“I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”
Marie Curie (unverified)
This quote is commonly attributed to Marie Curie, but I have not been able to locate a primary source. Use with caution in academic or professional contexts.
“But we must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like the radium a benefit for humanity.”
— Marie Curie (verified)“I have no dress except the one I wear. If you are going to be kind enough to give me one [a wedding dress], please let it be practical and dark, so that I can put it on afterwards to go to the laboratory.”
— Marie Curie (verified, secondary source)“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”
— Marie Curie (verified, secondary source)“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
— Marie Curie (verified, secondary source)