The eye searches for shapes. It searches for a beginning, a middle, and an end.

Science exists, moreover, only as a journey toward troth. Stifle dissent and you end that journey.

Idealism is the highest form of reason.

I knew, however, that it would cost ten times what I had available in order to build a molecular beam machine. I decided to follow a byway, rather than the highway. It is a procedure I have subsequently recommended to beginning scientists in this country, where research strategy is best modelled on that used by Wolfe at the Plains of Abraham.

Science is a collection of stories, linking characters worthy of notice.

Discoveries that are anticipated are seldom the most valuable. ... It's the scientist free to pilot his vessel across hidden shoals into open seas who gives the best value.

The applause is a celebration not only of the actors but also of the audience. It constitutes a shared moment of delight.