Murray Gell-Mann Quotes

A collection of quotes by Murray Gell-Mann.

Murray Gell-Mann (1929-2019) was an American physicist who made groundbreaking contributions to the understanding of elementary particles and their interactions. He was born on September 15, 1929, in New York City. Gell-Mann attained his bachelor's degree in physics from Yale University in 1948, and later pursued doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning his Ph.D. in 1951.

Gell-Mann is most renowned for his development of the quark model, which is the foundation of modern particle physics. This model elucidates the fundamental building blocks of matter and explains the behavior and characteristics of subatomic particles. For this breakthrough, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1969.

Throughout his career, Gell-Mann contributed significantly to the field of quantum mechanics and the theoretical understanding of particle physics. He made major advancements in the study of particle symmetries and the classification of elementary particles. His profound insights into the fundamental forces that govern the universe have shaped the field of physics and inspired generations of scientists.

Gell-Mann was not just a brilliant physicist but also a passionate advocate for environmental and social causes. He co-founded the Santa Fe Institute, a multidisciplinary research hub, and worked on increasing public awareness about complexity and sustainability.

Murray Gell-Mann's remarkable contributions to physics, his pursuit of knowledge, and his commitment to societal issues have left an enduring legacy in the scientific community. He passed away on May 24, 2019, leaving behind an invaluable body of work that continues to shape our understanding of the universe.

What is especially striking and remarkable is that in fundam

What is especially striking and remarkable is that in fundamental physics a beautiful or elegant theory is more likely to be right than a theory that is inelegant.

Murray Gell-Mann

Beauty Science Physics Theory Aesthetics

Today the network of relationships linking the human race to

Today the network of relationships linking the human race to itself and to the rest of the biosphere is so complex that all aspects affect all others to an extraordinary degree. Someone should be studying the whole system, however crudely that has to be done, because no gluing together of partial studies of a complex nonlinear system can give a good idea of the behavior of the whole.

Murray Gell-Mann

Science Complexity Systems

So the old Copenhagen interpretation needs to be generalized

So the old Copenhagen interpretation needs to be generalized, needs to be replaced by something that can be used for the whole universe, and can be used also in cases where there is plenty of individuality and history.

Murray Gell-Mann

History

As a theoretical physicist, I feel at once proud and humble

As a theoretical physicist, I feel at once proud and humble at the thought of the illustrious figures that have preceded me here to receive the greatest of all honors in science, the Nobel prize.

Murray Gell-Mann

Science

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some

Nothingever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the onset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have a malady in the less attractive forms.

Charles Dickens

Dad