I tried to contribute to the defeat of the Soviets. If I contributed 1%, it is 1% of something enormous.
Meaning of the quote
Edward Teller, an American physicist, tried to help defeat the Soviet Union. Even though his contribution may have been small, just 1%, that 1% was part of a much larger effort against the Soviets. His small part was a meaningful piece of something much bigger.
About Edward Teller
Edward Teller, known as the “father of the hydrogen bomb,” was a Hungarian-American physicist who made significant contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, including the Jahn-Teller and Renner-Teller effects. He was an early member of the Manhattan Project and co-founded the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, but also faced controversy for his role in the Oppenheimer security clearance hearing.
Tags
More quotes from Edward Teller
My experience has been in a short 77 years that in the end when you fight for a desperate cause and have good reasons to fight, you usually win.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
Two paradoxes are better than one; they may even suggest a solution.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
The science of today is the technology of tomorrow.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
No endeavor that is worthwhile is simple in prospect; if it is right, it will be simple in retrospect.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
Physics is, hopefully, simple. Physicists are not.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
Secrecy, once accepted, becomes an addiction.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
Life improves slowly and goes wrong fast, and only catastrophe is clearly visible.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
Had we not pursued the hydrogen bomb, there is a very real threat that we would now all be speaking Russian. I have no regrets.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)
I tried to contribute to the defeat of the Soviets. If I contributed 1%, it is 1% of something enormous.
Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)