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)
I saw the future was in machines, so I learned everything I could about them.
It's not about being the first; it's about making sure you're not the last.
They called us 'computers' because we computed.
The work had to be perfect. There was no room for error.
I didn't see myself as a pioneer, just a person with a job to do.
When they integrated, we were ready.
I prepared myself, and I prepared my girls.
We did the math that put men into space.
Our contribution was essential, even if it was invisible.
You have to know your worth, even when others don't.
I learned FORTRAN because I knew the machines were the future.
There's always a way if you're determined enough.
We were problem solvers, first and foremost.
The segregation made us stronger, more determined.
I never asked for permission to learn; I just learned.
Accuracy was our responsibility, and we took it seriously.
We were the ones checking the work, making sure it was right.
I saw the change coming and got ahead of it.
They moved us from human computers to programmers, and we adapted.
The numbers tell the story, if you know how to listen.
Contemporaries of Dorothy Vaughan
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Dorothy Vaughan (1910–2008).