Enrico Fermi Quotes & Sayings

Such a weapon goes far beyond any military objective and enters the range of very great natural catastrophes. By its very nature it cannot be confined to a military objective but becomes a weapon which in practical effect is almost one of genocide — Enrico Fermi

Some people stick with the traditional, feeling struck by the epic beauty or blown away by the insane scale of the universe. Personally, I go for the old existential meltdown followed by acting weird for the next half hour. But everyone feels something. — Enrico Fermi

I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make him wiggle his trunk.' — Enrico Fermi

There are two possible outcomes: if the result confirms the hypothesis, then you've made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you've made a discovery — Enrico Fermi

When asked what he meant by a miracle: Oh, anything with a probability of less than 20%. — Enrico Fermi

Young man, if I could remember the names of these particles, I would have been a botanist. — Enrico Fermi

The fact that no limits exist to the destructiveness of this weapon [the 'Super', i.e. the hydrogen bomb] makes its very existence and the knowledge of its construction a danger to humanity as a whole. It is necessarily an evil thing considered in any light. For these reasons, we believe it important for the President of the United States to tell the American public and the world what we think is wrong on fundamental ethical principles to initiate the development of such a weapon. — Enrico Fermi

I hope it won't take long. — Enrico Fermi

It is clear that the use of such a weapon cannot be justified on any ethical ground which gives a human being a certain individuality and dignity even if he happens to be a resident of an enemy country. — Enrico Fermi

If I could remember the names of all these particles, I'd be a botanist — Enrico Fermi

One might be led to question whether the scientists acted wisely in presenting the statesmen of the world with this appalling problem. Actually there was no choice. Once basic knowledge is acquired, any attempt at preventing its fruition would be as futile as hoping to stop the earth from revolving around the sun. — Enrico Fermi

Whatever Nature has in store for mankind, unpleasant as it may be, men must accept, for ignorance is never better than knowledge. — Enrico Fermi

Experimental confirmation of a prediction is merely a measurement. An experiment disproving a prediction is a discovery. — Enrico Fermi

The fundamental point in fabricating a chain reacting machine is of course to see to it that each fission produces a certain number of neutrons and some of these neutrons will again produce fission. — Enrico Fermi

Before I came here, I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture, I am still confused
but on a higher level. — Enrico Fermi

Where is everybody? Humans could theoretically colonize the galaxy in a million years or so, and if they could, astronauts from older civilizations could do the same. So why haven't they come to Earth? — Enrico Fermi

Never underestimate the joy people derive from hearing something they already know. — Enrico Fermi

Although the problem of transmuting chemical elements into each other is much older than a satisfactory definition of the very concept of chemical element, it is well known that the first and most important step towards its solution was made only nineteen years ago by the late Lord Rutherford, who started the method of the nuclear bombardments. — Enrico Fermi

It does not say in the Bible that all laws of nature are expressible linearly! — Enrico Fermi

An experiment disproving a prediction is discovery. — Enrico Fermi