Here’s a list of 30 Scientist Quotes That Changed My Life, sorted by categories, with additional details including the year, profession, and lifespan of the person:
From Physicists:
- “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955)
- “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist (March 14, 1879 – April 18, 1955)
- “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” – Marie Curie, Physicist and Chemist (November 7, 1867 – July 4, 1934)
- “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” – Richard Feynman, Theoretical Physicist (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988)
- “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” – Stephen Hawking, Theoretical Physicist (January 8, 1942 – March 14, 2018)
From Chemists:
- “The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” – Linus Pauling, Chemist (February 28, 1901 – August 19, 1994)
- “Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.” – Rosalind Franklin, Chemist (July 25, 1920 – April 16, 1958)
From Biologists:
- “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin, Naturalist and Biologist (February 12, 1809 – April 19, 1882)
- “The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science, or technology, but the recognition of its own stupidity.” – James Watson, Biologist and Geneticist (April 6, 1928 – Present)
From Mathematicians:
- “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” – Isaac Newton, Mathematician and Physicist (December 25, 1642 – March 20, 1727)
- “That brain of mine is something more than merely mortal, as time will show.” – Ada Lovelace, Mathematician (December 10, 1815 – November 27, 1852)
From Astronomers:
- “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan, Astronomer and Astrophysicist (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996)
- “You cannot teach a man anything: you can only help him find it within himself.” – Galileo Galilei, Astronomer and Physicist (February 15, 1564 – January 8, 1642)
From Environmental Scientists:
- “The human race is challenged more than ever before to demonstrate our mastery, not over nature but of ourselves.” – Rachel Carson, Marine Biologist and Conservationist (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964)
From Psychologists:
- “Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” – Carl Jung, Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst (July 26, 1875 – June 6, 1961)
- “Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways.” – Sigmund Freud, Neurologist and Psychoanalyst (May 6, 1856 – September 23, 1939)
From Computer Scientists:
- “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” – Alan Turing, Mathematician and Computer Scientist (June 23, 1912 – June 7, 1954)
- “The most damaging phrase in the language is: ‘It’s always been done that way.'” – Grace Hopper, Computer Scientist and Rear Admiral (December 9, 1906 – January 1, 1992)
From Physicians:
- “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates, Physician (460 BC – 370 BC)
- “It is not easy to be a pioneer – but oh, it is fascinating!” – Elizabeth Blackwell, Physician (February 3, 1821 – May 31, 1910)
From Engineers and Geologists:
- “The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.” – Nikola Tesla, Inventor and Electrical Engineer (July 10, 1856 – January 7, 1943)
- “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison, Inventor and Businessman (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931)
- “The study of nature is a perpetual youth.” – Louis Agassiz, Geologist and Zoologist (May 28, 1807 – December 14, 1873)
- “The present is the key to the past.” – Charles Lyell, Geologist (November 14, 1797 – February 22, 1875)
From Botanists and Anthropologists:
- “My scientific studies have afforded me great satisfaction; and I am convinced that it will not be long before the whole world acknowledges the results of my work.” – Gregor Mendel, Geneticist and Botanist (July 20, 1822 – January 6, 1884)
- “Where there is no vision, there is no hope.” – George Washington Carver, Botanist and Inventor (c. 1864 – Januray 5, 1943)
- “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead, Cultural Anthropologist (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978)
From Physicians and Neuroscientists:
- “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” – William Osler, Physician (July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919)
- “Every man can, if he so desires, become the sculptor of his own brain.” – Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Neuroscientist and Pathologist (May 1, 1852 – October 17, 1934)
- “Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor” – Paul Farmer, Physician and Anthropologist (October 26, 1959 – February 21, 2022)