Abraham Pais Quotes
Born: May 19, 1918
Abraham Pais, a physicist and biographer of genius, wove together the threads of science and human experience. Known for his intimate portraits of Einstein and Bohr, Pais understood that the deepest wisdom often hides within the quiet moments of discovery. His words resonate because they bridge the cosmic and the personal, reminding us that life’s greatest truths are found not in equations alone, but in the wonder of a curious mind. His legacy endures as a testament to the beauty of asking why.
Abraham Pais Quotes (6)
"Once I even took the train to Utrecht, forty miles from Amsterdam, with my yellow star, this star which I still have. Why did I go? I just wanted to visit some friends. I was a little bit crazy, a little bit insane."
— Abraham Pais"I spent every night until four in the morning on my dissertation, until I came to the point when I could not write another word, not even the next letter. I went to bed. Eight o'clock the next morning I was up writing again."
— Abraham Pais"Of course, relative citation frequencies are no measure of relative importance. Who has not aspired to write a paper so fundamental that very soon it is known to everyone and cited by no one?"
— Abraham Pais"One of the absolute rules I learned in the war was, don't know anything you don't need to know, because if you ever get caught they will get it out of you."
— Abraham Pais"The rule of the game was never assume that anybody, however honorable, would be able to stand up under torture. If Mr. X, who knew where I was, was caught for some reason, I should move."
— Abraham Pais"One of the things I learned, one of the strangest things, is how to think. There was nothing else to do. I couldn't see people, or go for a walk in the forest. All I had was my head and my books, and I thought a lot."
— Abraham Pais