The questions worth asking, in other words, come not from other people but from nature, and are for the most part delicate things easily drowned out by the noise of everyday life. Robert B. Laughlin delicatedrowneasily Change image and share on social
Another important aspect of our home was respect for ideas. Robert B. Laughlin aspecthomeidea Change image and share on social
It was at Bell Labs that I first made direct contact with real semiconductor experts and thus began to fully understand what amazing materials they were and what they could do. Robert B. Laughlin amazebeginbell Change image and share on social
Western society has many flaws, and it is good for an educated person to have thought some of these through, even at the expense of losing a lecture or two to tear gas. Robert B. Laughlin educateexpenseflaw Change image and share on social
My mother also had us take piano lessons, and this had a similar effect. I hated those lessons, but I now play regularly for pleasure and have even tried my hand at composing. Robert B. Laughlin composeeffecthand Change image and share on social
But the need for conflict to expose prejudice and unclear reasoning, which is deeply embedded in my philosophy of science, has its origin in these debates. Robert B. Laughlin conflictdebatedeeply Change image and share on social
One of the terrific aspects of MIT in those days was the enormous variety of experimental work that either took place there or was talked about in seminars by outside speakers aggressively recruited by the faculty. Robert B. Laughlin aggressivelyaspectday share on social
At Berkeley I had my first encounter with real professional scientists. Robert B. Laughlin berkeleyencounterprofessional Change image and share on social
To this day I always insist on working out a problem from the beginning without reading up on it first, a habit that sometimes gets me into trouble but just as often helps me see things my predecessors have missed. Robert B. Laughlin begindayhabit share on social
It is an interesting fact that during my tour I was never allowed access to computers, radios, or anything else that I might damage through curiosity, or perhaps something more sinister. Robert B. Laughlin accessallowcomputer Change image and share on social