Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character

by Richard P. Feynman

Anyway, Smith told me to sign some papers for the three ideas I was giving to the government to patent. Now, it’s some dopey legal thing, but when you give the patent to the government, the document you sign is not a legal document unless there’s some exchange, so the paper I signed said, ‘For the sum of one dollar, I, Richard P. Feynman, give this idea to the government …’ I sign the paper. ‘Where’s my dollar?’ ‘That’s just a formality,’ he says. ‘We haven’t got any funds set up to give a dollar.’ ‘You’ve got it all set up that I’m signing for the dollar,’ I say. ‘I want my dollar!’ ‘This is silly,’ Smith protests. ‘No, it’s not,’ I say. ‘It’s a legal document. You made me sign it, and I’m an honest man. If I sign something that says I got a dollar, I’ve gotta get a dollar. There’s no fooling around about it.’ ‘All right, all right!’ he says, exasperated. ‘I’ll give you a dollar, from my pocket!’