That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
Ernest RutherfordRead
I am a great believer in the simplicity of things and as you probably know I am inclined to hang on to broad & simple ideas like grim death until evidence is too strong for my tenacity.
Interpretation
Emphasizes the importance of simplicity in ideas and the strength of conviction until proven otherwise.
This quote by Ernest Rutherford reflects his belief that simplicity often underlies great truths and that he prefers to hold on to clear, uncomplicated ideas. He expresses a commitment to these ideas, suggesting that one should maintain their beliefs until faced with substantial evidence that warrants change, highlighting both the value of simplicity and the steadfastness in one's convictions.
In practice
During a lecture on scientific principles, this quote could reinforce the significance of focusing on fundamental concepts.
That which is not measurable is not science. That which is not physics is stamp collecting.
The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.
All science is either physics or stamp collecting.
Now I know what the atom looks like.
If your result needs a statistician then you should design a better experiment.
Should a young scientist working with me come to me after two years of such work and ask me what to do next, I would advise him to get out of science. After two years of work, if a man does not know what to do next, he will never make a real scientist.
Obscenity is our name for the uneasiness which upsets the physical state associated with self-possession, with the possession of a recognized and stable individuality.
The judge who sits over the murderer and looks into his face, and at one moment recognizes all the emotions and potentialities and possibilities of the murderer in his own soul and hears the murderer's voice as his own, is at the next moment one and indivisible as the judge, and scuttles back into the shell of his cultivated self and does his duty and condemns the murderer to death.
Nothing, not even human life, is more precious to us than our myths about ourselves.
While you have a thing it can be taken from you…..but when you give it, you have given it. no robber can take it from you. It is yours then forever when you have given it. It will be yours always. That is to give.
It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit.
The golden age only comes to men when they have forgotten gold.
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