I have long thought that anyone who does not regularly - or ever - gaze up and see the wonder and glory of a dark night sky filled with countless stars loses a sense of their fundamental connectedness to the universe.

We're on this planet for the briefest of moments in cosmic terms, and I want to spend that time thinking about what I consider the deepest questions.

Physicists have come to realize that mathematics, when used with sufficient care, is a proven pathway to truth.

Oftentimes, if you're talking to a seasoned interviewer who asks you a question, they may do a follow-up if they didn't quite get it. It's rare that they'll do a third or fourth or fifth or sixth follow-up, because there's an implicit, agreed-upon decorum that they move on. Kids don't necessarily move on if they don't get it.

A unified theory would put us at the doorstep of a vast universe of things that we could finally explore with precision.

Understanding requires insight. Insight must be anchored.

For me it's been very exciting to contribute to the public's understanding of how rich and wondrous science is.