George Gamow quotes

George Gamow was a Russian-born theoretical physicist and cosmologist who made significant contributions to nuclear physics and cosmology. His work played a pivotal role in developing the Big Bang theory and explaining radioactive decay. He is also known for popularizing science through his influential books and lectures. Here are 10 of his quotes:

If the expansion of the space of the universe is uniform in all directions, an observer located in anyone of the galaxies will see all other galaxies running away from him at velocities proportional to their distances from the observer.

George Gamow

So I am just sitting and waiting, listening, and if something exciting comes, I just jump in.

George Gamow

I decided to get Ph. D. in experimental physics because experimental physicists have their own room in the Institute where they can hang their coat, whereas theoretical physicists have to hang their coat at the entrance.

George Gamow

I feel that matter has properties which physics tells you.

George Gamow

There was a young fellow from Trinity, Who took the square root of infinity. But the number of digits, Gave him the fidgets; He dropped Math and took up Divinity.

George Gamow

If only there were at least one film with some real adventure, something unusual and maybe even fantastic about it.

George Gamow

It is well known that theoretical physicists cannot handle experimental equipment; it breaks whenever they touch it. Pauli was such a good theoretical physicist that something usually broke in the lab whenever he merely stepped across the threshold.

George Gamow

There was a young fellow from Trinity, Who took the square root of infinity.

George Gamow

It was a bank holiday, and Mr Tompkins, the little clerk of a big city bank, slept late and had a leisurely breakfast. Trying to plan his day, he first thought about going to some afternoon movie and, opening the morning paper, turned to the entertainment page. But none of the films looked attractive to him. He detested all this Hollywood stuff, with infinite romances between popular stars. If only there were at least one film with some real adventure, something unusual and maybe even fantastic about it. But there was none. Unexpectedly, his eye fell on a little notice in the corner of the page. The local university was announcing a series of lectures on the problems of modern physics, and this afternoon's lecture was to be about Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Well, that might be something!

George Gamow