C. V. Raman Quotes
Born: November 7, 1888
Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, a visionary physicist and Nobel laureate, transformed our understanding of light with his 1928 discovery of the Raman Effect. Rooted in a philosophy of relentless curiosity, he believed that science thrives not in sterile labs but in the wonder of everyday observation. His legacy—the first Asian to win a Nobel in science—inspires innovators to see the invisible and question the obvious. Raman’s quotes resonate because they champion the beauty of discovery over mere utility, urging technologists to embrace simplicity and the poetry of nature. His words remind us that true innovation begins with a childlike awe for the world.
C. V. Raman Quotes (21)
"The essence of science is independent thinking, hard work, and not equipment. When I got my Nobel Prize, I had spent hardly 200 rupees on my equipment."
— C. V. Raman"I would like to tell the young men and women before me not to lose hope and courage. Success can only come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you."
— C. V. Raman"We must teach science in the mother tongue. Otherwise, science will become a highbrow activity. It will not be an activity in which all people can participate."
— C. V. Raman"In the history of science, we often find that the study of some natural phenomenon has been the starting point in the development of a new branch of knowledge."
— C. V. Raman"A voyage to Europe in the summer of 1921 gave me the first opportunity of observing the wonderful blue opalescence of the Mediterranean Sea. It seemed not unlikely that the phenomenon owed its origin to the scattering of sunlight by the molecules of the water."
— C. V. Raman"The whole edifice of modern physics is built up on the fundamental hypothesis of the atomic or molecular constitution of matter."
— C. V. Raman"It was my great good fortune, while I was still a student at college, to have possessed a copy of an English translation of his great work 'The Sensations of Tone.' As is well known, this was one of Helmholtz's masterpieces."
— C. V. Raman"It is not often that idealism of student days finds adequate opportunity for expression in the later life of manhood."
— C. V. Raman"It will soon be 25 years from the date of publication of my first research work. That the scientific aspirations kindled by that early work did not suffer extinction has been due entirely to the opportunities provided for me by the great city of Calcutta."
— C. V. Raman"I strongly believe that fundamental science cannot be driven by instructional, industrial, governmental or military pressures. This was the reason why I decided, as far as possible, not to accept money from the government."
— C. V. Raman"It is generally believed that it is the students who derive benefit by working under the guidance of a professor. In reality, the professor benefits equally by his association with gifted students working under him."
— C. V. Raman"We have, I think, developed an inferiority complex. I think what is needed in India today is the destruction of that defeatist spirit."
— C. V. Raman"It seemed, indeed, that the study of light-scattering might carry one into the deepest problems of physics and chemistry, and it was this belief which led to the subject becoming the main theme of our activities at Calcutta from that time onwards."
— C. V. Raman"The fundamental importance of the subject of molecular diffraction came first to be recognized through the theoretical work of the late Lord Rayleigh on the blue light of the sky, which he showed to be the result of the scattering of sunlight by the gases of the atmosphere."
— C. V. Raman"In the first English class I attended, Prof. E. H. Elliot, addressing me, asked if I really belonged to the Junior B. A. class, and I had to answer him in the affirmative. He then proceeded to inquire how old I was."
— C. V. Raman"All the instruments of percussion known to European science are essentially nonmusical and can only be tolerated in open air music or in large orchestras where a little noise more or less makes no difference."
— C. V. Raman"Is there any more encouraging sign than to see an Indian, who has never been to a university, like our friend Mr. Asutosh Dey here, for example, carrying out original work and finding it recognized by the foremost societies of the world?"
— C. V. Raman"Towards the end of February 1928, I took the decision of using brilliant monochromatic illumination obtained by the aid of the commercially available mercury arcs sealed in quartz tubes."
— C. V. Raman"It was the late Dr. Mahendra Lal Sircar who, by founding the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, made it possible for the scientific aspirations of my early years to continue burning brightly."
— C. V. Raman"From Calcutta has gone forth a living stream of knowledge in many branches of study. It is inspiring to think of the long succession of scholars, both Indian and European, who have lived in this city, made it their own, and given it of their best."
— C. V. Raman"I feel it is unnatural and immoral to try to teach science to children in a foreign language They will know facts, but they will miss the spirit."
— C. V. Raman