the case of information loss and black holes, it was 29 years. Stephen Hawking
Science can lift people out of poverty and cure disease. That, in turn, will reduce civil unrest. Stephen Hawking
Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny. Stephen Hawking
If the rate of expansion one second after the Big Bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, it would have recollapsed before it reached its present size. On the other hand, if it had been greater by a part in a million, the universe would have expanded too rapidly for stars and planets to form. Stephen Hawking
Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. Stephen Hawking
To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit. Stephen Hawking
The radiation left over from the Big Bang is the same as that in your microwave oven but very much less powerful. It would heat your pizza only to minus 271.3*C – not much good for defrosting the pizza, let alone cooking it. Stephen Hawking
Women. They are a complete mystery. Stephen Hawking
There are grounds for cautious optimism that we may now be near the end ofthe search for the ultimate laws of nature. Stephen Hawking
I would like nuclear fusion to become a practical power source. It would provide an inexhaustible supply of energy, without pollution or global warming. Stephen Hawking
While physics and mathematics may tell us how the universe began, they are not much use in predicting human behavior because there are far too many equations to solve. I’m no better than anyone else at understanding what makes people tick, particularly women. Stephen Hawking
God is the name people give to the reason we are here. But I think that reason is the laws of physics rather than someone with whom one can have a personal relationship. An impersonal God. Stephen Hawking
Stem cell research is the key to developing cures for degenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease from which I and many others suffer. The fact that the cells may come from embryos is not an objection, because the embryos are going to die anyway. Stephen Hawking
I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. Stephen Hawking
Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. Stephen Hawking
The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired. Stephen Hawking
God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator. Stephen Hawking
There is no physical law precluding particles from being organised in ways that perform even more advanced computations than the arrangements of particles in human brains. Stephen Hawking
I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space. Stephen Hawking
We think we have solved the mystery of creation. Maybe we should patent the universe and charge everyone royalties for their existence. Stephen Hawking
There’s no way to remove the observer – us – from our perceptions of the world. Stephen Hawking