Peter D. Mitchell Quotes
The final outcome cannot be known, either to the originator of a new theory, or to his colleagues and critics, who are bent on falsifying it. Thus, the scientific innovator may feel all the more lonely and uncertain.
Mitchell, Peter D. "David Keilin's Respiratory Chain Concept and Its Chemiosmotic Consequences." Science, vol. 206, no. 4423, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 7 Dec. 1979, pp. 1148-1159.
Scientific breakthroughs depend on genius, circumstances, the work of others and serendipity. None of these are very predictable which is why it is do difficult to manage a scientific enterprise and be accountable for any results. See {624867}.
This was very consistent with the programmatic philosophy of his boss, FDR, who campaigned on no specific solutions to the Great Depression but promised to try things and of the did not work, try others. His predecessor, Hoover, would try nothing as most ideas contradicted his philosophy or was not favored by the wealthy business interests of the day.
Peter Dennis Mitchell, FRS was a British biochemist who was awarded the 1978 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his discovery of the chemiosmotic mechanism of ATP synthesis.
