Charles Francis Richter

“Only a fool would try to predict earthquakes.”

“Logarithmic scales are a device of the devil.”

“Nothing is less predictable than the development of an active scientific field.”

“I don't know why people are so interested. It's just a number.”

“I found it tempting to invent a new lie, on the spot, but my professional ethics overrode my sense of humor.”

“We are all going to die, but I'm going to die a little sooner.”

“I got a certain notoriety, but I'm not a public figure.”

“The scale is a logarithmic one; a magnitude 7 earthquake is 10 times larger than a 6, 100 times larger than a 5, and 1,000 times larger than a 4.”

“Only a fool worries about things he can't control.”

“Don't build your house on a fault line.”

“The damn thing is, we're not running an earthquake prediction program; we're running a public relations program.”

“Nothing is less important than an earthquake.”

“I found that the reporters would come to me in an earthquake and I would give them some general information, but then they would have to go to Gutenberg for the details.”

“The name Richter is German and it means 'judge.' I am a judge of earthquakes.”

“I don't know what it is about me that makes people think I'm a god. I'm just a scientist.”

“We have had a lot of luck with our preliminary findings and have been able to use that to push the envelope.”

“I have no idea of what it is all about. I am not a philosopher.”