Ernest Rutherford

"To inspire young minds to pursue science is to ensure the progress of humanity itself."

"The universe speaks to those who have learned to listen carefully and think critically."

"My legacy is not the discoveries I have made, but the scientists I have trained."

"The greatest experiments teach us not the answers we sought, but the answers we needed."

"To work in science is to be part of humanity's grand quest to understand itself and the cosmos."

"Every atom, every particle, every wave tells us something profound about existence."

"The future belongs to those who can integrate disciplined thought with creative imagination."

"In science, as in life, integrity is the most valuable currency."

"The laboratory is where human potential meets the infinite possibilities of nature."

"I count myself fortunate to have lived when science was becoming truly scientific."

"The energy produced by the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power from the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine."

"We haven't got the money, so we've got to think."

"An active mind cannot exist in an inactive body."

"Science is not a collection of laws, a catalogue of unrelated facts. It is a creation of the human mind, with its freely invented ideas and concepts."

"If your experiments always work, you're not doing interesting experiments."

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision."

"Physics is really nothing more than a game played with simple rules, and learning the rules is the objective."

"We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic chords, we feel every emotion."

"The essence of life is statistical improbability on a colossal scale."

"Concentrate on essentials. When you find what truly matters, abandon everything else."

"A man who is not afraid to tackle difficult problems himself accomplishes more than one who waits for others."

"All science is either physics or stamp collecting."

"The most important thing to remember is to remember."

"When you've finished with great men, remember they were once ordinary people who did extraordinary things."

"It is unwise to be too confident of the event of battle."

"Success comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

"The most dangerous man is one who has nothing to lose."

"Atoms are much too small to be seen by the eye, yet every atom contains an entire universe."

"A mind that is too serious becomes brittle and cracks."

"The important thing is not so much to learn new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them."