1. The light we see from distant galaxies was emitted millions of years ago; in the case of the most distant objects we see, the light was emitted 8 billion years ago. Thus, when we look at the universe, we are looking at its past.
—Stephen Hawking, *A Brief History of Time*2. The common explanation for why we never see broken cups gather together, leave the ground, and jump back onto a table is that this violates the second law of thermodynamics, which states that disorder, or entropy, always increases over time in any closed system. In other words, it's a form of Murphy's Law: things always tend to get worse: a whole cup on a table represents a highly ordered state, while a broken cup on the floor represents a disordered state. It's easy for a person to go from a cup on the table to a broken cup on the floor, not the other way around.
—Stephen Hawking, *A Brief History of Time*
3. We now know that every particle has an antiparticle that annihilates it. (For a force-carrying particle, the antiparticle is itself.) It's also possible for entire anti-worlds and anti-humans to exist composed of antiparticles. However, if you encounter your anti-you, be careful not to shake hands! Otherwise, you will both disappear in a giant flash.
—Stephen Hawking, *A Brief History of Time*
4. If love hurts you, don't be sad, don't be impatient, it will continue to hurt you. Love is the most tormenting thing, yet we still look up to it, approach it, and even appreciate it like a pilgrim. For the best and worst times it has given us.
—Stephen Hawking, *They*
5. On the other hand, philosophers who take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of things cannot keep up with the progress of scientific theory. In the 18th century, philosophers took all human knowledge, including science, as their domain and discussed questions such as whether the universe had a beginning. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, science became too technical and mathematical for philosophers, or anyone except a few experts. Philosophers narrowed the scope of their questioning so much that even Wittgenstein—the most famous philosopher of this century—said: "The only task left for philosophy is the analysis of language." What a degeneration this is of the great tradition of philosophy from Aristotle to Kant!
—Stephen Hawking, *A Brief History of Time*
6. I don't think we can continue to exist on Earth for another 1000 years unless we escape this fragile planet. We should look to the stars, not always to our feet.
—Stephen Hawking
7. My fingers can still move, my brain can still think; I have lifelong ideals to pursue, I have love and loving family and friends; and yes, I have a grateful heart.
8. When I was 21, my expectations became zero. Since then, everything has become a bonus.
9. When you face the possibility of premature death, you realize that life is precious and you have a lot to do.
10. It took humanity thousands of years to move from the ambiguity of mythology to the clarity of reason. —Stephen Hawking
11. The enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of having knowledge. —Stephen Hawking
12. In *The Grand Design*, Hawking emphasizes that the universe does not need a creator; God and philosophy are dead, which means that humanity will transcend the self-enslavement of ignorance. —Stephen Hawking, *
The Grand Design*
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