Neutrinos ... win the minimalist contest: zero charge, zero radius, and very possibly zero mass.
Leon M. LedermanTheorists write all the popular books on science: Heinz Pagels, Frank Wilczek, Stephen Hawking, Richard Feynman, et al. And why not? They have all that spare time.
Leon M. LedermanThe British philosopher Bertrand Russell said that philosophy went downhill after Democritus and did not recover until the Renaissance.
Leon M. LedermanOne of the major ingredients for professional success in science is luck. Without this, forget it.
Leon M. LedermanWhen I talk about the pain and hardship of a scientist's life, I'm speaking of more than existential angst. Galileo's work was condemned by the Church; Madame Curie paid with her life, a victim of leukemia wrought by radiation poisoning. Too many of us develop cataracts. None of us gets enough sleep. Most of what we know about the universe we know thanks to a lot of guys (and ladies) who stayed up late at night.
Leon M. Lederman