We should explore new ways to drive down the cost of space travel. instead of costly booster rockets, maybe we should think of laser/microwave driven rockets, or space elevators. Until then, the cost of space exploration will limit our ability to explore the universe.

I think Newton would be the greatest scientist who ever lived.

Time travel and teleportation will have to wait. It may take centuries to master these technology.

Even if we mortgage the next 100 years of generations of human beings, we would not have enough energy to build a Death Star.

The idea that excites me the most concerns the two greatest puzzles in science: the origin of the universe, and the origin of consciousness. The origin of the universe is what I do for a living, working on string theory. But I am also fascinated by consciousness.

We've done a miserable job of preparing people for today's world, let alone tomorrow's.

Some advice: keep the flame of curiosity and wonderment alive, even when studying for boring exams. That is the well from which we scientists draw our nourishment and energy. And also, learn the math. Math is the language of nature, so we have to learn this language.