As a theoretician, I am proud to be part of a counter revolution... discovering that quantum field theory language was not dead and finished but had not really been explored thoroughly enough.
Peter HiggsRead
I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go round the department: 'Please give a list of your recent publications.' And I would send back a statement: 'None.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects a sense of humility and acknowledgment of personal struggle in the context of scientific achievement.
Peter Higgs expresses the challenges and feelings of inadequacy he experienced within his academic department due to a lack of publications. Despite his significant contributions to physics, this statement highlights the often unrealistic expectations researchers face regarding publication output, emphasizing that achievements are not solely measured by the quantity of work produced.
Themes
HumilityPublicationsScienceAchievementsStruggles
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about scientific achievements at a conference, one might refer to this quote to highlight the importance of perseverance despite difficult circumstances.
More from Peter Higgs
All quotes →The growth of our understanding of the world through science weakens some of the motivation which makes people believers. But that's not the same thing as saying they're incompatible. It's just that I think some of the traditional reasons for belief, going back thousands of years, are rather undermined.
Peter HiggsRead
When the basic status of a theory is clear, and all that needs to be cleared are details, you can collaborate. But if the main structure of a hypothesis isn't established, and you want to change the paradigm - like it was the case in the 1960s - it's better to work alone.
Peter HiggsRead
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