émigrés, which also included John von Neumann, Michael Polanyi, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller. He believes this remarkable concentration of scientific talent grew out o( a special environment in Budapest at the turn of the century—a society where economic security was taken for granted, a high value was placed on intellectual achievement, and physics was taught so badly that serious students were thrown upon their own resources." - Meaning and context.">
(July 1960), "The elusive Dr. Szilard", Harper’s Magazine pages: 77–86 (quote from p. 78)
“

Szilard is one of a brilliant group of Hungarian émigrés, which also included John von Neumann, Michael Polanyi, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller. He believes this remarkable concentration of scientific talent grew out o( a special environment in Budapest at the turn of the century—a society where economic security was taken for granted, a high value was placed on intellectual achievement, and physics was taught so badly that serious students were thrown upon their own resources.

— Alice Kimball Smith

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Szilard is one of a brilliant group of Hungarian émigrés, which also included John von Neumann, Michael Polanyi, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller. He believes this remarkable concentration of scientific talent grew out o( a special environment in Budapest at the turn of the century—a society where economic security was taken for granted, a high value was placed on intellectual achievement, and physics was taught so badly that serious students were thrown upon their own resources." in the context of "(July 1960), "The elusive Dr. Szilard", Harper’s Magazine pages: 77–86 (quote from p. 78)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Alice Kimball Smith" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 19, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About Alice Kimball Smith

Alice Kimball Smith (May 8, 1907 – February 6, 2001) was an American teacher, writer, and historian, known for her writing about her experiences in Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project.