We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.
Stephen HawkingRead
The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the courage to face a life-threatening diagnosis and continue living meaningfully despite it.
In this quote, Stephen Hawking reflects on receiving a devastating diagnosis of ALS, a condition that typically has a grim prognosis. His words highlight both the harsh reality of life-altering illnesses and the resilience of the human spirit, suggesting that individuals can confront their challenges with strength and determination, irrespective of dire predictions about their future.
In practice
In a speech about overcoming adversity, I might quote Stephen Hawking to inspire others facing tough circumstances.
We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet.
I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.
It surprises me how disinterested we are today about things like physics, space, the universe and philosophy of our existence, our purpose, our final destination. Its a crazy world out there. Be curious.
I was not a good student. I did not spend much time at college; I was too busy enjoying myself.
The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic but technological-technologies that flowed directly from advances in basic science. Clearly, no scientist better represents those advances than Albert Einstein: TIME's Person of the Century.
In my opinion, there is no aspect of reality beyond the reach of the human mind.
Nobody but radicals have ever accomplished anything in a great crisis.
On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.
The crowd intimidates me, its breath suffocates me. I feel paralyzed by its curious look, and the unknown faces make me dumb.
Gymnastics has made me strong. I feel like it broke me down to my lowest point, but at the same time, it has given me the greatest strength anyone could ask for.
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution. No refuge could save the hireling and slave from the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.
I have lived my life according to this principle: If I'm afraid of it, then I must do it.
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