In my first year at Izmir High School of Science, I read “The Character of Physical Law” from Feynman. Although it was my prep year, I was able to understand the most of the book. Now that I read Feynman’s memoir, it makes sense why I was able to understand the fundamental laws of the universe : he is an excellent storyteller in addition to being a great scientist. Unlike the most other writers, he does not play word games and comes to the point right away.

This book was so much fun to read. Yes, all the stories are fun, but also, he has such a clean style you feel like you are having a chat with this genius.

The most of the book also is about his love of science and scientific integrity. I hope someday in future this book will be mandatory reading in graduate schools.

Here’s a list of some quotes to remember:

.. nothing at MIT had ever reminded me of my lab at home. Suddenly I realized why Princeton was getting results. They were working with the instrument. They built the instrument; they knew where everything was, they now how everything worked …

.. actually, there was a certain amount of genuine quality to my guesses. I had a scheme, which I still use today when somebody is explaining something that I’m trying to understand: I keep making up examples.

.. Von Neumann gave me an interesting idea: that you don’t have to be responsible for the world that you’re in. So I have developed a very powerful sense of social irresponsibility …

.. you have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It’s their mistake, not my failing.