Physics Quote of the Day (August 30 - September 5)

"So long as you live and in whatever circumstances the kaleidoscope of life may place you, think for yourself and act in accordance with the conclusions of that thinking; avoid so far as possible drifting with the current of the mob or being too easily influenced by the outward manifestation of things. Take your own look beneath the surface and don't trust others to look for you. If you will follow this rule consistently, I am sure you will keep out of much trouble, will make the most out of your life and, what is more, will contribute most of value to the community life." Frank B. Jewett, born 5 September 1879.

"The progress of science is tremendously disorderly, and the motivations that lead to this progress are tremendously varied, and the reasons why scientists go into science, the personal motivations, are tremendously varied. I have said ... that science is a haven for freaks, that people go into science because they are misfits, and that it is a sheltered place where they can spin their own yarn and have recognition, be tolerated and happy, and have approval for it." Max Delbrück, born 4 September 1906.

"The atom can't be seen, yet its existence can be proved. And it is simple to prove that it can't ever be seen. It has to be studied by indirect evidence – and the technical difficulty has been compared to asking a man who has never seen a piano to describe a piano from the sound it would make falling downstairs in the dark." Carl Anderson, born 3 September 1905.

"Chemistry has been termed by the physicist as the messy part of physics, but that is no reason why the physicists should be permitted to make a mess of chemistry when they invade it. " Frederick Soddy, born 2 September 1877.

"I see a tremendous amount of intricacy in the world and we have probably only begun to scratch at the surface of its intricacy." Roy Glauber, born 1 September 1925.

"... science is the most revolutionary force in the world." George Sarton, born 31 August 1884.

"To see the world for a moment as something rich and strange is the private reward of many a discovery." Edward Mills Purcell, born 30 August 1912.