Who would enjoy a life of no runs, no hits, no errors?

Even after the greatest defeats, the depressing thought of being a failure is best combated by taking stock of all your past achievements.

If you want to live a long life, focus on making contributions .

The element of chance in basic research is overrated. Chance is a lady who smiles only upon those few who know how to make her smile.

What makes me so certain that the natural human lifespan is far in excess of the actual one is this. Among all my autopsies (and I have performed over 1000), I have never seen a person who died of old age. In fact, I do not think that anyone has ever died of old age yet. We invariably die because one vital part has worn out too early in proportion to the rest of the body.

Nothing erases unpleasant thoughts more effectively than conscious concentration on pleasant ones.

Indeed, not all attacks-especially the bitter and ridiculing kind leveled at Darwin-are offered in good faith, but for practical purposes it is good policy to assume that they are.