Lise Meitner (1878–1968) was an Austrian-Swedish physicist who played a pivotal role in the discovery of nuclear fission. Collaborating with Otto Hahn, she provided critical insights that led to the understanding of this groundbreaking phenomenon, which laid the foundation for both nuclear energy and atomic weapons. Despite her significant contributions, she was unjustly overlooked for the Nobel Prize, which was solely awarded to Hahn for the discovery. Meitner faced discrimination as a Jewish scientist in Nazi Germany and fled to Sweden in 1938, where she continued her research and made further significant contributions to nuclear physics. Throughout her career, Meitner’s work emphasized the importance of recognizing the contributions of marginalized scientists and highlighted the profound impact of her discoveries on both scientific understanding and societal developments in the 20th century.

Lise Meitner Quotes

1. “Life need not be easy, provided only that it is not empty.”
— Lise Meitner

2. “Science makes people reach selflessly for truth and objectivity; it teaches people to accept reality, with wonder and admiration, not to mention the deep awe and joy that the natural order of things brings to the true scientist.”
— Lise Meitner

3. “The life must not be easy if it is only rich in contents.”
— Lise Meitner

4. “I will have nothing to do with a bomb!”
— Lise Meitner

5. “You must not blame us scientists for the use which war technicians have put our discoveries.”
— Lise Meitner

6. “No-one really thought of fission before its discovery.”
— Lise Meitner