A Man the Universe Will Miss

Stephen Hawking died today, March 14, 2018 (Pi Day!), after surviving for decades after being struck down by a neurological disease that probably should have killed him in 3 – 4 years. He made a lot out of those extra years he was given, and became a renowned physicist. He was also a funny and insightful man. Here are just a few quotes that give a glimpse of how his mind worked.
“My goal is simple. It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.”
“Your theory of a doughnut-shaped universe is interesting, Homer. I may have to steal it.” (To Homer Simpson, in one of several episodes of “The Simpsons” in which he “played” himself).
“They made Einstein a hero, and now they’re making me a hero, though with much less justification.”
“If you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up. There’s a way out.”
“I would take things apart to see how they worked, but they didn’t often go back together.” (on his life as a curious youth)
“I don’t know (what my IQ is). People who boast about their IQ are losers.”
“We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the universe. That makes us something very special.”
“God may exist, but science can explain the universe without the need for a creator.”
“If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.”
“The downside of my celebrity is that I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognized. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away.”
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”
“Life would be tragic, if it weren’t funny.”
“Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”
“Remember to look up at the stars, and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, wonder at what makes the universe exist. Be curious.” (Advice to his children)
“Somewhere out there, Hillary Clinton is President and I’m the world record holder in the marathon.” (On the possibility of alternate universes)
“I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die.”
“It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.”
I wouldn’t compare it to sex, but it lasts longer. (on the pleasure of scientific discovery)
“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit, as well as physically.”
“It will take about a thousand million million million million years for the Earth to run into the sun, so there’s no immediate cause for worry!”
“I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.”

Stephen Hawking (1942 – 2018) R.I.P.