25 Memorable Max Planck Quotes By The Quantum Pioneer

By Norbert Juma

Master quote curator and editor on a mission to inspire

Published July 14, 2023

Are you looking for the best Max Planck quotes?

If yes, you have landed on the right page.

In this article, we are going to share with you the most popular quotes from Max Planck.

Besides our quotes section, we’ve also discussed Max Planck, his early life, and his achievements.

So, without any further delay, let’s start!

An Introduction to Max Planck

Max Planck is a famous physicist born in Germany in 1858.

Quantum theory is one of his groundbreaking contributions to physics.

His study and research helped us understand the basic laws of nature.

This led to the foundation of modern physics.

Planck’s discoveries transformed how we used to see the things around us.

His research has made it possible for us to enjoy the fruits of technological advancements.

Early Life

Max Planck came from a family with a strong academic foundation.

He was born in Kiel, Germany, and was in love with physics and mathematics.

For higher education, Planck preferred two universities named:

The University of Munich
The University of Berlin

Both these universities fueled his passion for physics.

While studying there, Planck improved his concepts about electromagnetism and thermodynamics.

He learned from the most knowledgeable physicists of his time.

Quantum Theory

One of the most significant works of Planck was his concept of quantization (introduced in 1900).

He explained his research on black-body radiation.

Planck further explained that energy is quantized and can exist in discrete packets known as “Quanta.”

This changed the existing belief that energy flows continuously.

After this discovery, Planck created a quantum theory.

This theory created the basis of quantum mechanics.

Planck’s law, an equation, was also created by him.

This law explains how the energy of black-body radiation is distributed.

Planck’s Impact and Legacy on Modern Physics

Max Planck is one of the pioneers of modern physics.

For instance, his Quantum Theory is a significant scientific achievement.

Through his discoveries, Planck tried to challenge the rules of classical physics.

This led to the introduction of quantum mechanics.

As a result, we are now in a better position to learn and upgrade our concepts about things like:

Atoms
Particles
The behavior of matter and energy

His work was a foundation for the research conducted by a wide range of physicists who came after Planck.

A few of these include:

Niels Bohr
Werner Heisenberg
Erwin Schrödinger

Recognition and Honors

Max Planck gained international recognition after his unbelievable work in the field of physics.

In 1918, Planck received a Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering energy quantization.

Planck’s constant is also named in his honor.

Top 5 Max Planck Quotes

Here are the top Max Planck quotes that will inspire you.

1. “Insight must precede application.” — Max Planck

2. “Science advances one funeral at a time.” — Max Planck

3. “Experimenters are the shock troops of science.” — Max Planck

4. “Truth never triumphs-its opponents just die out.” — Max Planck

5. “No burden is so heavy for a man to bear as a succession of happy days.” — Max Planck

Max Planck Quotes About Consciousness

Max Planck stressed a lot on consciousness. These quotes can help you learn more about consciousness.

6. “Ego is the immediate dictate of human consciousness.” — Max Planck

7. “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as a derivative of consciousness.” — Max Planck

8. “We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.” — Max Planck

9. “Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.” — Max Planck

10. “All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force… We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter.” — Max Planck

Max Planck Quotes About Scientists

As a great scientist, Max Planck knew much about scientists’ work. The following quotes can help you to know more about scientists.

11. “The scientist needs an artistically creative imagination.” — Max Planck

12. “A scientist is happy, not in resting on his attainments but in the steady acquisition of fresh knowledge.” — Max Planck

13. “Those [scientists] who dislike entertaining contradictory thoughts are unlikely to enrich their science with new ideas.” — Max Planck

14. “The pioneer scientist must have “a vivid intuitive imagination, for new ideas are not generated by deduction, but by artistically creative imagination.”” — Max Planck

15. “The highest court is in the end one’s own conscience and conviction-that goes for you and for Einstein and every other physicist-and before any science, there is first of all belief. For me, it is belief in a complete lawfulness in everything that happens.” — Max Planck

Max Planck Quotes About Science

Max Planck had a close association with science and its nature. These quotes by this scientist are all about nature and science.

16. “There can never be any real opposition between religion and science; for the one is the complement of the other.” — Max Planck

17. “Whence come I and whither go I? That is the great unfathomable question, the same for everyone. Science has no answer to it.” — Max Planck

18. “Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: ‘Ye must have faith.’” — Max Planck

19. “Science progresses not by convincing the adherents of old theories that they are wrong, but by allowing enough time to pass so that a new generation can arise unencumbered by the old errors.” — Max Planck

20. “The man who cannot occasionally imagine events and conditions of existence that are contrary to the causal principle as he knows it will never enrich his science by the addition of a new idea.” — Max Planck

Max Planck Quotes About Physics

Max Planck contributed so much to Physics and has a great name in the list of physicists. The below-mentioned quotes by Max Planck will develop your interest in physics.

21. “We have no right to assume that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed up until now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in the future.” — Max Planck

22. “Physical changes take place continuously, while chemical changes take place discontinuously. Physics deals chiefly with continuous varying quantities, while chemistry deals chiefly with whole numbers.” — Max Planck

23. “The goal is nothing other than the coherence and completeness of the system not only in respect of all details, but also in respect of all physicists of all places, all times, all peoples, and all cultures.” — Max Planck

24. “Modern physics has taught us that the nature of any system cannot be discovered by dividing it into its component parts and studying each part by itself… We must keep our attention fixed on the whole and the interconnection between the parts. The same is true of our intellectual life. It is impossible to make a clear cut between science, religion, and art. The whole is never equal simply to the sum of its various parts.” — Max Planck

25. “When I began my physical studies [in Munich in 1874] and sought advice from my venerable teacher Philipp von Jolly…he portrayed to me physics as a highly developed, almost fully matured science…Possibly in one or another nook, there would perhaps be a dust particle or a small bubble to be examined and classified, but the system as a whole stood there fairly secured, and theoretical physics approached visibly that degree of perfection which, for example, geometry has had already for centuries.” — Max Planck