“By asking a novel question that you don't know the answer to, you disc...” — Walter Gilbert Quote

“By asking a novel question that you don't know the answer to, you discover whether you can formulate a way of finding the answer, and you stretch your own mind, and very often you learn something new.”

“Science doesn't in the slightest depend on trust. It depends completely on the belief that you can demonstrate something for yourself.”

“Biology will relate every human gene to the genes of other animals and bacteria, to this great chain of being.”

“Nowadays, everybody assumes, when they wake up in the morning, if they have a question, it will get answered. Because they have the internet. No matter what the question is, someone will answer their question.”

“I was feeling a strong need to change, grow, and break with particular things that were going on in my life and my history, and the material was the perfect answer for that.”

“Life is insanely robust, though we can make species go extinct, and this is the bad thing. So I always make the point that you can't say, 'Is it too late?' That is the terrible question, because either answer promotes inaction. If it's too late, you don't need to act; if it's not too late, you don't need to act.”