Stephen is actually one of those incredible people who don’t waste any time feeling sorry for themselves. In a video on TED he suggested that his disability is perhaps one of the reasons that allowed him to do what he does and that he’s grateful for it.

I also want to answer the second question. There are two main characteristics that I find make a scientist truly great. The first one is when a scientist, who probably understands the troubles and fears for the future of humanity more than the average person, has a remarkably positive outlook on life and finds joy in the most basic pleasures of life, despite fame, wealth and knowledge.

“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?”

The second one is modesty when it comes to the appreciation a scientist has for his own discoveries and inventions. Even if the entire world were to applaud him, he would insist that there are almost no absolute truths and even those that appear to be absolute could be disproved tomorrow.

“The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result. He does not expect that his advanced ideas will be readily taken up. His work is like that of the planter — for the future. His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way. He lives and labors and hopes.”

Hawking, Einstein, Tesla, Goethe, Marie Curie, Descartes, Chien-Shiung, Chandrasekhar, Feynman, Chomsky, Yoichiro Nambu, Carl Sagan and reboot are my absolute favourite scientists in regards to said characteristics.

There are a couple more that I didn’t include because I’m never sure who counts as a scientist. I hope it’s ok I threw in Goethe who was not just a writer but a magnificent polymath.