Katherine Johnson
An American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics were critical to the success of the first U.S. crewed spaceflights.
Most quoted
"We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics."
— from Acceptance Speech, 2015
"The women did what they were told to do. They didn't ask questions or take the task any further. I asked questions. I wanted to know the why. I wanted to know the how, and I wanted to know the when."
— from Interview
"I didn't allow their side-eyes and annoyed looks to intimidate or stop me. I also would persist even if I thought I was being ignored. If I encountered something I didn't understand, I'd just ask."
— from Interview
All quotes by Katherine Johnson (380)
I dreamed big and computed bigger.
We needed to be bold, to take risks, and to be willing to fail. That's how you make progress.
You are no better than anyone else, and no one else is better than you.
I just loved to count. I was good at it.
I didn't feel like I was a pioneer. I just felt like I was doing my job.
I liked to go to work every day. I liked what I was doing.
I never felt like I was a minority. I felt like I was a person.
The numbers spoke to me.
I asked questions. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know the reason.
You have to do your homework. You have to know what you're doing.
I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time.
I just put my head down and did the work.
There's no problem that can't be solved.
I never gave up.
We always worked as a team.
I was just a girl who loved math.
I just kept on going.
I was just a regular person.
I loved every minute of it.
I just did what I was trained to do.
Contemporaries of Katherine Johnson
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Katherine Johnson (1918–2020).