Hans Bethe

“The basis of physics is experiment.”

“If you know a thing, it is simple. If it is not simple, you don't know it.”

“The universe is an enormous, strange, and beautiful place.”

“I have a talent for approximation.”

“I have always been a socialist. I believe in the nationalization of industry.”

“The most important thing in life is to be good at something. The most important thing in a man’s life is to like what he is doing, because that is the only way he can be good at it.”

“I am one of the few people who can look at a nuclear bomb and say, 'I built that.'”

“After the H-bomb was developed, I felt we had to do something to stop the arms race. I and others proposed a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons.”

“Science can be a haven for rebels, for people who are bored with the mundane. But it is also a haven for people who are disciplined and patient.”

“We must not let our fears shape our future.”

“I felt the most important thing was to be a good scientist, and that the duty of a scientist was to do science.”

“It is important that the public be informed about the issues of nuclear weapons, because the public will have to make the ultimate decisions.”

“I think the only way to have a world without war is to have a world government.”

“Today, it's a different situation. I think we have to live with nuclear weapons. The main point is to prevent their use.”