Ernest Rutherford quotes

All science is either physics or stamp collecting. (Ernest Rutherford)
If your experiment needs statistics, you ought to have done a better experiment.
Ernest Rutherford
An alleged scientific discovery has no merit unless it can be explained to a barmaid.
Ernest Rutherford
I must confess it was very unexpected and I am very startled at my metamorphosis into a chemist.
Ernest Rutherford
Radioactivity is shown to be accompanied by chemical changes in which new types of matter are being continually produced. .... The conclusion is drawn that these chemical changes must be sub-atomic in character.
Ernest Rutherford
Don't let me catch anyone talking about the Universe in my department.
Ernest Rutherford
I know what the atom looks like!
Ernest Rutherford
We're like children who always want to take apart watches to see how they work.
Ernest Rutherford
We've got no money, so we've got to think.
Ernest Rutherford
It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you.
Ernest Rutherford
You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1. (Ernest Rutherford)
I have broken the machine and touched the ghost of matter.
Ernest Rutherford
I came into the room which was half-dark and presently spotted Lord Kelvin in the audience, and realised that I was in for trouble at the last part of my speech dealing with the age of the Earth, where my views conflicted with his. To my relief, Kelvin fell fast asleep, but as I came to the important point, I saw the old bird sit up, open an eye and cock a baleful glance at me. Then a sudden inspiration came, and I said Lord Kelvin had limited the age of the Earth, provided no new source [of heat] was discovered. That prophetic utterance referred to what we are now considering tonight, radium! Behold! The old boy beamed upon me.
Ernest Rutherford
A theory that you can't explain to a bartender is probably no damn good.
Ernest Rutherford
When we have found how the nucleus of atoms is built up we shall have found the greatest secret of all - except life. We shall have found the basis of everything - of the earth we walk on, of the air we breathe, of the sunshine, of our physical body itself, of everything in the world, however great or however small - except life.
Ernest Rutherford
Of all created comforts, God is the lender; you are the borrower, not the owner.
Ernest Rutherford
Scientists are not dependent on the ideas of a single man, but on the combined wisdom of thousands.
Ernest Rutherford
I was brought up to look at the atom as a nice hard fellow, red or grey in colour, according to taste.
Ernest Rutherford
When we have found how the nucleus of atoms is built up we shall have found the greatest secret of all - except life.
Ernest Rutherford
That which is not measurable is not science.
Ernest Rutherford
It was quite the most incredible event that has ever happened to me in my life. It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back and hit you. (Ernest Rutherford)