Lise Meitner

"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves."

"I myself always find that I am most creative in the bath."

"The Nobel Prize I received was a boost to my scientific career, but it could not change the fact that I had to leave my country."

"In science, there are no shortcuts to truth."

"Physics is really nothing more than a search for ultimate simplicity, but so far all we have is a kind of elegant messiness."

"I have always thought that if a woman claims to be equal to men in intellectual capacity, she should be able to produce equally great works."

"The conviction that we are not responsible for the world, but only for ourselves - this seems to me a terrible principle."

"One cannot live only for oneself. One must have a sense of duty."

"Scientifically, I have made the greatest discoveries, yet I am still treated as an outsider in my own field."

"I have always believed that the sciences are cumulative - that one builds upon the work of those who came before."

"To be a scientist, one must have the courage to question everything, even one's own assumptions."

"The joy of discovery is the greatest reward a scientist can receive."

"In every scientific pursuit, there is an element of faith - faith that nature will reveal her secrets to those who seek them."

"Life offers us many opportunities, but we must be prepared to recognize them when they appear."

"I have never sought fame or recognition; I have only sought to understand the nature of matter and energy."

"The work itself is the greatest satisfaction - not the accolades that may follow."

"One cannot separate the scientist from the human being; they are inextricably linked."

"I learned more from my failures than from my successes."

"The beauty of science lies in its universality - it transcends all boundaries of nation and creed."

"To understand nature is to understand ourselves."

"Science demands absolute honesty - deception has no place in the pursuit of truth."

"I have always maintained my independence of mind, even when it cost me dearly."

"The greatest discoveries often come not from what we expect, but from what we do not expect."

"Hard work and dedication are the only true paths to success in science."

"I do not believe that talent alone is sufficient; one must also have persistence and patience."

"The universe is far more strange and wonderful than our wildest imaginations."

"Every experiment teaches us something, whether it confirms our hypothesis or contradicts it."

"I have always believed that women have a place in science, and must fight for that place."

"The laws of nature are written in the language of mathematics."

"One must never lose hope, even in the darkest of times."