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 was a mathematician, and I knew how to do the work.
We always had to be better. We always had to be smarter.
I just tried to do my job the best I could.
We were doing something important. We were helping the country.
I didn't see myself as a trailblazer. I just saw myself as doing my job.
We had to prove ourselves every day.
I learned to program the IBM machines. I taught myself.
When the computers came in, I knew I had to learn them or be left behind.
I was determined to make sure my girls had a place.
We were a team. We worked together.
There's no problem you can't solve if you put your mind to it.
I believed in education. I believed in learning.
We were all just trying to do our best.
I saw the future, and I embraced it.
Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do.
The work was hard, but it was rewarding.
We broke barriers, not just for ourselves, but for those who came after us.
I always tried to be fair.
You have to be willing to adapt.
My greatest satisfaction was seeing my team succeed.
Contemporaries of Dorothy Vaughan
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Dorothy Vaughan (1910–2008).