---
title: "3 Fine-structure-constant Quotes By Steven Weinberg"
description: "3 Fine-structure-constant quotes by Steven Weinberg. Plus more from Steven Weinberg and more Fine-structure-constant sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2c/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant_2111657.png"
---

> [“To calculate 'the' fine structure constant, 1/137, we would need a realistic model of just about everything, and this we do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant-1-137-we-would-need-a/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2c/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant_2111657.png)

> [“Fine Structure Constant: Fundamental numerical constant of atomic physics and quantum electrodynamics, defined as the square of the charge of the electron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/fine-structure-constant-fundamental-numerical-constant-of-atomic/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/steven-weinberg-3159_electron_fine-structure-constant-fundamental-nume_2669190.png)

> [“Itwas one time when people thought the value of the fine structure constant wasimportant. Now of course it's still important, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/itwas-one-time-when-people-thought-the-value-of-the-fine-structure/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_itwas-one-time-when-people-thought-the-v_2983493.jpg)

## More by Steven Weinberg

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [“The apparent strengths of the forces in any field theory depend on two kinds of numerical parameter: the masses (if any) of the particles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/the-apparent-strengths-of-the-forces-in-any-field-theory-depend-on/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [“Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/many-people-do-simply-awful-things-out-of-sincere-religious-belief/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [This is often the way it is in physics - our mistake is not that we take our theories too seriously, but that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/this-is-often-the-way-it-is-in-physics-our-mistake-is-not-that-we/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/with-or-without-religion-you-would-have-good-people-doing-good-things/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [I would say it's a lot easier to develop a decoy system than to develop the intercontinental ballistic missile itself. I would think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/i-would-say-it-s-a-lot-easier-to-develop-a-decoy-system-than-to/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [Rational argument can be defeated by refusing to argue rationally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/rational-argument-can-be-defeated-by-refusing-to-argue-rationally/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [The universe is an enormous direct product of representations of symmetry groups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/the-universe-is-an-enormous-direct-product-of-representations-of/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [Its a consequence of the experience of science. As you learn more and more about the universe, you find you can understand more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/its-a-consequence-of-the-experience-of-science-as-you-learn-more-and/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [Our job in physics is to see things simply, to understand a great many complicated phenomena in a unified way, in terms of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/our-job-in-physics-is-to-see-things-simply-to-understand-a-great-many/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [“Plato and the neo-Platonists taught that the beauty we see in nature is a reflection of the beauty of the ultimate, the nous. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/plato-and-the-neo-platonists-taught-that-the-beauty-we-see-in-nature/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [An expert is a person who avoids the small errors while sweeping on to the grand fallacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/an-expert-is-a-person-who-avoids-the-small-errors-while-sweeping-on/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [If (the antiproton) had not been discovered, the foundations of physics really would have crumbled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-the-antiproton-had-not-been-discovered-the-foundations-of-physics/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [Even though I knew pretty early that I was going to be a scientist, it wasn't the science that interested me in science fiction;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/even-though-i-knew-pretty-early-that-i-was-going-to-be-a-scientist-it/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [If history is any guide at all, it seems to me to suggest that there is a final theory. In this century we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/if-history-is-any-guide-at-all-it-seems-to-me-to-suggest-that-there/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/#itemlist",
            "name": "3 Fine-structure-constant Quotes By Steven Weinberg",
            "numberOfItems": 3,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“To calculate 'the' fine structure constant, 1/137, we would need a realistic model of just about everything, and this we do not have. In this talk I want to return to the old question of what it is that determines gauge couplings in general, and try to prepare the ground for a future realistic calculation.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Weinberg"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant-1-137-we-would-need-a/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2c/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant_2111657.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2c/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant_2111657.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2c/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant_2111657.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“To calculate 'the' fine structure constant, 1/137, we would need a realistic model of just about everything…” — Steven Weinberg",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Fine Structure Constant: Fundamental numerical constant of atomic physics and quantum electrodynamics, defined as the square of the charge of the electron divided by the product of Planck's constant and the speed of light.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Weinberg"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/fine-structure-constant-fundamental-numerical-constant-of-atomic/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/steven-weinberg-3159_electron_fine-structure-constant-fundamental-nume_2669190.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/steven-weinberg-3159_electron_fine-structure-constant-fundamental-nume_2669190.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a82/steven-weinberg-3159_electron_fine-structure-constant-fundamental-nume_2669190.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Fine Structure Constant: Fundamental numerical constant of atomic physics and quantum electrodynamics…” — Steven Weinberg",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "“Itwas one time when people thought the value of the fine structure constant wasimportant. Now of course it's still important, of course, as a practical matter,but we now know that the value it has is a function, that in any fundamental theory you derive the fine structure constant as a function of all sorts of mass ratios and so on, and it's not really that fundamental.”",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Weinberg"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/itwas-one-time-when-people-thought-the-value-of-the-fine-structure/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_itwas-one-time-when-people-thought-the-v_2983493.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_itwas-one-time-when-people-thought-the-v_2983493.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_itwas-one-time-when-people-thought-the-v_2983493.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Itwas one time when people thought the value of the fine structure constant wasimportant. Now of course it's…” — Steven Weinberg",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/",
            "name": "Fine-structure-constant Quotes by Steven Weinberg",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2c/steven-weinberg-3159_fine-structure-const_to-calculate-the-fine-structure-constant_2111657.png"
            },
            "description": "3 Fine-structure-constant quotes by Steven Weinberg. Plus more from Steven Weinberg and more Fine-structure-constant sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Fine Structure Constant",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Steven Weinberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fine-structure-constant/steven-weinberg/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
