'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the
people you love.'
Stephen Hawking
From the reasons for the universe's
existence to the downside of fame, here are some of his pearls of wisdom:
On why the universe exists...
❝If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate
triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God❞ - A Brief History Of Time, published 1988
On black holes...
Image copyright NASA
On humanity...
❝We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet
of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us
something very special❞ - Interview, Der Spiegel, October 1988
On life...
❝One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your
feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is
empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is
there and don't throw it away❞
- Interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, June 2010
On commercial success...
❝I want my books sold on airport bookstalls❞- Interview, New York Times, December 2004
On living with a disability...
❝My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on
things your disability doesn't prevent you doing well, and don't regret the
things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit, as well as physically❞ - Interview, New York Times, May 2011
On God...
Image copyright NASA 
On an imperfect world...
❝Without imperfection, you or I would not exist❞ - On Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking, Discovery
Channel, 2010
On staying cheerful...
❝Life would be tragic if it weren't funny❞ - Interview, New York Times, December 2004
On euthanasia...
❝The victim should have the right to end his life, if he
wants. But I think it would be a great mistake. However bad life may seem,
there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there
is hope❞ - People's Daily Online, June 2006
On artificial intelligence...
❝The development of full artificial intelligence could spell
the end of the human race. It would take off on its own, and re-design itself
at an ever increasing rate... Humans, who are limited by slow biological
evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded❞ - Interview, BBC, December 2014
On fame...
Image copyright Getty Images
On the possibility of contact
between humans and aliens...
❝I think it would be a disaster. The extraterrestrials would
probably be far in advance of us. The history of advanced races meeting more
primitive people on this planet is not very happy, and they were the same
species. I think we should keep our heads low❞
- In Naked Science: Alien Contact, the National Geographic Channel, 2004
In a series for the Discovery Channel, he said it was perfectly rational to
assume there was intelligent life elsewhere but warned that aliens might just
raid earth of its resources and then move on.
On space colonies...
❝I don't think the human race will survive the next 1,000
years, unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can
befall life on a single planet. But I'm an optimist. We will reach out to the
stars❞ - Interview, the Daily Telegraph, October 2001
"I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being
wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered
virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go
into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space."
On the end of the universe...
❝It will take about a thousand million million million
million years for the Earth to run into the sun, so there's no immediate cause
for worry!❞ - A Brief History Of Time, published 1988
On being diagnosed with motor
neurone disease...
❝My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21.
Everything since then has been a bonus❞
- Interview. New York Times, December 2004
On death...
❝I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the
last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so
much I want to do first❞ - Interview, the Guardian, May 2011
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