--- title: "12 Elementary Particle Quotes by 10 authors" description: "Browse 12 Elementary Particle quotes by 10 authors. Discover the best Elementary Particle sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/edward-witten-16242_deeper_string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper_2933445.png" --- > [String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a little point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper-description-of-nature-by/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/edward-witten-16242_deeper_string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper_2933445.png) > [An elementary particle is not an independently existing, unanalyzable entity. It is, in essence, a set of relationships that reaches outward to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-stapp/an-elementary-particle-is-not-an-independently-existing-unanalyzable/) [Henry Stapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-stapp/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b73/henry-stapp-91536_entity_an-elementary-particle-is-not-an-indepen_392956.png) > [It's indeed surprising that replacing the elementary particle with a string leads to such a big change in things. I'm tempted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/it-s-indeed-surprising-that-replacing-the-elementary-particle-with-a/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d9/edward-witten-16242_change_it-s-indeed-surprising-that-replacing-th_1506508.png) > [So far Unitarian realism claiming to possess positive knowledge about Ultimate Reality has succeeded only by excluding large areas of phenomena or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/so-far-unitarian-realism-claiming-to-possess-positive-knowledge-about/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f22/paul-feyerabend-10420_areas_so-far-unitarian-realism-claiming-to-pos_2277052.jpg) > [I think also of my colleagues in elementary particle theory in many lands, and feel that in some measure I am here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/i-think-also-of-my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-theory-in-many/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/murray-gell-mann-12560_colleagues_i-think-also-of-my-colleagues-in-element_2667937.jpg) > [I often feel a discomfort, a kind of embarrassment, when I explain elementary-particle physics to laypeople. It all seems so arbitrary -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-often-feel-a-discomfort-a-kind-of-embarrassment-when-i-explain/) [Leonard Susskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-susskind/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/leonard-susskind-13115_arbitrary_i-often-feel-a-discomfort-a-kind-of-emba_1526010.jpg) > [If you bang two electrons together with enough energy, you produce protons. If there are no independent laws, then all the properties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-guth/if-you-bang-two-electrons-together-with-enough-energy-you-produce/) [Alan Guth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-guth/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/alan-guth-18636_believe_if-you-bang-two-electrons-together-with_633689.png) > [“The Higgs has nothing whatsoever to do with God. It’s just a really important particle, one that’s worth getting excited about, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-higgs-has-nothing-whatsoever-to-do-with-god-it-s-just-a-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/anonymous-1_quote_the-higgs-has-nothing-whatsoever-to-do-w_924295.jpg) > [ My colleagues in elementary particle theory in many lands \[and I\] are driven by the usual insatiable curiosity of the scientist, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-theory-in-many-lands-and-i-are/) [Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/murray-gell-mann-12560_colleagues_my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-the_95425.jpg) > [“We present a series of hypotheses and speculations, leading inescapably to the conclusion that SU(5) is the gauge group of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow/we-present-a-series-of-hypotheses-and-speculations-leading/) [Howard Georgi & S. L. Glashow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/034/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow-1452_fine-structure-const_we-present-a-series-of-hypotheses-and-sp_370768.jpg) > [“There is an idea - strange, haunting, evocative - one of the most exquisite conjectures in science and religion. It is entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-an-idea-strange-haunting-evocative-one-of-the-most-exquisite/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/carl-sagan-160_astronomy_there-is-an-idea-strange-haunting-evocat_1108319.jpg) > [“For many years, cosmologists have sought, with little success, some fundamental principle which would reveal why the cosmological constant mist be zero.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/for-many-years-cosmologists-have-sought-with-little-success-some/) [John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/john-d-barrow-4552_big-bang_for-many-years-cosmologists-have-sought_1552547.jpg) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-particle/#itemlist", "name": "Elementary Particle Quotes", "numberOfItems": 12, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a little point but as a little loop of vibrating string.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Witten" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper-description-of-nature-by/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/edward-witten-16242_deeper_string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper_2933445.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/edward-witten-16242_deeper_string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper_2933445.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/edward-witten-16242_deeper_string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper_2933445.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“String theory is an attempt at a deeper description of nature by thinking of an elementary particle not as a…” — Edward Witten", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "An elementary particle is not an independently existing, unanalyzable entity. 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It all seems so arbitrary - the ridiculous collection of fundamental particles, the lack of pattern to their masses.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Susskind" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-susskind/i-often-feel-a-discomfort-a-kind-of-embarrassment-when-i-explain/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/leonard-susskind-13115_arbitrary_i-often-feel-a-discomfort-a-kind-of-emba_1526010.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/leonard-susskind-13115_arbitrary_i-often-feel-a-discomfort-a-kind-of-emba_1526010.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a1/leonard-susskind-13115_arbitrary_i-often-feel-a-discomfort-a-kind-of-emba_1526010.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I often feel a discomfort, a kind of embarrassment, when I explain elementary-particle physics to laypeople…” — Leonard Susskind", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you bang two electrons together with enough energy, you produce protons. If there are no independent laws, then all the properties of protons must somehow be 'known' by the electrons. By extension, every elementary particle must carry around enough information to produce the entire universe. I find that difficult to believe.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Guth" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-guth/if-you-bang-two-electrons-together-with-enough-energy-you-produce/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/alan-guth-18636_believe_if-you-bang-two-electrons-together-with_633689.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/alan-guth-18636_believe_if-you-bang-two-electrons-together-with_633689.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/090/alan-guth-18636_believe_if-you-bang-two-electrons-together-with_633689.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you bang two electrons together with enough energy, you produce protons. If there are no independent…” — Alan Guth", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Higgs has nothing whatsoever to do with God. It’s just a really important particle, one that’s worth getting excited about, even if that excitement doesn’t quite rise to the level of religious ecstasy. It’s worth understanding why physicists might be tempted to bestow godlike status on this humble elementary particle, even if it’s actually free of any theological implications whatsoever. (Does anyone really think God plays favorites among the particles?)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-higgs-has-nothing-whatsoever-to-do-with-god-it-s-just-a-really/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/anonymous-1_quote_the-higgs-has-nothing-whatsoever-to-do-w_924295.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/anonymous-1_quote_the-higgs-has-nothing-whatsoever-to-do-w_924295.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/396/anonymous-1_quote_the-higgs-has-nothing-whatsoever-to-do-w_924295.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Higgs has nothing whatsoever to do with God. It’s just a really important particle, one that’s worth…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My colleagues in elementary particle theory in many lands [and I] are driven by the usual insatiable curiosity of the scientist, and our work is a delightful game. I am frequently astonished that it so often results in correct predictions of experimental results. How can it be that writing down a few simple and elegant formulae, like short poems governed by strict rules such as those of the sonnet or the waka, can predict universal regularities of Nature?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Murray Gell-Mann" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-theory-in-many-lands-and-i-are/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/murray-gell-mann-12560_colleagues_my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-the_95425.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/murray-gell-mann-12560_colleagues_my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-the_95425.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b04/murray-gell-mann-12560_colleagues_my-colleagues-in-elementary-particle-the_95425.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My colleagues in elementary particle theory in many lands [and I] are driven by the usual insatiable…” — Murray Gell-Mann", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We present a series of hypotheses and speculations, leading inescapably to the conclusion that SU(5) is the gauge group of the world — that all elementary particle forces (strong, weak, and electromagnetic) are different manifestations of the same fundamental interaction involving a single coupling strength, the fine-structure constant. Our hypotheses may be wrong and our speculations idle, but the uniqueness and simplicity of our scheme are reasons enough that it be taken seriously.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Georgi & S. L. Glashow" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow/we-present-a-series-of-hypotheses-and-speculations-leading/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/034/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow-1452_fine-structure-const_we-present-a-series-of-hypotheses-and-sp_370768.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/034/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow-1452_fine-structure-const_we-present-a-series-of-hypotheses-and-sp_370768.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/034/howard-georgi-s-l-glashow-1452_fine-structure-const_we-present-a-series-of-hypotheses-and-sp_370768.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We present a series of hypotheses and speculations, leading inescapably to the conclusion that SU(5) is the…” — Howard Georgi & S. L. Glashow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There is an idea - strange, haunting, evocative - one of the most exquisite conjectures in science and religion. It is entirely undemonstrated; it may never be proved. But it stirs the blood. There is, we are told, an infinite hierarchy of universes, so that an elementary particle, such as an electron, in our universe would, if penetrated, reveal itself to be entire closed universe. Within it, organized into the local equivalent of galaxies and smaller structures, are an immense number of other, much tinier elementary particles, which are themselves universe at the next level, and so on forever - an infinite downward regression, universes within universes, endlessly. And upward as well. Our familiar universe of galaxies and stars, planets and people, would be a single elementary particle in the next universe up, the first step of another infinite regress.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sagan" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-an-idea-strange-haunting-evocative-one-of-the-most-exquisite/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/carl-sagan-160_astronomy_there-is-an-idea-strange-haunting-evocat_1108319.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/carl-sagan-160_astronomy_there-is-an-idea-strange-haunting-evocat_1108319.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/719/carl-sagan-160_astronomy_there-is-an-idea-strange-haunting-evocat_1108319.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is an idea - strange, haunting, evocative - one of the most exquisite conjectures in science and…” — Carl Sagan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For many years, cosmologists have sought, with little success, some fundamental principle which would reveal why the cosmological constant mist be zero. The elementary-particle physicists have searched as well, but far from finding an answer to the problem they have merely compounded it by showing that, even if such a principle were to exist which started the universe on its way at the Big Bang with a zero value of the cosmological constant, there arise complicated elementary-particle processes which produce stresses that mimic the presence of a cosmological constant with an unacceptably large value, billions and billions of times larger than observation allows.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John D. Barrow" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/for-many-years-cosmologists-have-sought-with-little-success-some/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/john-d-barrow-4552_big-bang_for-many-years-cosmologists-have-sought_1552547.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/john-d-barrow-4552_big-bang_for-many-years-cosmologists-have-sought_1552547.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7e/john-d-barrow-4552_big-bang_for-many-years-cosmologists-have-sought_1552547.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For many years, cosmologists have sought, with little success, some fundamental principle which would reveal…” — John D. Barrow", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-particle/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-particle/", "name": "Elementary Particle Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elementary-particle/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/edward-witten-16242_deeper_string-theory-is-an-attempt-at-a-deeper_2933445.png" }, "description": "Browse 12 Elementary Particle quotes by 10 authors. 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