Melvin Calvin

When I was a graduate student, I worked in a lab where there was a Geiger counter. I was fascinated by the idea that you could detect something that you couldn't see, that you couldn't feel, that you couldn't taste. And that, I think, was the beginning of my interest in radioactivity and its applications.

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'

The whole history of science is the gradual realization that things are not as they seem.

Science is not a collection of facts, but a way of thinking.

The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence.

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.

One of the great challenges of science is to understand the origin of life.

The Calvin cycle is a beautiful example of how nature has optimized a complex biochemical pathway.

We are just beginning to understand the intricate mechanisms by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy.

The use of radioactive tracers has revolutionized our understanding of metabolic pathways.

The path to scientific discovery is often circuitous and filled with unexpected detours.

It is not enough to discover; one must also communicate the discovery.

The future of energy lies in harnessing the power of the sun, just as plants have done for billions of years.

The beauty of science lies in its ability to reveal the underlying order and elegance of the natural world.

My early work on photosynthesis was driven by a deep curiosity about how life works at a fundamental level.

The Nobel Prize was a wonderful recognition, but the real reward was the joy of discovery itself.

Science is a collaborative endeavor; no great discovery is made in isolation.

The most important tool in a scientist's arsenal is a questioning mind.

We must never lose our sense of wonder at the complexity and beauty of the living world.