Lev Davidovich Landau. An outstanding theoretical physicist, academician, founder of a scientific school. Winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physics. He was the originator and the author (together with Ye. M. Lifshits) of a fundamental classical course in theoretic physics. He participated in the Soviet nuclear project and was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for his contribution.
Quotes:
1. Maybe the greatest triumph of human genius is that man can understand things he can no longer imagine.
2. You can’t make a scientific career with decency alone. This will inevitably result in no science and no decency!
3. Nothing comes from nothing.
4. Mathematics is boundless. And it cannot be mastered just as “easily” as theoretical physics.
5. You can’t learn anything new from thick books. Thick books are a graveyard where exhausted ideas of the past are buried.
6. A physicist seeks to make complicated things simple while a poet seeks to make simple things complicated.
7. Due to the brevity of our lives we cannot afford the luxury of dealing with issues that do not promise new results.
8. The worst sin is to get bored!... Here comes the Judgment Day, and the Lord will call and ask you: “Why didn't you enjoy all the benefits of life? Why did you feel bored?”
9. Everyone has enough strength to live a life with dignity. And all this talk about today’s difficult times is just a cunning way to rationalize one’s inaction, laziness and despondency of all sorts. One has to work, and times will change for the better.
10. The key thing is to do everything with passion: it enriches life terrifically.
Image credit: Polytechnical University
