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

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.

As an educator, I have always striven to see that the fruits of the American Dream are available to all.

I wanted to see if I could write a good book.

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.

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

At lunch Francis [Crick] winged into the Eagle to tell everyone within hearing distance that we had found the secret of life.