Peter Medawar Quotes

Intellectual curiosity drove Einstein to some of the world's most important discoveries.

The routine of custom tends to deaden even scientific inquiry; it stands in the way of discovery and of the active scientific worker. For discovery and inquiry are synonymous as an occupation. Science is a pursuit, not a coming into possession of the immutable; new theories as points of view are more prized than discoveries that quantitatively increase the store on hand.

The history of science knows scores of instances where an investigator was in the possession of all the important facts for a new theory but simply failed to ask the right questions.

I'm not smart, but I like to observe. Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why.

Looking back on my 50-year eclectic journey in research, I am grateful that it has gone as well as it has, although still not clever enough to open the black box of enzyme structure.

From my earliest days, I was fascinated by science.

Science is a wonderful discipline, to which we are deeply indebted.

I'd like to put in a vote for the intrinsic fascination of science.

Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.

I discovered how science is truly a universal language, one that forges new connections among individuals and opens the mind to ideas that go far beyond the classroom.

I was interested in science before I even knew what science was.

Mediocre theoretical physicists make no progress. They spend all their time understanding other people's progress.

Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: 'Ye must have faith.'

Whenever I think of how much pleasure I have interviewing scientists, I remember that they're having the real fun in actually being able to do the science.

Science to me is sufficiently weird and interesting, and stranger than fiction.

It doesn't matter whether it is chemistry or immunology or neuroscience: I just do research on what I find interesting.

Science is the ultimate tool to reveal the laws of nature, and the one word written on its banner is Truth.

Science would lead you to a more interesting life than something else.

Science is bound, by the everlasting vow of honor, to face fearlessly every problem which can be fairly presented to it.

What I found was that I thoroughly enjoyed the plumbing of experiment.

I just try to stuff my brain with everything that I can read on what is going on in science at a very high level, and sometimes I see connections of what might need to be done.

Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.

I've always been fascinated by real scientists - Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and so many others - how they've come up with solutions to very complicated problems that nobody else can seem to figure out.

I loved science. I still love it; I'm a nerd in that sense.

I always say to my students that being a scientist is like being an explorer, and I really mean that because, in a sense, I think in science we explore the world, the universe around us.