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12 Stephen Hawking Quotes Reveal How A Genius Thinks

By Drake Baer
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When he was 21, Stephen Hawking learned he had motor neurone disease.

Doctors told him he had a few years to live.

He's now 72 and one of the foremost physicists alive — a professor at the University of Cambridge, an investigator of black holes, and the author of the bestselling book "A Brief History of Time." 

Here are a dozen quotes showing Hawking's approach to science and to life.

On disability

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"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."

[The New York Times, 2011]

On priorities

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"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

["Stephen Hawking's Universe," 1985]

On free will

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/Vincent Yu

"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."

["Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays," 1994] 

On humor

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"Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."

[The New York Times Magazine, 2004]

On his IQ

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/NASA, Paul. E. Alers

"I have no idea. People who boast about their I.Q. are losers."

 [The New York Times Magazine, 2004]

On what he thinks about all day

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

"Women. They are a complete mystery."

[The New Scientist, 2012]

His advice to his three children

stephen hawking
doug88888/flickr

"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose, and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away."

[ABC News, 2010]

On why he writes for a popular audience

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel

"I put a lot of effort into writing 'A Briefer History' at a time when I was critically ill with pneumonia because I think that it's important for scientists to explain their work, particularly in cosmology. This now answers many questions once asked of religion."

[The Guardian, 2005]

On the value of string theory

stephen hawking
Jemal Countess/flickr

"When we understand string theory, we will know how the universe began. It won't have much effect on how we live, but it is important to understand where we come from and what we can expect to find as we explore."

[The Guardian, 2005]

On his health

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

"When I was first diagnosed with ALS, I was given two years to live. Now 45 years later, I am doing pretty well." 

[CNN, 2010]

On God

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

"God may exist, but science can explain the universe without a need for a creator."

[CNN, 2010]

On hitting roadblocks

Stephen Hawking
AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, HO

"It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else. Sometimes it is years before I see the way forward. In the case of information loss and black holes, it was 29 years."

[The Guardian, 2005]

Now that you've met the greatest physicist alive, how about of all time?

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Drake Baer
Drake Baer
Drake Baer was Business Insider's editor-at-large, working across the newsroom to help produce ambitious journalism. For two and a half years before that, Baer served as deputy editor, overseeing a team of 20+ reporters and editors who cover the future of work, real estate, and small business. The fast-paced team was behind some of Insider's major packages in the last few years, including a state-by-state look into unemployment during the first year of the pandemic and in-depth profiles of "niche famous" characters such as real estate media tycoon Brandon Turner and HR icon Johnny C Taylor. They shed new light on big names, like Joe Biden, America's imperfect leader. He also cultivated thesis-oriented ideas journalism, whether it be on why "'diversity' and 'inclusion' are the emptiest words in corporate America" or why it's actually a horrible time to buy a house. (No, really, it is.) Before editing, his byline as a reporter was on the masthead for Fast Company and New York Magazine, covering the many intersections of social science, business, and economics. Baer has interviewed some our time's leading minds, including philanthropist Bill Gates, FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silver, NBA champion and investor Steph Curry, "growth mindset" psychologist Carol Dweck, the rapper Q-Tip, Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, and the man who gave a name to "disruptive innovation," the late Clay Christensen.Baer has published two books, the most recent being Perception: How Our Bodies Shape Our Minds, with Dennis Proffitt. In 2014, New York Times bestselling author and Wharton professor Adam Grant highlighted his first book, Everything Connects, as one of the 12 business books to read that year. He has been featured as a speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival, presented at TedX Princeton, and moderated many panels.  
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