“Simplicity is a matter of taste”

—  Stephen Hawking , book The Grand Design

Source: The Grand Design

Last update Sept. 9, 2025. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Simplicity is a matter of taste" by Stephen Hawking?
Stephen Hawking photo
Stephen Hawking 122
British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author 1942–2018

Related quotes

Thomas à Kempis photo

“Simplicity and purity are the two wings by which a man is lifted above all earthly things. Simplicity is in the intention — purity in the affection. Simplicity tends to God,— purity apprehends and tastes Him.”

Thomas à Kempis (1380–1471) German canon regular

Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 545.

Frank Wedekind photo

“The fog is clearing; life is a matter of taste.”

Frank Wedekind (1864–1918) German playwright

Source: Spring's Awakening

“There is no unique, correct answer in most cases. It is a matter of taste”

Richard Hamming (1915–1998) American mathematician and information theorist

Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics (1985)
Context: There is no unique, correct answer in most cases. It is a matter of taste, depending on the circumstances... and the particular age you live in.... Gradually, you will develop your own taste, and along the way you may occasionally recognize that your taste may be the best one! It is the same as an art course.

Christian Dior photo

“Many people dismiss haute couture as being something that is only for those who are very wealthy… simplicity, good taste, and grooming are the three fundamentals of good dressing and these do not cost money.”

Christian Dior (1905–1957) French fashion designer

As cited in: Alison Behnke (2012) The Little Black Dress and Zoot Suits, p. 18
The Little Dictionary of Fashion, 1954

Edsger W. Dijkstra photo

“Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better.”

Edsger W. Dijkstra (1930–2002) Dutch computer scientist

Dijkstra (1984) On the nature of Computing Science http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD08xx/EWD896.html (EWD896).
1980s

Leszek Kolakowski photo

“…shall we say that the difference between a vegetarian and a cannibal is just a matter of taste?”

Leszek Kolakowski (1927–2009) Philosopher, historian of ideas

"The Idolatry of Politics", New Republic, 1986-June-16, page 31.

François-René de Chateaubriand photo

“I am Bourbon as a matter of honour, royalist according to reason and conviction, and republican by taste and character.”

François-René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848) French writer, politician, diplomat and historian

"De la restauration et de la monarchie élective" (1831).

Ward Cunningham photo

“What is simplicity? Simplicity is the shortest path to a solution.”

Ward Cunningham (1949) American computer programmer who developed the first wiki

A Conversation with Ward Cunningham (2003), The Simplest Thing that Could Possibly Work

George Santayana photo

“Matters of religion should never be matters of controversy. We neither argue with a lover about his taste, nor condemn him, if we are just, for knowing so human a passion.”

George Santayana (1863–1952) 20th-century Spanish-American philosopher associated with Pragmatism

Source: The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress (1905-1906), Vol. III, Reason in Religion, Ch. VI

Edsger W. Dijkstra photo

“How do we convince people that in programming simplicity and clarity —in short: what mathematicians call "elegance"— are not a dispensable luxury, but a crucial matter that decides between success and failure?”

Edsger W. Dijkstra (1930–2002) Dutch computer scientist

1980s
Source: EWD648.

Related topics