Those who are not shocked when they first come across quantum theory cannot possibly have understood it.
— Essays 1932-1957 on Atomic Physics and Human Knowledge
Niels Bohr was a Danish theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. He was also a philosopher and a promoter of scientific research.
He developed the Bohr model of the atom, which proposed that the energy levels of electrons are discrete and that electrons revolve in stable orbits around the nucleus but can jump from one level to another. Although the model has since been replaced by others, its underlying principles remain valid. He also conceived the principle of complementarity, the idea that things can be analysed in terms of contradictory properties, such as behaving as a wave or as a stream of particles. Complementarity dominated his thinking in both science and philosophy.
He developed the Bohr model of the atom, which proposed that the energy levels of electrons are discrete and that electrons revolve in stable orbits around the nucleus but can jump from one level to another. Although the model has since been replaced by others, its underlying principles remain valid. He also conceived the principle of complementarity, the idea that things can be analysed in terms of contradictory properties, such as behaving as a wave or as a stream of particles. Complementarity dominated his thinking in both science and philosophy.
You can recognize a small truth because its opposite is a falsehood. The opposite of a great truth is another truth.
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth.
Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.
It is not enough to be wrong, one must also be polite.
The meaning of life consists in the fact that it makes no sense to say that life has no meaning.
Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation but as a question.[A caution he gives his students, to be wary of dogmatism.]
Never express yourself more clearly than you are able to think.
Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true.
How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.