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James D. Watson

James D. Watson Books

Molecular Biologist

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“There is no firm reason to anticipate that the intellectual capacities of peoples geographically separated in their evolution should prove to have evolved identically. Our wanting to reserve equal powers of reason as some universal heritage of humanity will not be enough to make it so.”

ShouldReasonEnoughHumanityEvolutionProveEqualIntellectualCapacityUniversalFirmHeritageReservesAnticipateEqual Power
Book:Avoid Boring People: Lessons from a Life in Science
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“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.”

IfsHumansHeartSometimesJobsMovingCoursesNextCenturyEvolutionMoving ForwardWitnessUnfairHuman EvolutionFaint Of Heart
Book:A Passion for DNA: Genes, Genomes, and Society
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“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.”

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Author:James D. Watson
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“Remember, grab you're future with both hands and mold it into what you want it to be. It's the determined, who create the life they want, while the idle sit by and watch it fade away into nothingness. The future belongs to the exceptional individuals, who can see the light of the future, at the end of the tunnel.”

WantEndsHandsLightMotivationalRememberIndividualWatchesDeterminedWhat You WantFadesIdleNothingnessExceptionalMoldTunnelsFade AwayEnd Of The Tunnel
Author:James D. Watson
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“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.”

HumansSometimesPlayStepsRolesEventsPersonalityMajorsTraditionLogicalOutsidersStraightforwardSteps Forward
Book:The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
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“One of the greatest gifts science has brought to the world is continuing elimination of the supernatural, and it was a lesson that my father passed on to me, that knowledge liberates mankind from superstition. We can live our lives without the constant fear that we have offended this or that deity who must be placated by incantation or sacrifice, or that we are at the mercy of devils or the Fates. With increasing knowledge, the intellectual darkness that surrounds us is illuminated and we learn more of the beauty and wonder of the natural world.”

WorldFatherNaturalWonderDarknessOur LivesFateSacrificeMankindLessonsIntellectualDevilMercyConstantSurroundSuperstitionsContinuingOffendedDeitiesNatural WorldGreatest GiftsEliminationIncreasing Knowledge
Author:James D. Watson
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“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.”

WantDifferentLawLosesBrainDangerousConceptsHarmLibertarianAspirationSmokingDiverseStoppingFree Society
Author:James D. Watson
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“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.”

TruthSuccessSciencePoliticalMotherRealizingNumbersOpinionSuccessfulStupidScientistNewspapersDullConceptionContrastFoolishnessNarrow-mindedScientific TruthQuestioning BeliefsNarrow Minds
Book:The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
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“The ever quickening advances of science made possible by the success of the Human Genome Project will also soon let us see the essences of mental disease. Only after we understand them at the genetic level can we rationally seek out appropriate therapies for such illnesses as schizophrenia and bipolar disease.”

HumansMadeLevelsDiseaseProjectsEssenceIllnessTherapyAppropriateBipolarSchizophreniaGenomeQuickeningGenome ProjectHuman Genome Project
Author:James D. Watson
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