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I don't want to kill anybody. I am passionately opposed to killing, but I'm even more passionately fond of freedom. The freedom of Dr. Pauling and of myself expressing our opinions freely on any subject, however broad, however far removed of our proper competence, but particularly, to be able to express our opinions in the fields we really know; this would not be possible in Russia.

— Edward Teller

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More quotes by Edward Teller

We must learn to live with contradictions, because they lead to deeper and more effective understanding.

There's no system foolproof enough to defeat a sufficiently great fool.

Total security has never been available to anyone. To expect it is unrealistic; to imagine that it can exist is to invite disaster.

The Pursuit of Simplicity (1981)

I believe in evil. It is the property of all those who are certain of truth. Despair and fanaticism are only differing manifestations of evil.

The eyes of childhood are magnifying lenses.

Memoirs : A Twentieth Century Journey in Science and Politics (2001)

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Edward Teller (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.