Peter Higgs said, “It’s very nice to be right sometimes.”

The Claim

Verified by Lenz · Sep 14, 2026

The Short Version

Contemporaneous reporting directly confirms the attribution and exact wording. The BBC and other outlets reported Peter Higgs saying, “It’s very nice to be right sometimes,” at a July 2012 press conference following the announcement of a Higgs boson-like particle. Shorter versions in some reports do not contradict the full quotation.

Caveats

Several cited BBC pages are duplicates or follow-up reports, not independent confirmations.
Some contemporaneous reports may rely on shared wire copy.
Later interviews and some headlines use shortened versions of the quotation.

The Receipts

Higgs boson: It was 'very nice to be right' says professor - BBC News
bbc.co.ukJul 6, 2012
Peter Higgs: honour for physicist who proposed particle - BBC News
bbc.comDec 29, 2012
Peter Higgs: honour for physicist who proposed particle - BBC News
bbc.co.ukDec 27, 2012
Prof Peter Higgs did not know he had won Nobel Prize - BBC News
bbc.comOct 11, 2013
Higgs boson: It was 'very nice to be right' says professor
bbc.comJul 6, 2012
Prof Higgs: nice to be right about boson
theguardian.comJul 6, 2012
Higgs boson wins Nobel physics prize for European scientists Higgs, Englert | The National
thenationalnews.comOct 8, 2013
God particle fetches physics Nobel for Higgs, Englert
business-standard.comOct 8, 2013
'Nice to be right' says Higgs after particle milestone
ndtv.comJul 6, 2012
'Nice to be right', says Higgs after particle milestone (Update)
phys.orgJul 6, 2012

+ 16 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

Peter Higgs