It's necessary to be slightly underemployed if you are to do something significant. James D. Watson More Quotes by James D. Watson More Quotes From James D. Watson If scientists don't play God, who will? James D. Watson scientist ifs play Science has always been my preoccupation and when you think a breakthrough is possible, it is terribly exciting. James D. Watson preoccupation break-through thinking Science that leads over the horizon depends on gathering the best minds and enabling them to do what the best minds naturally seek to do: pursue the most thrilling questions of the time. James D. Watson horizon gathering mind I have a son, who is a... not an ordinary form of schizophrenia, but clearly, cannot take care of himself. And the great fear of then, of all parents is, when the parents die, who takes care of your child? And the answer is: they become homeless. James D. Watson parent children son I recently went to my staircase at Clare College, Cambridge and there were women there! There have been a lot of convincing studies recently about the loss of productivity in the Western male. It may be that entertainment culture now is so engaging that it keeps people satisfied. We didn't have that. Science was much more fun than listening to the radio. When you are 16 or 17 and in that inherently semi-lonely period when you are deciding whether to be an intellectual, many now don't bother. James D. Watson lonely fun science Nothing new that is really interesting comes without collaboration James D. Watson reading education writing Moving forward will not be for the faint of heart. But if the next century witnesses failure, let it be because our science is not yet up to the job, not because we don't have the courage to make less random the sometimes most unfair courses of human evolution. James D. Watson heart jobs moving A goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. James D. Watson stupid numbers science For all my life, America was the place to be. And we somehow continue to be the place where there are real opportunities to change the world for the better. James D. Watson 4th-of-july real opportunity Science seldom proceeds in the straightforward logical manner imagined by outsiders. Instead, its steps forward (and sometimes backward) are often very human events in which personalities and cultural traditions play major roles. James D. Watson roles personality play Ever since we achieved a breakthrough in the area of recombinant DNA in 1973, left-wing nuts and environmental kooks have been screaming that we will create some kind of Frankenstein bug or Andromeda Strain that will destroy us all. James D. Watson dna nuts wings Already for thirty-five years he had not stopped talking and almost nothing of fundamental value had emerged. James D. Watson talking science years DNA was my only gold rush. I regarded DNA as worth a gold rush. James D. Watson gold-rush dna gold Take young researchers, put them together in virtual seclusion, give them an unprecedented degree of freedom and turn up the pressure by fostering competitiveness. James D. Watson together giving science [As a young man ] I came to the conclusion that the church was just a bunch of fascists that supported Franco. I stopped going on Sunday mornings and watched the birds with my father instead. James D. Watson sunday morning father Biology has at least 50 more interesting years. James D. Watson future science years My heroes were never scientists. They were Graham Greene and Christopher Isherwood, you know, good writers. James D. Watson scientist good-writers hero If we don't play God, who will? James D. Watson ifs play One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid. James D. Watson truth mother success I'm basically a libertarian. I don't want to restrict anyone from doing anything unless it's going to harm me. I don't want [to] pass a law stopping someone from smoking. It's just too dangerous. You lose the concept of a free society. Since we are genetically so diverse and our brains are so different, we're going to have different aspirations. James D. Watson law smoking brain
