Stephen Hawking quotes - page 6

Someone told me that each equation I included in the book would halve the sales. I therefore resolved not to have any equations at all. In the end, however, I did put in one equation, Einstein's famous equation, E = mc^2. I hope that this will not scare off half of my potential readers. (Stephen Hawking)
I believe alien life is quite common in the universe, although intelligent life is less so. Some say it has yet to appear on planet Earth. View quote
Stephen Hawking
We could call order by the name of God, but it would be an impersonal God. There's not much personal about the laws of physics. View quote
Stephen Hawking
If human life were long enough to find the ultimate theory, everything would have been solved by previous generations. Nothing would be left to be discovered. View quote
Stephen Hawking
What did God do before he created the universe? View quote
Stephen Hawking
So what is real and what is imaginary? Is the distinction just in our minds? View quote
Stephen Hawking
I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. View quote
Stephen Hawking
What is it that breathes fire into the equations and makes a universe for them to describe? The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a universe for the model to describe. View quote
Stephen Hawking
It has certainly been true in the past that what we call intelligence and scientific discovery have conveyed a survival advantage. It is not so clear that this is still the case: our scientific discoveries may well destroy us all, and even if they don't, a complete unified theory may not make much difference to our chances of survival. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Each time new experiments are observed to agree with the predictions the theory survives, and our confidence in it is increased; but if ever a new observation is found to disagree, we have to abandon or modify the theory. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Yet all the evidence is that it evolves in a regular way according to certain laws. It would therefore seem reasonable to suppose that there are also laws governing the boundary conditions. (Stephen Hawking)
I regard the afterlife to be a fairy story for people that are afraid of the dark. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Many people would claim that the boundary conditions are not part of physics but belong to metaphysics or religion. They would claim that nature had complete freedom to start the universe off any way it wanted. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Today will still yearn to know why we are here and where we came from. Humanity's deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for our continuing quest. And our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the universe we live in. View quote
Stephen Hawking
We are each free to believe what we want and it is my view that the simplest explanation is there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization. There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that, I am extremely grateful. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Exploration by real people inspires us. View quote
Stephen Hawking
I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these 'how' and 'why' questions. Occasionally, I find an answer. View quote
Stephen Hawking
The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years. View quote
Stephen Hawking
If we do discover a complete theory, it should be in time understandable in broad principle by everyone. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people be able to take part in the discussion of why we and the universe exist. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Even if it turns out that time travel is impossible, it is important that we understand why it is impossible. View quote
Stephen Hawking
We think we have solved the mystery of creation. Maybe we should patent the universe and charge everyone royalties for their existence. (Stephen Hawking)
Keeping an active mind has been vital to my survival, as has been maintaining a sense of humor. View quote
Stephen Hawking
There is nothing bigger or older than the universe. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Theology is unnecessary. View quote
Stephen Hawking
Why are we here? Where do we come from? Traditionally, these are questions for philosophy, but philosophy is dead. View quote
Stephen Hawking