Quotes by Scientist | Beyond Motive 84/113

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Quotes by Scientist

"When a system is stable, telling the worker about mistakes is only tampering."

"When a system is stable, telling the worker about mistakes is only tampering."

W. Edwards Deming, American Scientist

Mistake, Mistakes

29

"What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil and races ahead of me to ward off all danger, sparing me the need even to think about such things, if that authority, even as it removes the smallest thorns from my path, is also absolute master of my liberty and my life; if it monopolizes vitality and existence to such a degree that when it languishes, everything around it must also languish; when it sleeps, everything must also sleep; and when it dies, everything must also perish?"

"What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil and races ahead of me to ward off all danger, sparing me the need even to think about such things, if that authority, even as it removes the smallest thorns from my path, is also absolute master of my liberty and my life; if it monopolizes vitality and existence to such a degree that when it languishes, everything around it must also languish; when it sleeps, everything must also sleep; and when it dies, everything must also perish?"

Alexis de Tocqueville, French Scientist

Liberty, Authority, Control, Freedom

29

"Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue."

"Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue."

John Herschel, English Scientist

29

"I've written a lot of books which are written from the moon - the view from nowhere."

"I've written a lot of books which are written from the moon - the view from nowhere."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

29

"I intend to leave after my death a large fund for the promotion of the peace idea, but I am skeptical as to its results."

"I intend to leave after my death a large fund for the promotion of the peace idea, but I am skeptical as to its results."

Alfred Nobel, Swedish Scientist

Death, Peace, Idea, Promotion

29

"The free worker receives a wage; the slave an education, food, care, clothing; the money that the master spends to keep the slave is drained little by little and in detail; one hardly perceives it."

"The free worker receives a wage; the slave an education, food, care, clothing; the money that the master spends to keep the slave is drained little by little and in detail; one hardly perceives it."

Alexis de Tocqueville, French Scientist

Work, Freedom, Economy, Control

29

"It is almost possible to predict one or two days in advance, within a rather broad range of probability, what the weather is going to be; it is even thought that it will not be impossible to publish daily forecasts, which would be very useful to soci."

"It is almost possible to predict one or two days in advance, within a rather broad range of probability, what the weather is going to be; it is even thought that it will not be impossible to publish daily forecasts, which would be very useful to soci."

Antoine Lavoisier, French Scientist

Thought, Weather, Will

29

"Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with space and time."

"Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with space and time."

Guglielmo Marconi, Italian Scientist

Time, Day, Humanity, Space

29

"The scope of material I can work with is not limited to the set of things that we inherit from nature."

"The scope of material I can work with is not limited to the set of things that we inherit from nature."

Drew Endy, American Scientist

28

"The average American worker has fifty interruptions a day, of which seventy percent have nothing to do with work."

"The average American worker has fifty interruptions a day, of which seventy percent have nothing to do with work."

W. Edwards Deming, American Scientist

Work, Day, Nothing

28

"The most important precedents deal with the whole idea of symbolic programming - the notion of setting up symbolic expressions that can represent anything one wants, and then having functions that operate on both their structure and content."

"The most important precedents deal with the whole idea of symbolic programming - the notion of setting up symbolic expressions that can represent anything one wants, and then having functions that operate on both their structure and content."

Stephen Wolfram, English Scientist

Idea, Content, Precedents, Programming

28

"Marriage is... OK, it's rooted and grounded on love and attraction."

"Marriage is... OK, it's rooted and grounded on love and attraction."

Mary Archer, British Scientist

28

"All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people."

"All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people."

Alexis Carrel, French Scientist

People, Advice, Help, Moments

28

"It's true that the original idea was mine, but what you see today is the work of probably tens of thousands of the world's best engineers, all concentrating on improving the product, reducing the cost, things of that sort."

"It's true that the original idea was mine, but what you see today is the work of probably tens of thousands of the world's best engineers, all concentrating on improving the product, reducing the cost, things of that sort."

Jack Kilby, American Scientist

Work, Idea, Today, World

28

"Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly."

"Truth is born into this world only with pangs and tribulations, and every fresh truth is received unwillingly."

Alfred Russel Wallace, British Scientist

28

"I soon became convinced... that all the theorizing would be empty brain exercise and therefore a waste of time unless one first ascertained what the population of the universe really consists of."

"I soon became convinced... that all the theorizing would be empty brain exercise and therefore a waste of time unless one first ascertained what the population of the universe really consists of."

Fritz Zwicky, Swiss Scientist

Time, Exercise, First, Population

28

"In fact, words are well adapted for description and the arousing of emotion, but for many kinds of precise thought other symbols are much better."

"In fact, words are well adapted for description and the arousing of emotion, but for many kinds of precise thought other symbols are much better."

John B. S. Haldane, British Scientist

Thought, Emotion, Fact, Words

28

"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be."

"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be."

Isaac Asimov, American Scientist

Decision, Will, World

28

"To the mass of mankind religion of some kind is a necessity."

"To the mass of mankind religion of some kind is a necessity."

Alfred Russel Wallace, British Scientist

Religion, Mankind, Necessity

28

"Two people have been really liberating in my mind; one is Wittgenstein and the other is Burke. I read Burke before he was a secular saint, before everyone was reading him."

"Two people have been really liberating in my mind; one is Wittgenstein and the other is Burke. I read Burke before he was a secular saint, before everyone was reading him."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

People, Mind, Reading

28

"To express to you in mere words, our personal feelings on this occasion you must know to be impossible, and particularly so for one who normally has to describe only things outside himself."

"To express to you in mere words, our personal feelings on this occasion you must know to be impossible, and particularly so for one who normally has to describe only things outside himself."

Melvin Calvin, American Scientist

Feelings, Words

28

"My instincts are always against people who want to fasten some sort of hegemony onto things."

"My instincts are always against people who want to fasten some sort of hegemony onto things."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

28

"You will die but the carbon will not; its career does not end with you. It will return to the soil, and there a plant may take it up again in time, sending it once more on a cycle of plant and animal life."

"You will die but the carbon will not; its career does not end with you. It will return to the soil, and there a plant may take it up again in time, sending it once more on a cycle of plant and animal life."

Jacob Bronowski, English Scientist

Life, Time, Career, End

28

"A man may not always be what he appears to be, but what he appears to be is always a significant part of what he is."

"A man may not always be what he appears to be, but what he appears to be is always a significant part of what he is."

Willard Gaylin, American Scientist

28

"Notwithstanding these major arguments the wave theory initially did not meet with complete acceptance."

"Notwithstanding these major arguments the wave theory initially did not meet with complete acceptance."

Max von Laue, German Scientist

Acceptance, Arguments, Theory

28

"It is not difficult for me to have this faith, for it is incontrovertible that where there is a plan there is intelligence - an orderly, unfolding universe testifies to the truth of the most majestic statement ever uttered - 'In the beginning, God.'"

"It is not difficult for me to have this faith, for it is incontrovertible that where there is a plan there is intelligence - an orderly, unfolding universe testifies to the truth of the most majestic statement ever uttered - 'In the beginning, God.'"

Arthur H. Compton, American Scientist

Intelligence, Faith, God, Truth

28

"The hierarchy of relations, from the molecular structure of carbon to the equilibrium of the species and ecological whole, will perhaps be the leading idea of the future."

"The hierarchy of relations, from the molecular structure of carbon to the equilibrium of the species and ecological whole, will perhaps be the leading idea of the future."

Joseph Needham, British Scientist

Idea, Future, Leading, Will

28

"She had to fight against developing too combative a personality or becoming altogether a misanthrope. She suddenly caught herself. "Misanthrope" is someone who dislikes everybody, not just men.And they certainly had a word for someone who hates women: "misogynist." But the male lexicographers had somehow neglected to coin a word for the dislike of men. They were almost entirely men themselves, she thought, and had been unable to imagine a market for such a word."

"She had to fight against developing too combative a personality or becoming altogether a misanthrope. She suddenly caught herself. "Misanthrope" is someone who dislikes everybody, not just men.And they certainly had a word for someone who hates women: "misogynist." But the male lexicographers had somehow neglected to coin a word for the dislike of men. They were almost entirely men themselves, she thought, and had been unable to imagine a market for such a word."

Carl Sagan, American Scientist

Sociology, Gender, Language, Bias, Social

28

"Like most North Americans, I'd been raised on the notion that milk is the first food, and everybody must like it because it's so good and so important for growing up and for being healthy."

"Like most North Americans, I'd been raised on the notion that milk is the first food, and everybody must like it because it's so good and so important for growing up and for being healthy."

Marvin Harris, American Scientist

Food, Americans, Being, First

28

"I think he will probably come round in time, I mean to renew the subject pretty often."

"I think he will probably come round in time, I mean to renew the subject pretty often."

Elizabeth Anderson, English Scientist

Time, Pretty, Will

28

"For both reasons, owing to the thermal motion and to the working together of various wavelengths, factors arise which, in a similar manner to the structural factor, exert some influence upon the brightness of the interference points but not upon their location."

"For both reasons, owing to the thermal motion and to the working together of various wavelengths, factors arise which, in a similar manner to the structural factor, exert some influence upon the brightness of the interference points but not upon their location."

Max von Laue, German Scientist

28

"When challenged by a zealous Popperian to say how evolution could ever be falsified, J. B. S. Haldane famously growled: 'Fossil rabbits in the Precambrian."

"When challenged by a zealous Popperian to say how evolution could ever be falsified, J. B. S. Haldane famously growled: 'Fossil rabbits in the Precambrian."

Richard Dawkins, English Scientist

Science, Evolution, Knowledge, Debate

28

"God exists, if only in the form of a meme with high survival value, or infective power, in the environment provided by human culture."

"God exists, if only in the form of a meme with high survival value, or infective power, in the environment provided by human culture."

Richard Dawkins, English Scientist

God, Power, Survival, Culture

28

"Science has nothing to be ashamed of even in the ruins of Nagasaki. The shame is theirs who appeal to other values than the human imaginative values which science has evolved."

"Science has nothing to be ashamed of even in the ruins of Nagasaki. The shame is theirs who appeal to other values than the human imaginative values which science has evolved."

Jacob Bronowski, English Scientist

Science, Values, Nothing, Shame

28

"By obtaining a sense of its place in the unfolding drama of life, set in an ecological theatre, so we can understand why it has become one of the leading players."

"By obtaining a sense of its place in the unfolding drama of life, set in an ecological theatre, so we can understand why it has become one of the leading players."

Simon Conway Morris, British Scientist

Life, Drama, Leading, Sense

28

"The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat."

"The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health or we suffer in soul or we get fat."

Albert Einstein, German Scientist

Suffering, Devil, Pain, Health

28

"Sometimes, sleepers turn up as common people who do everyday things, and create a new destiny for themselves when nobody's watching."

"Sometimes, sleepers turn up as common people who do everyday things, and create a new destiny for themselves when nobody's watching."

Dragos Bratasanu, Romanian Scientist

Destiny, Ordinary, Transformation, Hope

28

"Human relationships are binary: they are complete and fully loving when both people are authentic or they are not at all."

"Human relationships are binary: they are complete and fully loving when both people are authentic or they are not at all."

Dragos Bratasanu, Romanian Scientist

Authenticity, Relationship, Love, Honesty

28

"The moral and intellectual character of the Africans is widely different in different nations."

"The moral and intellectual character of the Africans is widely different in different nations."

Samuel George Morton, American Scientist

Character, Nations

28

"I mean, the general rule is if you're not prepared to make a mistake, you're not going to make much progress."

"I mean, the general rule is if you're not prepared to make a mistake, you're not going to make much progress."

Maurice Wilkins, New Zealander Scientist

Mistake, Progress

28

"Interesting phenomena occur when two or more rhythmic patterns are combined, and these phenomena illustrate very aptly the enrichment of information that occurs when one description is combined with another."

"Interesting phenomena occur when two or more rhythmic patterns are combined, and these phenomena illustrate very aptly the enrichment of information that occurs when one description is combined with another."

Gregory Bateson, British Scientist

28

"I do think the attempt to raise consciousness has succeeded. People are very aware of gender concerns now."

"I do think the attempt to raise consciousness has succeeded. People are very aware of gender concerns now."

Clifford Geertz, American Scientist

People, Consciousness, Gender, Now

28

"To me, being an intellectual doesn't mean knowing about intellectual issues; it means taking pleasure in them."

"To me, being an intellectual doesn't mean knowing about intellectual issues; it means taking pleasure in them."

Jacob Bronowski, English Scientist

Being, Pleasure

28

"There are now over 5,000 medical physicists in the U.S more than 50 times the number in 1958."

"There are now over 5,000 medical physicists in the U.S more than 50 times the number in 1958."

John Cameron, American Scientist

28

"A relationship is about recognising (re-cognising or re-knowing) in every moment the other as the beautiful soul that he or she is."

"A relationship is about recognising (re-cognising or re-knowing) in every moment the other as the beautiful soul that he or she is."

Dragos Bratasanu, Romanian Scientist

Union, Relationship, Recognition, Love, Connection

28

"Instead of isolating our school and our many subjects from the every day world, we intend to plant it not merely in the French capital, but in what for next summer at least will be the focal point, the capital of the entire civilized world."

"Instead of isolating our school and our many subjects from the every day world, we intend to plant it not merely in the French capital, but in what for next summer at least will be the focal point, the capital of the entire civilized world."

Patrick Geddes, Scottish Scientist

Day, School, Summer, Will

28

"This I know; the spirit of Man cannot be stopped."

"This I know; the spirit of Man cannot be stopped."

Walter Reisch, Austrian Scientist

28

"In terms of work I've always had a Bad Attitude in that I won't work anywhere which requires me to work strict hours or follow a dress code. I don't know if that's an Asperger's thing or not, I think it's just being reasonable."

"In terms of work I've always had a Bad Attitude in that I won't work anywhere which requires me to work strict hours or follow a dress code. I don't know if that's an Asperger's thing or not, I think it's just being reasonable."

Bram Cohen, American Scientist

Work, Attitude, Being, Dress

28

"From time immemorial, man has desired to comprehend the complexity of nature in terms of as few elementary concepts as possible."

"From time immemorial, man has desired to comprehend the complexity of nature in terms of as few elementary concepts as possible."

Abdus Salam, Pakistani Scientist

Nature, Time, Complexity, Man

28

"The fear of God is an insane idea. God is love and 'there is no fear in love, because perfect love casts out all fear."

"The fear of God is an insane idea. God is love and 'there is no fear in love, because perfect love casts out all fear."

Dragos Bratasanu, Romanian Scientist

Peace, Love, Fear, Spiritual, Faith

28

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