I think it's a big mistake to decide too soon what you're going to do with your life.

For me too, the periodic table was a passion. ... As a boy, I stood in front of the display for hours, thinking how wonderful it was that each of those metal foils and jars of gas had its own distinct personality.

The laws of nature are constructed in such a way as to make the universe as interesting as possible.

A model is done when nothing else can be taken out.

The total disorder in the universe, as measured by the quantity that physicists call entropy, increases steadily over time. Also, the total order in the universe, as measured by the complexity and permanence of organized structures, also increases steadily over time.

You have this world of mathematics, which is very real and which contains all kinds of wonderful stuff. And then we also have the world of nature, which is real, too.

So long as you have courage and a sense of humor, it is never too late to start life afresh.