You Should Know These People_Richard Feynman

Another post in a series of creative people who have inspired me, who I believe will inspire you.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the best way to actually understand rocket science is to have someone explain it to you like a human being.

I’m not a a science-person, but when I heard Richard Feynman explain science I got interested.

You see, Richard Feynman doesn’t sound like a scientist when he explains science. He sounds like Al Pacino as Lefty Ruggiero explaining a horse race betting scheme in the movie Donnie Brasco.

Or Al Pacino as Ricky Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross explaining the “benefits” of Florida swampland.

Richard Feynman (1918–1988) was an American scientist and theoretical physicist. He is best known for his work in quantum mechanics. A contributor to the Manhattan Project during World War II, he also won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.

Feynman was also celebrated as an exceptional teacher, author, and thinker, known for his curiosity, humor, and ability to make complex science accessible.

He was also a damn good bongo drum player.

Feynman sounds like a regular Joe when he makes the world’s most complicated topics easy to understand.

In fact, what made Feynman extraordinary wasn't just his Nobel Prize in Physics, it was his uncanny ability to turn complex science into unforgettable stories.

New York City-born Feynman understood that storytelling wasn't just entertainment, he understood it was the key to understanding.

When other physicists were drowning in equations, he was drawing simple diagrams that revolutionized how we visualize particle interactions. These "Feynman diagrams" turned abstract mathematical concepts into something that looked like stick-figures. Reducing complexity to something elemental.

Then there's the famous "Feynman Technique" – possibly his greatest gift to anyone trying to learn anything difficult. The concept is beautifully simple: Take what you're trying to understand, explain it to a 12-year-old, identify where you get stuck, go back and relearn those parts, and repeat until the complex becomes clear.

No jargon.

No hiding behind “10 dollar” words.

Just pure understanding.

Was Feynman a genius? Interestingly, he said this:

“You ask me if an ordinary person—by studying hard—would get to be able to imagine these things like I imagine. Of course. I was an ordinary person who studied hard. There's no miracle people. It just happens they got interested in this thing, and they learned all this stuff. They're just people.”

Next time you're struggling to explain something important, or you’re doing a presentation, do what Feynman would do: Break it down. Make it human. Tell a story.

And it helps if you can talk a little “Noo Yawkish,” too.