5 ms·

It is said that a visitor once came to the home of Nobel Prize–winning physicist Niels Bohr and, having noticed a horseshoe hung above the entrance, asked incre

It is said that a visitor once came to the home of Nobel Prize–winning physicist Niels Bohr and, having noticed a horseshoe hung above the entrance, asked incredulously if the professor believed horseshoes brought good luck. “No,” Bohr replied, “but I am told that they bring luck even to those who do not believe in them.”

peteradio 4y ago
Anytime I find a horseshoe I throw it in the trunk of my jeep, never had an accident since ... knocks on wood.
jffhn 4y ago
Reminds me of this quote: "Do not be ashamed to speak nonsense! You only have to be attentive to your own nonsense." (Wittgenstein, Miscellaneous Remarks (Vermischte Bemerkungen))
hinkley 4y ago
One of my favorite Civ VI quotes: > "I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical." - Arthur C Clarke
WallyFunk 4y ago
On the subject of luck: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/21/luck-hard-work/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/21/luck-hard-work/
arkj 4y ago
I’ve heard Zizek repeat this a lot in his talks but has never been able to find a reliable source for this claim
- boomboomsubban 4y ago
  Somebody else searched, and Bohr did seem to say it, but he was quoting a neighbor at the vacation home. https://backreaction.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-calendar-21-bohr-and-horseshoe.html https://backreaction.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-calendar-21...
latexr 4y ago
Reads like the setup of a short story. In the final act the horseshoe would be physically important, either to help the protagonist¹ and make their point or hurt them² and disprove the claim. ¹ E.g. it contains an inscription which provides a vital clue. ² E.g. it falls on their head.
- RheingoldRiver 4y ago
  I like the 2nd ending, but when they're taken to the hospital for horseshoe-induced head trauma, an early-stage brain tumor is discovered & operated on, thus ultimately saving their life.
  - kiicia 4y ago
    plot twist, why you assume they want their live to be "saved"
  - GuB-42 4y ago
    Sounds like Nagito from the game Danganronpa. He is the "ultimate lucky student", and this kind of "bad luck turning into good luck" scenario almost defines him.
mito88 4y ago
no creo en brujas, pero que las hay las hay.
- airstrike 4y ago
  this one is so good
swayvil 4y ago
Another source of "magical power" is old nails, driven then extracted. Some cultures drive them into idols. Hundreds. Like Pinhead the cenobite. I think it's the focused will it bore. When it was beat upon. Like a horseshoe in that way. Maybe the will leaves a mark.

peteradio 4y ago

Anytime I find a horseshoe I throw it in the trunk of my jeep, never had an accident since ... knocks on wood.

jffhn 4y ago

Reminds me of this quote: "Do not be ashamed to speak nonsense! You only have to be attentive to your own nonsense." (Wittgenstein, Miscellaneous Remarks (Vermischte Bemerkungen))

hinkley 4y ago

One of my favorite Civ VI quotes: > "I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical." - Arthur C Clarke

WallyFunk 4y ago

On the subject of luck: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/21/luck-hard-work/ https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/21/luck-hard-work/

arkj 4y ago

I’ve heard Zizek repeat this a lot in his talks but has never been able to find a reliable source for this claim

boomboomsubban 4y ago
Somebody else searched, and Bohr did seem to say it, but he was quoting a neighbor at the vacation home. https://backreaction.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-calendar-21-bohr-and-horseshoe.html https://backreaction.blogspot.com/2011/12/advent-calendar-21...

latexr 4y ago

Reads like the setup of a short story. In the final act the horseshoe would be physically important, either to help the protagonist¹ and make their point or hurt them² and disprove the claim. ¹ E.g. it contains an inscription which provides a vital clue. ² E.g. it falls on their head.

RheingoldRiver 4y ago
I like the 2nd ending, but when they're taken to the hospital for horseshoe-induced head trauma, an early-stage brain tumor is discovered & operated on, thus ultimately saving their life.
- kiicia 4y ago
  plot twist, why you assume they want their live to be "saved"
- GuB-42 4y ago
  Sounds like Nagito from the game Danganronpa. He is the "ultimate lucky student", and this kind of "bad luck turning into good luck" scenario almost defines him.

mito88 4y ago

no creo en brujas, pero que las hay las hay.

airstrike 4y ago
this one is so good

swayvil 4y ago

Another source of "magical power" is old nails, driven then extracted. Some cultures drive them into idols. Hundreds. Like Pinhead the cenobite. I think it's the focused will it bore. When it was beat upon. Like a horseshoe in that way. Maybe the will leaves a mark.