- On God: "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going." - The Grand Design, published 2010.

- On commercial success: "I want my books sold on airport bookstalls." - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.

- On fame: "The downside of my celebrity is that I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognised. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away." - Interview on Israeli TV, December 2006.

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- On an imperfect world: "Without imperfection, you or I would not exist." - In Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking, The Discovery Channel, 2010.

- On euthanasia: "The victim should have the right to end his life, if he wants. But I think it would be a great mistake. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope." - Quoted in People's Daily Online, June 2006.

- On intellectual showboating: "People who boast about their IQ are losers." - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.

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- On the possibility of contact between humans and aliens: "I think it would be a disaster. The extraterrestrials would probably be far in advance of us. The history of advanced races meeting more primitive people on this planet is not very happy, and they were the same species. I think we should keep our heads low." - In Naked Science: Alien Contact, The National Geographic Channel, 2004.

- On the importance of having a sense of humour: "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny." - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.