Quotes by Scientist | Beyond Motive 79/113

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Quotes by Scientist

"Nothing conceivable is so petty, so insipid, so crowded with paltry interests, in one word, so anti-poetic, as the life of a man in the United States."

"Nothing conceivable is so petty, so insipid, so crowded with paltry interests, in one word, so anti-poetic, as the life of a man in the United States."

Alexis de Tocqueville, French Scientist

Critique, Poetry, Society, Culture

32

"In every case, the environmental hazards were made known only by independent scientists, who were often bitterly opposed by the corporations responsible for the hazards."

"In every case, the environmental hazards were made known only by independent scientists, who were often bitterly opposed by the corporations responsible for the hazards."

Barry Commoner, American Scientist

Environment, Environmental, Corporations, Scientists

32

"The rocks, to a great extent, look swept clean. It's a much cleaner surface than what we had a right to hope for."

"The rocks, to a great extent, look swept clean. It's a much cleaner surface than what we had a right to hope for."

Steven Squyres, American Scientist

32

"A key issue in developmental biology at that time was the problem of how cells underwent differentiation, with most workers concentrating on explanations in terms of changes in enzyme and gene regulation."

"A key issue in developmental biology at that time was the problem of how cells underwent differentiation, with most workers concentrating on explanations in terms of changes in enzyme and gene regulation."

Paul Nurse, British Scientist

Time, Explanations, Key, Workers

32

"I liked Berkeley tremendously, Berkeley was a very leftist campus. I came to love that city as much as I love Paris or the south of France or New York."

"I liked Berkeley tremendously, Berkeley was a very leftist campus. I came to love that city as much as I love Paris or the south of France or New York."

Whitfield Diffie, American Scientist

Love, France, Paris

32

"The North African mule talks always of his mother's brother, the horse, but never of his father, the donkey, in favor of others supposedly more reputable."

"The North African mule talks always of his mother's brother, the horse, but never of his father, the donkey, in favor of others supposedly more reputable."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

Mother, Father, Brother, African

32

"Two points that are very important points to remember and ask: Is it real and does it work?"

"Two points that are very important points to remember and ask: Is it real and does it work?"

Edward T. Hall, American Scientist

32

"The country up here is beautiful; everything green and pleasant; and if you saw it now, you would not believe that in two months' time it could have such a parched and barren appearance as it will then assume."

"The country up here is beautiful; everything green and pleasant; and if you saw it now, you would not believe that in two months' time it could have such a parched and barren appearance as it will then assume."

William John Wills, English Scientist

Time, Appearance, Country, Months

32

"Exact information about the functional significance of the deep sections of the brain is only obtained by working through the brain histologically in serial section."

"Exact information about the functional significance of the deep sections of the brain is only obtained by working through the brain histologically in serial section."

Walter Rudolf Hess, Swiss Scientist

Deep, Information

32

"When you judge another, you judge a child of God, and when you condemn another, you condemn your Heavenly Father."

"When you judge another, you judge a child of God, and when you condemn another, you condemn your Heavenly Father."

Dragos Bratasanu, Romanian Scientist

Judgment, Faith, Compassion, God

32

"Do you really believe that the moon isn't there when nobody looks?"

"Do you really believe that the moon isn't there when nobody looks?"

Albert Einstein, German Scientist

Reality, Perception, Existence, Truth

31

"I visited my father for the full ten years that he was in prison, so we already had a deep and loving relationship, and remembered our mother at those times."

"I visited my father for the full ten years that he was in prison, so we already had a deep and loving relationship, and remembered our mother at those times."

Sam Sheppard, American Scientist

Mother, Father, Deep, Prison

31

"This ceremony and the intellectual aura associated with the Nobel Prizes have grown from the wisdom of a practical chemist who wrote a remarkable will."

"This ceremony and the intellectual aura associated with the Nobel Prizes have grown from the wisdom of a practical chemist who wrote a remarkable will."

Stanford Moore, American Scientist

Wisdom, Ceremony, Prizes, Remarkable

31

"The best sex education for kids is when Daddy pats Mommy on the fanny when he comes home from work."

"The best sex education for kids is when Daddy pats Mommy on the fanny when he comes home from work."

William Masters, American Scientist

Education, Home, Work, Sex

31

"NASA will send up a big sun shade that will be in orbit between the earth and sun and deflect 2 or 3 percent of the sunshine back into space. It would be cheaper than the international space station."

"NASA will send up a big sun shade that will be in orbit between the earth and sun and deflect 2 or 3 percent of the sunshine back into space. It would be cheaper than the international space station."

James Lovelock, English Scientist

Earth, Space, Sun, Will

31

"Fortunately, President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy disagreed with the estimate and chose a course of action less ambitious and aggressive than recommended by their advisers."

"Fortunately, President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy disagreed with the estimate and chose a course of action less ambitious and aggressive than recommended by their advisers."

David Kay, American Scientist

Action, President

31

"It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways."

"It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways."

Paul Nurse, British Scientist

Knowledge, Help, Mankind, Privilege

31

"Just after World War II, this country led the world in science by every way you could measure it, yet the number of scientists was a tiny proportion of what it is now."

"Just after World War II, this country led the world in science by every way you could measure it, yet the number of scientists was a tiny proportion of what it is now."

James Lovelock, English Scientist

Science, War, Country, Measure

31

"The field of quantum valence fluctuations was another older interest which became much more active during this period, partly as a consequence of my own efforts."

"The field of quantum valence fluctuations was another older interest which became much more active during this period, partly as a consequence of my own efforts."

Philip Warren Anderson, American Scientist

31

"In all Diseases strengthen the part of the Body afflicted."

"In all Diseases strengthen the part of the Body afflicted."

Nicholas Culpeper, English Scientist

31

"Take young researchers, put them together in virtual seclusion, give them an unprecedented degree of freedom and turn up the pressure by fostering competitiveness."

"Take young researchers, put them together in virtual seclusion, give them an unprecedented degree of freedom and turn up the pressure by fostering competitiveness."

James D. Watson, American Scientist

Freedom, Pressure

31

"A surprising number of government committees will make important decisions on fundamental matters with less attention than each individual would give to buying a suit."

"A surprising number of government committees will make important decisions on fundamental matters with less attention than each individual would give to buying a suit."

Herman Kahn, American Scientist

Government, Attention, Buying, Decisions

31

"Why has not anyone seen that fossils alone gave birth to a theory about the formation of the earth, that without them, no one would have ever dreamed that there were successive epochs in the formation of the globe."

"Why has not anyone seen that fossils alone gave birth to a theory about the formation of the earth, that without them, no one would have ever dreamed that there were successive epochs in the formation of the globe."

Georges Cuvier, French Scientist

31

"Music is the effort we make to explain to ourselves how our brains work. We listen to Bach transfixed because this is listening to a human mind."

"Music is the effort we make to explain to ourselves how our brains work. We listen to Bach transfixed because this is listening to a human mind."

Lewis Thomas, English Scientist

Music, Work, Effort, Listening

31

"By then, I was making the slow transition from classical biochemistry to molecular biology and becoming increasingly preoccupied with how genes act and how proteins are made."

"By then, I was making the slow transition from classical biochemistry to molecular biology and becoming increasingly preoccupied with how genes act and how proteins are made."

Paul Berg, American Scientist

31

"My view is that climate changes have happened in the last 80 years, that is, the world has got a little bit warmer, although not as warm as it has been in Medieval times, or the Bronze Age."

"My view is that climate changes have happened in the last 80 years, that is, the world has got a little bit warmer, although not as warm as it has been in Medieval times, or the Bronze Age."

Piers Corbyn, English Scientist

Age, Climate, World, Years

31

"I think the perception of there being a deep gulf between science and the humanities is false."

"I think the perception of there being a deep gulf between science and the humanities is false."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

Science, Perception, Being, Deep

31

"Anyone who acquires more than the usual amount of knowledge concerning a subject is bound to leave it as his contribution to the knowledge of the world."

"Anyone who acquires more than the usual amount of knowledge concerning a subject is bound to leave it as his contribution to the knowledge of the world."

Liberty Hyde Bailey, American Scientist

Knowledge, World

31

"One of the absolute rules I learned in the war was, don't know anything you don't need to know, because if you ever get caught they will get it out of you."

"One of the absolute rules I learned in the war was, don't know anything you don't need to know, because if you ever get caught they will get it out of you."

Abraham Pais, Dutch Scientist

War, Rules, Will

31

"A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again."

"A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again."

Margaret Mead, American Scientist

Food, Country, Question, Taste

31

"My attitude toward graduate students was different, I must say. I used graduate students as colleagues: I gave them the best problems to work on, and I encouraged them."

"My attitude toward graduate students was different, I must say. I used graduate students as colleagues: I gave them the best problems to work on, and I encouraged them."

Frank Press, American Scientist

Work, Attitude, Problems, Students

31

"Einstein was a man who could ask immensely simple questions. And what his work showed is that when the answers are simple too, then you can hear God thinking."

"Einstein was a man who could ask immensely simple questions. And what his work showed is that when the answers are simple too, then you can hear God thinking."

Jacob Bronowski, English Scientist

Work, God, Answers, Man

31

"Human memory is a marvelous but fallacious instrument. The memories which lie within us are not carved in stone; not only do they tend to become erased as the years go by, but often they change, or even increase by incorporating extraneous features."

"Human memory is a marvelous but fallacious instrument. The memories which lie within us are not carved in stone; not only do they tend to become erased as the years go by, but often they change, or even increase by incorporating extraneous features."

Primo Levi, Italian Scientist

Change, Lie, Memories, Memory

31

"In choosing a hypothesis there is no virtue in being timid. I clearly would have been burned at the stake in another age."

"In choosing a hypothesis there is no virtue in being timid. I clearly would have been burned at the stake in another age."

Thomas Gold, Austrian Scientist

Age, Virtue, Being

31

"It was really a very small company when I started and it changed very rapidly during those first periods."

"It was really a very small company when I started and it changed very rapidly during those first periods."

Jack Kilby, American Scientist

31

"On the 17th of May, the Delos put out to sea. I was immediately affected with sea-sickness, which, however, lasted but a short time. I remained on deck constantly, forcing myself to exercise."

"On the 17th of May, the Delos put out to sea. I was immediately affected with sea-sickness, which, however, lasted but a short time. I remained on deck constantly, forcing myself to exercise."

John James Audubon, American Scientist

Time, Exercise, May, Sea

31

"I decided that my means were sufficient to enable me to devote myself to botany, a determination which I never, during the long period of my subsequent career, had on any occasion any reason to repent of."

"I decided that my means were sufficient to enable me to devote myself to botany, a determination which I never, during the long period of my subsequent career, had on any occasion any reason to repent of."

George Bentham, English Scientist

Determination, Career, Reason

31

"Nature can refuse to speak but she cannot give a wrong answer."

"Nature can refuse to speak but she cannot give a wrong answer."

Charles Brenton Huggins, Canadian Scientist

31

"In these days when science is clearly in the saddle and when our knowledge of disease is advancing at a breathless pace, we are apt to forget that not all can ride and that he also serves who waits and who applies what the horseman discovers."

"In these days when science is clearly in the saddle and when our knowledge of disease is advancing at a breathless pace, we are apt to forget that not all can ride and that he also serves who waits and who applies what the horseman discovers."

Harvey Cushing, American Scientist

Science, Knowledge, Disease, Forget

31

"If we attempt to block the development of new technology, we effectively have ensured that the most responsible parties will not develop them."

"If we attempt to block the development of new technology, we effectively have ensured that the most responsible parties will not develop them."

Ralph Merkle, American Scientist

Technology, Development, Will

31

"Personally, one of the down sides of founding a company is that there is always too much work to do, and sadly I find I don't have much time to code any more."

"Personally, one of the down sides of founding a company is that there is always too much work to do, and sadly I find I don't have much time to code any more."

Eric Allman, American Scientist

Time, Work, Company, Founding

31

"Vertigo, it was thought at the time, could only be caused by a disease of the cerebellum. He observed this kind of patient for years and saw absolutely no symptoms of brain disease."

"Vertigo, it was thought at the time, could only be caused by a disease of the cerebellum. He observed this kind of patient for years and saw absolutely no symptoms of brain disease."

Robert Barany, Austrian Scientist

Time, Thought, Disease, Vertigo

31

"Truth is the daughter of time, and I feel no shame in being her midwife."

"Truth is the daughter of time, and I feel no shame in being her midwife."

Johannes Kepler, German Scientist

Time, Daughter, Truth, Being

31

"I understood the importance in principle of public key cryptography but it's all moved much faster than I expected. I did not expect it to be a mainstay of advanced communications technology."

"I understood the importance in principle of public key cryptography but it's all moved much faster than I expected. I did not expect it to be a mainstay of advanced communications technology."

Whitfield Diffie, American Scientist

Technology, Importance, Key, Public

31

"Having been given that public trust, we have a responsibility to share with the public."

"Having been given that public trust, we have a responsibility to share with the public."

Steven Squyres, American Scientist

Trust, Public, Public trust, Responsibility

31

"I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy."

"I have frequently been questioned, especially by women, of how I could reconcile family life with a scientific career. Well, it has not been easy."

Marie Curie, Polish Scientist

Family, Life, Women, Career

31

"I was trained in the '50s as a New Critic. I remember what literature was like before the New Critics, when people stood up and talked about Shelley's soul and such things."

"I was trained in the '50s as a New Critic. I remember what literature was like before the New Critics, when people stood up and talked about Shelley's soul and such things."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

Soul, People, Literature

31

"I think computing power is ready to do 3D justice. It was great for shooters and racing games in the past, but I didn't think it was right for strategy games."

"I think computing power is ready to do 3D justice. It was great for shooters and racing games in the past, but I didn't think it was right for strategy games."

Sid Meier, American Scientist

Power, Strategy, Games, Justice

31

"One thus sees that a new kind of theory is needed which drops these basic commitments and at most recovers some essential features of the older theories as abstract forms derived from a deeper reality in which what prevails in unbroken wholeness."

"One thus sees that a new kind of theory is needed which drops these basic commitments and at most recovers some essential features of the older theories as abstract forms derived from a deeper reality in which what prevails in unbroken wholeness."

David Bohm, American Scientist

Reality, Theories, Theory

31

"Sometimes you get a glimpse of a semicolon coming, a few lines farther on, and it is like climbing a steep path through woods and seeing a wooden bench just at a bend in the road ahead, a place where you can expect to sit for a moment, catching your breath."

"Sometimes you get a glimpse of a semicolon coming, a few lines farther on, and it is like climbing a steep path through woods and seeing a wooden bench just at a bend in the road ahead, a place where you can expect to sit for a moment, catching your breath."

Lewis Thomas, English Scientist

31

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