Mary Jackson
An American mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA, who became NASA's first black female engineer.
Most quoted
"We have to do something like this to get them interested in science. Sometimes they are not aware of the number of black scientists, and don't even know of the career opportunities until it is too late."
— from On community outreach, 1970
"I plan to be an engineer at NASA, but I have to take the graduate-level courses in math and physics to qualify, and they're only offered at a segregated high school."
— from Conversation with supervisor, 1958
"I changed my mind about what I wanted to be, and I changed my mind about what I wanted to do, and I changed my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up."
— from Interview
All quotes by Mary Jackson (397)
I never saw my race or gender as a barrier, only as a challenge to overcome.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Don't be afraid to take risks. That's how you grow.
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
You have to be the change you wish to see in the world.
I wasn't just doing it for myself; I was doing it for all the girls who would come after me.
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
It's not about how many times you get knocked down, it's about how many times you get back up.
I believed that if I worked hard enough, I could achieve anything.
The best way to predict the future is to create it.
I was determined to prove that I was just as capable as anyone else.
We need to break down barriers, not build them up.
My goal was to open doors for others, not just walk through them myself.
The only way to do great things is to love what you do.
I never let anyone's prejudice define me.
We are all capable of extraordinary things if we just believe in ourselves.
The greatest challenge is to overcome yourself.
I wanted to show the world what a black woman could achieve.
Don't be afraid to be the first.
My work was about more than just numbers; it was about progress.
Contemporaries of Mary Jackson
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Mary Jackson (1921–2005).