“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 Primary source“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”
— Marie Curie 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 Secondary source“I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale.”
— Marie Curie Secondary source“In science we must be interested in things, not in persons.”
— Marie Curie Secondary source“We cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individual. Toward this end, each of us must work toward his own highest development, accepting at the same time his share of responsibility in the general life of humanity—our particular duty being to help those to whom we feel we can be most useful.”
— Marie Curie Secondary source“I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.”
— Marie Curie Disputed“There are sadistic scientists who hurry to hunt down errors instead of establishing the truth.”
— Marie Curie Disputed“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
— Marie Curie Disputed“It is important to make a dream of life and a dream reality.”
— Marie Curie DisputedRichard Feynman Eleanor Roosevelt Andrew S. Grove Amelia Earhart Helen Keller