Science that leads over the horizon depends on gathering the best minds and enabling them to do what the best minds naturally seek to do: pursue the most thrilling questions of the time.

If you succeed with your first dream, it helps. You know, people trust you, possibly, for the second one. They give you a chance to play out your second one.

My heroes were never scientists. They were Graham Greene and Christopher Isherwood, you know, good writers.

There are many people of color who are very talented.

Polls consistently show that the majority of Americans favour research using embryonic stem cells and yet politicians continue to pander to the outspoken religious minority that is hampering efforts to develop this potentially valuable technology.

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

I am thrilled to see my genome.