She had been living like a hermit herself, in a cramped, seedy apartment in Somerville, spending long hours in the lab. All-nighters had become a regular thing. She didn't have any close friends, didn't go out on dates, didn't even go to the movies by herself. She had sacrificed a normal life in order to get a PhD, and become a scientist.

Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.

Keep working. Don't wait for inspiration. Work inspires inspiration. Keep working.

Discovery is always rape of the natural world. Always.

Finally, I would remind you to notice where the claim of consensus is invoked. Consensus is invoked only in situations where the science is not solid enough. Nobody says the consensus of scientists agrees that E=mc2. Nobody says the consensus is that the sun is 93 million miles away. It would never occur to anyone to speak that way.

I tended to faint when I saw accident victims in the emergency ward, during surgery, or while drawing blood.

It's hard to decide who's truly brilliant; it's easier to see who's driven, which in the long run may be more important.