The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.

Meaning of the quote

The more we learn about the world through science, the simpler it becomes to understand. The goal of science is to find the basic, straightforward explanations for how things work. As we discover new knowledge, the complex problems we once faced become clearer and easier to solve.

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.

More about the author

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.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)

Two paradoxes are better than one; they may even suggest a solution.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)

The science of today is the technology of tomorrow.

Edward Teller

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.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)

Physics is, hopefully, simple. Physicists are not.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)

Secrecy, once accepted, becomes an addiction.

Edward Teller

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.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)

Life improves slowly and goes wrong fast, and only catastrophe is clearly visible.

Edward Teller

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.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)

The main purpose of science is simplicity and as we understand more things, everything is becoming simpler.

Edward Teller

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.

Edward Teller

Hungarian-American nuclear physicist (1908-2003)