All the hundreds of millions of people who, in their time, believed the Earth was flat never succeeded in unrounding it by an inch.

But life is glorious when it is happy; days are carefree when they are happy; the interplay of thought and imagination is far and superior to that of muscle and sinew. Let me tell you, if you don't know it from your own experience, that reading a good book, losing yourself in the interest of words and thoughts, is for some people (me, for instance) an incredible intensity of happiness.

Scientific apparatus offers a window to knowledge, but as they grow more elaborate, scientists spend ever more time washing the windows.

Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world.

Was there anything more exciting in life than seeking answers?

Science is uncertain. Theories are subject to revision; observations are open to a variety of interpretations, and scientists quarrel amongst themselves. This is disillusioning for those untrained in the scientific method, who thus turn to the rigid certainty of the Bible instead. There is something comfortable about a view that allows for no deviation and that spares you the painful necessity of having to think.

Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put on an orgy in my office and I wouldn't look up. Well, maybe once.