20 Inspiring Quotes from British Scientists
It’s British Science Week and we’re taking a moment to share some inspiring words from British scientists through history. From Sir Isaac Newton to Stephen Hawking, from Charles Darwin to Professor Brian Cox, these British scientists have inspired each generation with their extraordinary achievements.
Take a look at some of their inspirational words of advice, guidance and wisdom in our list of 20 of the greatest British scientists of all-time.
1. “We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” – Sir Isaac Newton
Among the most influential scientists of all-time, Sir Isaac Newton was born in Lincolnshire, England. As a mathematician and physicist he was responsible for numerous discoveries, most notably the laws of gravity and motion. He died in 1727 and was buried in Westminster Abbey, London.
2. “In completing one discovery we never fail to get an imperfect knowledge of others.” – Joseph Priestly
Joseph Priestly was an English chemist and philosopher best known for his discovery of oxygen and the carbon cycle. He was born in Yorkshire, England, and died in the United States in 1804.
3. “I have learned more from my mistakes than from my successes.” – Sir Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy was born in Cornwall, England, and was a notable chemist and inventor who went on to produce the Davy lamp, a safety lamp for use in flammable atmospheres. He died in Switzerland at the age of 50.
4. “Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.” – Hugh Miller
Hugh Miller was a Scottish geologist and writer who was born in the town of Cromarty in the early 1800s. He wrote several books on geology, most notably ‘The Old Red Sandstone’ (1841) and was married to the children’s author Lydia Miller.
5. “A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” – Charles Darwin
Another of the true greats of science, Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, England, in 1809. He enjoyed a celebrated career as a naturalist, geologist and biologist and is best known for his research into evolution and the discovery of natural selection.
6. “In scientific work, those who refuse to go beyond fact rarely get as far as fact.” – Thomas Huxley
English biologist and anthropologist Thomas Huxley was born in Ealing, London, and was known as a great public advocate of Charles Darwin and his work. He began his career in palaeontology and was a mentor to the writer H.G. Wells. He died in Eastbourne, aged 70 years.
7. “The idea of ‘women and science’ is entirely irrelevant. Either a woman is a good scientist, or she is not… her work should be studied from the scientific, not the sex, point of view.” – Hertha Ayrton
Hertha Ayrton was a British engineer, mathematician, physicist and inventor. She was born in Hampshire, England, and was celebrated for her research into electrical engineering, particularly her work on the electric arc. She was a passionate suffragette and was a close friend of both Emily Pankhurst and the scientist Marie Curie.
8. “The unprepared mind cannot see the outstretched hand of opportunity.” – Sir Alexander Fleming
Scottish physician and microbiologist Sir Alexander Fleming was born in East Ayrshire, Scotland in 1881. He is universally celebrated for his discovery of the first antibiotic known as penicillin. He was knighted for his work in 1944 and received numerous other awards throughout his career for his contributions to medicine.
9. “What would be the use of a neuroscience that cannot tell us anything about love?” – John Zachary Young
John Zachary Young was a zoologist and neurophysiologist who was born in Bristol, England. He is considered one of the most influential biologists of the 20th century, and was best known for his research into the nervous system. He wrote numerous books on both physiology and neuroscience, and died in Oxford in 1997.
10. “Avoid the temptation to work so hard that there is no time for serious thinking.” – Francis Crick
Francis Crick was born in Northampton, England, in 1916 and played an important role in the discovery of DNA. His work as a molecular biologist, biophysicist and neuroscientist was highly celebrated, and in 1962 he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with his colleague and collaborator Maurice Wilkins for their work on the molecular structure of nucleic acids.
11. “Sadly, it's much easier to create a desert than a forest.” – James Lovelock
James Lovelock was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1919 and is best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis. An award-winning scientist and environmentalist with a PhD in medicine, he has written several books on environmental science and climate engineering.
12. “Sometimes it's the detours which turn out to be the fruitful ideas.” – Roger Penrose
Roger Penrose is a mathematical physicist and philosopher of science who hails from Colchester, England. He is known for his research into general relativity and cosmology, and he was jointly awarded the 1988 Wolf Prize in Physics alongside Stephen Hawking for their work on singularity theorems. He was also jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020 for his study of black hole formation.
13. “Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated.” – Rosalind Franklin
Known as the ‘forgotten heroine’ of DNA discovery, chemist Rosalind Franklin was born in Notting Hill, London, in 1920. She is now recognised as a key player in the research which led to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA, although her contributions were not acknowledged during her lifetime. She died in 1958 aged just 37, and has since been awarded numerous posthumous honours for her work.
14. “Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.” – Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall is an English primatologist and anthropologist who was born in London in 1934 and is commonly recognised as the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees. She has written numerous books including many for children, and her life and work have been the subject of over 20 films and documentaries. The Jane Goodall Institute has 19 offices around the world and supports and protects chimpanzees and their habitats.
15. “We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.” – Stephen Hawking
Theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking was known as one of the most admired researchers of his generation. He was born in Oxford in 1942, and at the age of 21 he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease which gradually paralysed him and caused the loss of his speech. His disability did not deter him from research and he became a world leader in cosmology, receiving numerous awards and honours for his work. He died in 2018 and is buried at Westminster Abbey in London.
16. “Science is not finished until it is communicated.” – Sir Mark Walport
Mark Walport is a medical scientist and researcher who was knighted in 2009 for his contributions to health research. Born in London, England, he held the role of Government Chief Scientific Advisor in the United Kingdom for four years and was made Head of the Division of Medicine at Imperial College in 1997. He is best known for his work in immunology and rheumatic diseases.
17. “Science is a wonder. It's like poetry and music and yet people don't see it that way.” – Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a British space scientist who was born in Islington, London, in 1968. She has been celebrated for her work in science communication and education, notably through children’s television appearances and her work as a presenter on BBC astronomy programme The Sky At Night. She has also been named in various lists celebrating the most influential black people in the UK.
18. “Scientific understanding is often beautiful, a profoundly aesthetic experience which gives pleasure not unlike the reading of a great poem.” – Sir Paul Nurse
Geneticist and Nobel Prize winner Paul Nurse was born in Norwich, England, in 1949. He is best known for his work on the cell cycle of fission yeast and for identifying the gene cdc2. He has received over 60 honorary fellowships and degrees, and is currently the Chancellor of the University of Bristol.
19. “Don’t dismiss science, because science does so much for us. If you feel uneasy about science, go and understand the science. Go and find out what’s going on.” – Professor Sarah Gilbert
British vaccinologist Professor Sarah Gilbert is one of the world leaders in vaccine development, best-known for her work on the Astra-Zeneca vaccine for COVID-19. She was born in Kettering, England, and has been involved in the development of numerous significant vaccines, including the universal flu vaccine.
20. “When we look out into space, we are looking into our own origins, because we are truly children of the stars.” – Brian Cox
Professor Brian Cox became a household name as a physicist in the early 2000s when he began presenting popular science programmes such as Horizon and the ‘Wonders of…’ Series. Born in Lancashire, England, he enjoyed a career as a musician in the 1980s and 90s before pursuing science, gaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree in high-energy particle physics from the University of Manchester.
___________________________________________
"Hey! What about..."
Tell us about the ones we’ve missed! Which British scientists do you find most inspiring? What’s your favourite quote from a British researcher? Share in the comments or tweet us at @hello_bio!
___________________________________________
If you enjoyed this article, why not check out the other resources available on our blog. We are passionate about supporting life scientists including early career life scientists and PhD students - with really low-priced reagents and biochemicals, early career scientist grants, and resources to help with both personal and professional development. We know how tough it is - so we hope you find these helpful!
More General Support for Life Scientists
For advice on writing papers, dissertations, presenting at conferences, wellbeing, PhD support, networking and lots more, we have a huge range of articles to help - just click below:
Save up to 50% on our high purity reagents...
When you get to the stage of planning your experiments, don't forget that we offer a range of low-cost, high-purity agonists, antagonists, inhibitors, activators, antibodies and fluorescent tools (yes - they really are around half the price of other suppliers!) You can use our Quick Multi-Search Tool to search for lots of products in one go, and the range includes:
- Enzyme inhibitors and activators
- Chemogenetic ligands
- Ion channel modulators
- GPCR & ionotropic receptor ligands
- Cell biology reagents & biochemicals
Technical resources
Try our Molarity Calculator: a quick and easy way to calculate the mass, volume or concentration required for making a solution.
Try our Dilution Calculator: an easy way to work out how to dilute stock solutions of known concentrations
And finally, don't forget to check back in with our blog regularly for our latest articles. If there’s something you’d love to contribute to the community, whether that’s an interview or article, drop us a line at hello@hellobio.com
---
