Brian Cox Quotes

Powerful Brian Cox for Daily Growth

About Brian Cox

Brian Charles Edward Cox, OBE, FRS is a renowned British physicist, professor, and television presenter, best known for his popular science programs that make complex scientific theories accessible to the general public. Born on May 4, 1968, in Dundee, Scotland, Cox developed an early interest in physics due to his father's love for the subject. He attended Dundee High School and later studied at the University of Manchester, where he earned his PhD in particle physics in 1992. Cox's career in academia began with positions at various institutions, including the Universities of Manchester, Helsinki, and Glasgow. In 2004, he was appointed as a full professor of particle physics and astroparticle physics at the University of Manchester, a position he still holds. Cox's work in physics has been significant, particularly in the field of cosmology. He is a key member of the ATLAS experiment at CERN, contributing to the discovery of the Higgs boson particle in 2012. In addition to his academic work, Cox has become a household name for his work on television. His series "Wonders of the Universe," "Wonders of the Solar System," and "The Story of God with Stephen Hawking" have been watched by millions worldwide. He is also known for his appearances on "The Big Bang Theory," playing himself. Cox's influence extends beyond academia and television, as he is a strong advocate for science education and communication. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2009 for services to particle physics and public science engagement, and he was awarded the Albert Einstein Medal in 2010. In summary, Brian Cox is a distinguished physicist, a brilliant communicator, and an advocate for science education who has made significant contributions to our understanding of the universe while also inspiring millions with his accessible explanations of complex scientific theories.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Science is not a belief system; it's a method."

The quote by Brian Cox asserts that science is defined by its process, rather than beliefs or dogmas. This process involves systematic observation, hypothesis testing, and the use of empirical evidence to support or refute scientific claims. In contrast to belief systems which are based on faith or tradition, science is committed to objective truth, and it encourages skepticism and continuous questioning for the sake of progress.

"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."

This quote by Brian Cox emphasizes that the universe, with its vast complexity and innumerable phenomena, may not conform to our human understanding or expectations of order and simplicity. It serves as a reminder that our comprehension is limited and that we should approach scientific exploration with humility, recognizing that the cosmos may always hold mysteries beyond our current knowledge.

"The laws of physics are beautiful but deadly."

This quote by Brian Cox encapsulates the dual nature of the physical laws that govern our universe. On one hand, they embody a profound, aesthetic elegance, reflecting an inherent beauty in their symmetry and consistency. However, these very same laws can have deadly consequences when harnessed improperly or misunderstood – as seen throughout history, from everyday accidents to catastrophic events like atomic explosions. In essence, the quote serves as a reminder of our responsibility to appreciate the grandeur of physics while exercising caution and wisdom in its application.

"The universe is an infinite sphere, the center of which is everywhere and the circumference nowhere."

This quote by Brian Cox emphasizes that from any given point in the vastness of the universe, all other locations are equally "central" due to its infinite size. Since it has no finite boundaries, there's no edge or specific center where one could find a circumference. In essence, it underscores the idea that we are all part of an interconnected and boundless cosmos.

"When we gaze out into the night sky, we are gazing 13.6 billion years back in time. Every star we see is a former sun, every galaxy a former Milky Way."

This quote by Brian Cox emphasizes the profound connection between us and the universe. It suggests that when we look up at the night sky, we are essentially peering back in time, as the light we see from distant stars and galaxies has taken millions or even billions of years to reach us. Essentially, he's pointing out that every star we see was once like our own sun, and every galaxy we observe was, in its infancy, similar to our Milky Way. This underscores the idea that our existence is deeply intertwined with the cosmos, as we share a common past and, perhaps, a shared future.

Even the Australians don't know how beautiful their own country is. Particularly where we were shooting 'The Straits.' Most of my stuff was done on an aboriginal settlement on the south shore, opposite Cairns, which I believe was the site where the last person was eaten in Australia.

- Brian Cox

Country, Own, Shooting, South

Ah, there's a director. Astonishing, Spike Lee. A feisty guy, but a guy who's, I think, incredibly misunderstood. I think people review his politics or his color as opposed to his filmmaking sometimes. Because he's a wonderful, wonderful filmmaker and a lover of the art.

- Brian Cox

Politics, Color, I Think, Feisty

The hardest thing to do in movies is be a day-part player. You have to go in, make your mark, and get out. There's a lot of leading actors who are not good for a lot of a movie, and then suddenly they have good moments, and they're like stepping-stones across a particularly feisty stream. They build careers out of that.

- Brian Cox

Movie, Leading, Your, Feisty

I'm 100% Celt. In fact, I'm directly related to the progenitor of the high kings of Ireland, Niall of the Nine Hostages.

- Brian Cox

Fact, Nine, Hostages, Ireland

The heritage of a British actor revolves around the challenges of playing the classic roles to meet certain levels of success as an actor. In America, the heritage of an actor is based on cinema mainly.

- Brian Cox

Challenges, Based, Roles, Revolves

As a boy, I was never interested in theater because I came from a working-class Scottish home. I thought, 'I want to do movies.' Then it was finding the means to do it.

- Brian Cox

Want, Working-Class, Means, Scottish

I enjoy acting now more than I ever have. I've had lots of difficult times when I was younger, but that was all tied up with thwarted ambition. It's hard being a young actor, because you don't realise until later that it's only ever about doing the work.

- Brian Cox

Doing, Young, About, Young Actor

For me, it's just acting. It's pretending. The best actors are children, and children don't do research. You never see a child going, 'I'm wondering about my motivation here. How can I do this toy? How can I do this train? I don't feel train.'

- Brian Cox

Motivation, Pretending, Here, Wondering

Actors in general have become very spoiled in the roles they choose these days. When I first started in this profession - about a hundred years ago in the last century - it was all about taking risks, it was about doing the job and honing the craft.

- Brian Cox

Doing, Very, Hundred, Hundred Years

The fact is that Hollywood, from as early as the sixties to the present time, has ghettoized cinema into the big industry, a marketing industry. In doing this, the audiences have lost touch with the aspects of film which were to be informative and educational and even spiritual.

- Brian Cox

Doing, Fact, Big, Sixties

There are characters that have made me uncomfortable. I did a film called 'Rob Roy,' and I played Killearn, who was this sort of greasy fallen-angel character who was voyeuristic and sleazy and really unpleasant. It was a great role, but I didn't especially enjoy living with this awful man for the length of time it took to make the movie.

- Brian Cox

Movie, Role, Rob, Roy

My mother Molly had a nervous breakdown after my father Chic died, aged 50. He was a very generous man who ran a shop in Dundee giving a lot of people tick. When he died, a lot of people hadn't paid their bills, so he died with a lot of debt. After he died, my mother went doolally.

- Brian Cox

Very, Breakdown, Shop, Ran

Unlike New Zealand, which has nothing especially predatory, Australia is full of spiders and crocodiles and all kinds of animals that will eat you and sting you.

- Brian Cox

New, Will, Which, Sting

Feudal societies don't create great cinema; we have great theatre. The egalitarian societies create great cinema. The Americans, the French. Because equality is sort of what the cinema deals with. It deals with stories which don't fall into 'Everybody in their place and who's who,' and all that. But the theatre's full of that.

- Brian Cox

Theatre, Fall, Everybody, French

I think I must be the only British actor who's played both Stalin and Trotsky. I need to play Lenin so I can make it a triptych.

- Brian Cox

Play, Think, I Think, Stalin

There's so much light in Broughty Ferry. I think the humour in Glasgow is darker, because it's much more gloomy, there's a perpetual misery there.

- Brian Cox

Think, Glasgow, I Think, Gloomy

I come from a working class community in eastern Scotland, and I've always been a populist, though not a patronising populist.

- Brian Cox

Always, Been, Eastern, Populist

The trouble with New York today is that it's lost its balance. I love the new, greener New York, but it takes all kinds of worlds to make a World.

- Brian Cox

Love, New, Worlds, Greener

I always think I look like the Elephant Man - I can't get used to my own image.

- Brian Cox

Think, Always, Image, Elephant

Charles Laughton, who's a great hero of mine, only ever made one film and it happens to be one of the great films ever, which is 'The Night of the Hunter.' It's full of his kind of imagination and creation and how you do things and just in the way he used the studio, I just thought it was a fantastical way of using the studio.

- Brian Cox

Thought, Studio, Charles, Creation

I didn't have this feeling that I should be a leading actor in the cinema. And I wouldn't want the responsibility of the opening weekend.

- Brian Cox

Responsibility, Want, Actor, Opening

In a sense I feel very much a part of the cinema now in a way where when I come back to the theater now I feel like a visitor. The cinema is really what I enjoy. I want to do more independent movies.

- Brian Cox

Independent, Part, Very, Cinema

I actually went to see 'Rushmore,' and I came late, and I missed myself. It was great, that scene. I caught that scene the other day on TV, funny enough, the first scene that you see with Jason Schwartzman and myself, where we talk about his grades. That's a brilliant scene, and I have to say, we play it brilliantly.

- Brian Cox

Play, Other, Caught, Jason

I did a film in which Andy Garcia and Michael Keaton both played the leads, 'Desperate Measures,' and interestingly enough it was their biggest payday. The film didn't do well, and it kind of marked their careers. They've done less since. It all changed.

- Brian Cox

Desperate, Measures, Biggest, Keaton

I was living in London and I thought, 'There's nothing here for me anymore.' I don't want to become this actor who's going to be doing this occasional good work in the theater and then ever diminishing bad television. I thought I'd rather do bad movies than bad television because you get more money for it.

- Brian Cox

Doing, Here, Diminishing, Good Work

I've directed a couple of times in the theater, but I wouldn't make a habit of it because it's too consuming.

- Brian Cox

Couple, Consuming, Directed, Habit

People always make that mistake when they talk about theatre - the notion of the 'theatrical' meaning something separate from life. If it doesn't relate to life, it doesn't relate to anything.

- Brian Cox

Mistake, Always, Theatrical, Theatre

The problem is that the U.K. in essence is a feudal society. It's everyone in their place.

- Brian Cox

Society, Problem, Everyone, Essence

I used to do a lot of fencing in the theater and a lot of horse riding in the early days, so I'm used to it in a way. If you're classically trained like I am, it's a little bit like mother's milk to me. I enjoy it.

- Brian Cox

Enjoy, Riding, Trained, Early Days

There is a history of mental breakdowns in my family. It will never happen to me but it has happened to others in the family.

- Brian Cox

Never, Will, Happen, Mental

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