It was strange, in a way, because there were no ideas involved in the laser that weren’t already known by somebody 25 years before lasers were discovered. The ideas were all there; just, nobody put it together. Charles H. Townes Read Quote
I was very eager to produce an oscillator for short waves. I was doing science with microwaves, and I would get down to a few millimetres in wavelength, but I wanted to get shorter wavelengths; I wanted to get into the infra-red because I saw there was a lot more to be done there. Charles H. Townes Read Quote
Science is exploration. The fundamental nature of exploration is that we don’t know what’s there. We can guess and hope and aim to find out certain things, but we have to expect surprises. Charles H. Townes Read Quote
Much public thinking follows a rut. The same thing is true in science. People get stuck and don’t look in other directions. Charles H. Townes Read Quote
In many cases, people who win a Nobel prize, their work slows down after that because of the distractions. Yes, fame is rewarding, but it’s a pity if it keeps you from doing the work you are good at. Charles H. Townes Read Quote
