Very nice to see this conversation ... The list is nice and reasonably comprehensive ... it may seem long but it is not as daunting as it looks ... would like

Very nice to see this conversation ... The list is nice and reasonably comprehensive ... it may seem long but it is not as daunting as it looks ... would like to think it is a guidance ... knowing the material does not mean one would become a good theoretical physicist, not knowing all of them does not mean one cannot become a good physicist. Since physics is an experimental science, it makes sense to know in a bit of detail how the observed facts are connected to gain one's own intuition ... this would help to make the list seem short and things become natural ... it also makes sense to know the landscape of the fields and the people in the community ... this will help one to avoid reinventing the wheel or wander into the wild with no return (to reality :-)) ... keeping these in mind, one should be able to enjoy physics or even do something meaningful at some point ...