The history of atomism is one of reductionism โ the effort to reduce all the operations of nature to a small number of laws governing a small number of primordial objects.
Leon M. LedermanThe real goal of physics is to come up with an equation that could explain the universe but still be small enough to fit on a T-shirt
Leon M. LedermanI started out as a molecules kid. In high school and early college I loved chemistry, but I gradually shifted toward physics, which seemed cleaner - odorless, in fact.
Leon M. LedermanWe hope to explain the entire universe in a single, simple formula that you can wear on your T-shirt.
Leon M. LedermanA theoretical physicist can spend his entire lifetime missing the intellectual challenge of experimental work, experiencing none of the thrills and dangers - the overhead crane with its ten-ton load, the flashing skull and crossbones and danger, radioactivity signs. A theorist's only real hazard is stabbing himself with a pencil while attacking a bug that crawls out of his calculations.
Leon M. Lederman