Leonard Susskind, 2009.

Leonard Susskind (born January 1, 1940) is an American physicist and the Felix Bloch professor of theoretical physics at Stanford University in the field of string theory and quantum field theory. Susskind is widely regarded as the father of string theory for his early contributions to the String Theory model of particle physics.

Quotes

• The standard SU(3)×SU(2)×U(1) theory of strong, electromagnetic, and weak interactions appears to correctly describe physics down to the smallest distance scales yet probed.
  • (1984). "The gauge hierarchy problem, technicolor, supersymmetry, and all that". Physics Reports 104 (2–4): 181–193. DOI:10.1016/0370-1573(84)90208-4.

• (Jokingly) Sex in ten dimensions is impossible... topologically.
  • Lecture "Cosmic landscape and illusion of intelligent design", DESY Hamburg (28 September, 2006).

• The problem with general relativity is that the principles are pretty simple and the computations are always ugly.
  • General Relativity Lecture 5, YouTube, published 30 October 2012 (quote at 1:21:46 of 1:39:06)

• Elegance requires that the number of defining equations be small. Five is better than ten, and one is better than five. On this score, one might facetiously say that String Theory is the ultimate epitome of elegance. With all the years that String Theory has been studied, no one has found even a single defining equation! The number at present count is zero. We know neither what the fundamental equations of the theory are nor even if it has any.
  • The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design. Little, Brown. 2008. 

• My physics has been extremely mainstream, ... It's not true that I'm some sort of a [radical thinker], not at all.
  • During an interview with Y Combinator - Published on Dec 6, 2018.

Quotes about Susskind

• ... Lenny Susskind ... is very well known for his technical work, for his popular work, for his semi-technical books, The Theoretical Minimum, and, within the physics community, as a storyteller, a mentor, and a guiding visionary of the field.
  • Sean M. Carroll, Episode 45: Leonard Susskind on Quantum Information, Quantum Gravity, and Holography. YouTube (6 May 2019).

• Dozens of other popular authors have written about black holes and string theory, but Gefter’s excitement makes even such overdone subjects seem fresh. And through the whole process, she and her father remain awed by the physicists whose work they’re studying—late in the book, her father even asks Susskind for an autograph.
  • Chad Orzel in (May 2014)"Review of Trespassing on Einstein's Lawn: A Father, a Daughter, the Meaning of Nothing, and the Beginning of Everything by Amanda Gefter". Physics Today 67 (5): 52-53. DOI:10.1063/PT.3.2385.

External links