Inspiring Quotes (of Richard P. Feynman) For Software Devs To Consider
Published: 2023-09-22 18:03:05


If you do not know Richard P. Feynman, after you read these quotes you will want to know him better.  I recently read the fantastic book, ["Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character](https://amzn.to/3ENy3oP) (check it out at amazon).

![Teach principles not formulas.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hkv5ucuc2vogzlqnn6bz.png)

#### And, by "teach", he means LEARN. Learn foundational principles in Software Development and you will be able to learn any technology.


![The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ztfue7bg92j5xvpc38d0.png)

#### So many developers forget that they can easily fool themselves and begin believing their own lies : "Oh, yes, I understand exactly how that works."  Then things go haywire in production and they remember that they don't know every detail of how it works.


![What I cannot create, I do not understand.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2fgl830qzmq2igcoltw0.png)

#### This is why many of us got into Software Development.  We thought if we could build it then we could understand it.


![Know how to solve every problem that has been solved.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/kfk18k0orevpn1tygfg6.png)

#### Work to learn the things that are known.  Stop worrying about the unknowns.


![I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/svrmxqp5owxjrwo7lcg3.png)

#### There are places you will work where "they" have all the  answers and "know" everything.  Learn what you can and get out of there.


![If you thought that science was certain – well, that is just an error on your part.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9xf8f03dgz3xfk9kmueq.png)

![We need to teach how doubt is not to be feared but welcomed. It’s OK to say, “I don’t know.”](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1p9f3nwucwjak1hj3vrh.png)

##### Why are Devs so afraid to say, "I don't know"?


![I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/x6nfhp0z16582d2o6p11.png)



![I think it’s much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cqke1obdhff7st6uh4a5.png)


![Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bv8preawbtpt6lvd6kq7.png)

#### Remember, ABL, Always Be Learning
And to learn, you have to first know that you don't really understand the thing as well as you could.  You cannot believe you know everything.

![Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/lubwe0t3sqadi5s0rzvh.png)

#### Science was invented to be doubted.  So you'll keep on asking questions and learning more.  Doubt your code will work too.  It'll make you stronger.

### THIS!!!! 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

![There is no learning without having to pose a question. And a question requires doubt.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/amgxk7tzd0ujg1k5y6ll.png)

### THIS!!!! ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

![Scientists are explorers. Philosophers are tourists.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/puxxot17a31p3nq7w726.png)

#### Programmers should always be learners (explorers) too.  Sadly, paid work often turns programmers into mimics and hucksters.

![The only way to deep happiness is to do something you love to the best of your ability.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ecyjr2g5u6yt6m0unox9.png)


![If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t understand quantum mechanics.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/z0yaakc93a6u7hzljv7f.png)

#### This is very much true for programming too.  

![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.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/45qku819iq35v55zkums.png)

#### Be what you want to be.  Learn the things you want to learn and you'll grow strong and fast.

Yes, a lot of times that means you have to do those things after a complete day of work (what others wanted you to do) but never give up on what you want to learn.




![I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/16ppxp5hamcdale1r70o.png)

## Just because you know the name of a pattern or can re-type how to sort numbers with JavaScript, doesn't mean you understand the concepts.



![Never confuse education with intelligence, you can have a PhD and still be an idiot.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uf5df6vw1k6dlfctztmn.png)


![Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter. Explore the world. Nearly everything is really interesting if you go into it deeply enough.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/csqlpku3rd4gk6qu04m7.png)



![Fall in love with some activity, and do it! Nobody ever figures out what life is all about, and it doesn’t matter.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/y2enocqr702drgyt0808.png)

##### Stop being so caught up on being happy and focus on something and doing it to the best of your ability and happiness will arise.


![The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ujkw93hm4zfd1lw6pqp8.png)

#### So true in IT.  So needed in IT workplace.  Be the difference.