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.

DNA was my only gold rush. I regarded DNA as worth a gold rush.

I turned against the left wing because they don't like genetics, because genetics implies that sometimes in life we fail because we have bad genes. They want all failure in life to be due to the evil system.

A clone of Einstein wouldn't be stupid, but he wouldn't necessarily be any genius, either.

Science has always been my preoccupation and when you think a breakthrough is possible, it is terribly exciting.

The way to do great science is to stay away from subjects that are overpopulated, and go to the frontiers.

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.