Dorothy Vaughan
An American mathematician who worked for NASA and was one of the agency's first African-American managers.
Most quoted
"I saw the writing on the wall and I got into the computer business. I'm not going to sit around and wait for them to tell me what to do."
— from Biography/Interviews, 1960
"Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men."
— from Interview, 1980
"I always said, 'If you're going to do something, do it right.' Especially if it's sending someone into space."
— from Fictionalized accounts/interpretations
All quotes by Dorothy Vaughan (374)
Mathematics is a language that speaks to everyone.
You have to be willing to learn new things, even when it's hard.
Our work was important. It had a purpose.
I believe in the power of the human mind.
There's a beauty in solving a complex problem.
Life is about continuous learning.
The truth will always come out, eventually.
You have to have faith in yourself and in what you're doing.
Every calculation had to be perfect. Lives depended on it.
Don't be afraid to take on new challenges.
The human spirit is incredibly resilient.
I found joy in the work, in the numbers, in the solutions.
We had to prove ourselves, over and over again.
The pursuit of knowledge is a lifelong journey.
There's a certain elegance to a well-solved equation.
My faith helped me through the difficult times.
We were writing history, one calculation at a time.
The world is full of possibilities if you're willing to look for them.
It's important to leave things better than you found them.
The mind is a powerful tool. Use it wisely.
Contemporaries of Dorothy Vaughan
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Dorothy Vaughan (1910–2008).