Stephen Hawking and Some of His Memorable Quotes as a Father and Writer
Stephen Hawking, one of the foremost scientific mind the world has ever seen, passed away on Wednesday, March 14, at the age of 76. He has probed into the very borders of the human understanding of the universe and the nature of time, but it is his grounded way of explaining his ideas that have endeared him to science fans everywhere.
Hawking died peacefully in the early hours of Wednesday, in his home in the city of Cambridge, in Great Britain, just some distance away from the university.
"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said, as quoted by Reuters.
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Hawking has often reminded his three children of the value of work. In an interview with ABC News back in 2010, he had three pieces of advice for his kids.
"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose, and life is empty without it," Hawking reminded them at the time.
"Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away," he added. Hawking has been married and divorced twice, first with Jane Wilde, with whom he had their three children, and then Elaine Mason. In both cases, his incurable disease has been a factor.
"When I was first diagnosed with ALS, I was given two years to live. Now 45 years later, I am doing pretty well," he quipped to CNN in 2010, having learned to live with his motor neuron disease.
A lot of the legacy Hawking left behind is in the form of his books, which he would often write for a popular audience rather than for his fellow physicist. "I think that it's important for scientists to explain their work, particularly in cosmology," he explained to The Guardian on why he was writing "A Briefer History of Time."
