The boldness of asking deep questions may require unforeseen flexibility if we are to accept the answers.

For most people, the major hurdle in grasping modern insights into the nature of the universe is that these developments are usually phrased using mathematics.

But if you think about a practical implication of enriching your life and giving you a sense of being part of a larger cosmos and possibly being able to use this [gravitational waves] as a tool in the future maybe to listen not just to black holes colliding, but maybe listen to the big bang itself, those kind of applications may happen in the not too distant future.

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

My emotional investment is in finding truth. If string theory is wrong, I'd like to have known that yesterday. But if we can show it today or tomorrow, fantastic.

You should never be surprised by or feel the need to explain why any physical system is in a high entropy state.

The idea that there could be other universes out there is really one that stretches the mind in a great way.