Words that Transform: Impactful Sentences by Nobel Prize Laureates
Five Brief Examples of Skillful Language Usage
Dear B.W.B.R. Readers,
Observing how other writers use words, grammar and sentence formation, help us subconsciously absorb good patterns and improve our own command of the language. This is one of the goals of B.W.B.R. newsletter and here we focus on this goal only.
In today’s article, we share examples of how Nobel prize winners explain complex things or life events in simple, powerful language. Here are some impactful paragraphs from Physics Nobel Laureates, followed by my comments on the style:
1. Serge Haroche, quantum physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (2012):
“He’s [Dave is] very much interested in the engineering part of his work. The way he’s able to manipulate single particles is really an art, a kind of wizardry he’s developed. For that you need to be very rigorous at the technological level and the engineering level. He has the ability to be at frontier of basic science and engineering, and he’s been very good at integrating these two aspects in his research.”
– Serge Haroche, physicist who shared 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics with Dave Winelands. Here he’s talking about his collaborator, Dave.
The quote follows a clear narrative flow, starting with Dave's interest, describing his skills, and concluding with his ability to integrate basic science and engineering in research.
2. Richard Feynman, quantum physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (1965):
"We choose to examine a phenomenon which is impossible, absolutely impossible, to explain in any classical way, and which has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery. We cannot make the mystery go away by “explaining” how it works. We will just tell you how it works. In telling you how it works we will have told you about the basic peculiarities of all quantum mechanics."
This excerpt is from Feynman's book "The Character of Physical Law". The use phrases like "We will just tell you how it works" and "In telling you how it works" create a sense of direct engagement with the reader, making the explanation more accessible, a hallmark of Fyenman’s lecturing as well as writing style. Another hallmark is his use of emphatic language such as ‘impossible’ and ‘absolutely impossible‘ in the first sentence.
3. James W. Cronin, nuclear physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (1980):
“It was also at the University of Chicago that I met my future wife, Annette Martin, in the summer of 1953. It was a wonderful, happy summer; I had passed my Ph.D. qualifying exams the previous winter, and I realized that I had met my lifetime companion. We were married in September 1954. The stable point in my life became our home. On even the worst days, when nothing was working at the lab, I knew that at home I would find warmth, peace, companionship, and encouragement. As a consequence, the next day would surely be better. Annette, with great patience and good spirit, tolerated my many long absences when experiments were carried out at distant laboratories.”
The stability of the home is highlighted as a central point in the speaker's life, providing warmth, peace, companionship, and encouragement. This emphasis contrasts with the challenges faced in the lab.
4. Donna Strickland, laser physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (2018):
"While I was in high school, my dad received a diagnosis of terminal spinal cancer and was told he only had a year to live. I was spared from knowing this devastating news at the time. My mother realized that she would have to be the breadwinner for the family. She felt very fortunate when a teaching vacancy opened up at the high school where she had taught before getting married. This high school was my high school, so we were both at GCVI when I was in Grades 12 and 13. My father was not a quitter. He researched his own disease and asked his doctor about a new radiation treatment he’d read about. The physician wasn’t optimistic, but my dad wanted to try it. He was one of the lucky ones and the radiation therapy worked. My mom kept her teaching job, since it would be a few years before they would know if the remission was permanent. We had my dad for another two decades.
With my mother’s pay cheque, my parents were able to afford a cottage on Lake Huron after my father sold the family home that he had inherited in Cape Breton. The family has enjoyed many summer weekends together up at the cottage ever since. You can see the family photo taken there in 1985, the year I published the paper that earned me a Nobel Prize."
The narrative carries an emotional tone, especially when discussing the father's diagnosis of terminal spinal cancer. The emotional impact is conveyed through phrases like "devastating news" and "my dad was not a quitter." The mention of the family enjoying summer weekends at the cottage becomes symbolic, representing a shared space of joy and togetherness. The family photo in 1985 adds a personal touch, linking a memorable achievement (the Nobel Prize) with a family moment.
5. Frank Wilczek, theoretical physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics (2004):
I’ve always loved all kinds of puzzles, games, and mysteries. Some of my earliest memories are about the questions I “worked on” even before I went to school. When I was learning about money, I spent a lot of time trying out various schemes of exchanging different kinds of money (e.g., pennies, nickels, and dimes) in complicated ways back and forth, hoping to discover a way to come out ahead. Another project was to find ways of getting very big numbers in a few steps. I discovered simple forms of repeated exponentiation and recursion for myself. Generating large numbers made me feel powerful.
With these inclinations, I suspect I was destined for some kind of intellectual work. A few special circumstances led me to science, and eventually to theoretical physics.
The quote combines personal reflection, nostalgia, curiosity, and a sense of empowerment ("Generating large numbers made me feel powerful") to narrate the speaker's early intellectual inclinations and the path that eventually led to a career in theoretical physics.
It is apparent from these five brief examples that a skillful command of language equips us to accomplish numerous tasks in a few powerful sentences.
Happy New Year and Happy Reading and Writing!