Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff

The most important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.

One can hardly imagine a more beautiful and fruitful field of research than that of stereochemistry.

The atom is not a simple billiard ball, but a complex system with a personality.

To understand chemistry, one must think in three dimensions, not just two. Otherwise, you're just drawing flat pictures of a very round world.

Some chemists are like cooks: they can follow a recipe, but they don't understand the underlying principles. And sometimes, their food tastes like it.

The beauty of science lies in its ability to simplify the complex, not to complicate the simple.

If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough. Or perhaps, your audience is simply not intelligent enough.

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.

A good theory is like a good joke: it's simple, elegant, and makes you think.

The truth is often stranger than fiction, especially in chemistry, where atoms behave in ways no novelist would dare invent.

To be a successful scientist, one needs a good imagination and a healthy dose of skepticism. And perhaps, a strong stomach for failure.

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'

Chemistry is not just about mixing things; it's about understanding why they mix, and why they sometimes refuse to.

Some people see a problem and despair. A chemist sees a problem and sees an opportunity for a new reaction.

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine. Especially when you consider the behavior of a single carbon atom.

If you want to make enemies, try to change something. If you want to make progress, try to understand something.

The history of science is full of brilliant minds who were wrong. It's a comforting thought for those of us who are often wrong.

A theory without experiment is mere speculation. An experiment without theory is mere observation. Both are equally useless, unless you're a philosopher.

The most profound discoveries often come from asking the simplest questions, the ones everyone else thought were too obvious to ask.

Don't be afraid to be wrong. Be afraid to be boring.