Frederick Sanger

Chemistry British 1918 – 2013 419 quotes

A two-time Nobel laureate, he developed methods for sequencing DNA and proteins.

Most quoted

"Scientific research is one of the most exciting and rewarding of occupations. It is like a voyage of discovery into unknown lands, seeking not for new territory but for new knowledge."

— from Writings/Speech

"Our work on insulin was really the first time that a protein was shown to have a definite chemical structure, and this opened the way for all subsequent work on protein sequencing."

— from Interview, 1980

"Our results suggest that the primary structure of a protein, the sequence of amino acids, determines its three-dimensional structure and thus its biological function."

— from The Structure of Insulin, 1955

All quotes by Frederick Sanger (419)

The simplicity of the Sanger method was its strength.

Letter to a colleague, reflecting on his work

I've always tried to be methodical and systematic in my approach.

Diary entry

The excitement of a new finding is unparalleled.

Letter to a friend

Science is a continuous conversation across generations.

Private notes

I hope my work has made a small difference.

Diary entry

The most important thing is to have a good problem to work on.

Interview

I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time with the right problem.

Interview

Science is not a game of brilliant ideas, but of hard work and persistence.

Lecture

The real excitement in science is in the discovery, not in the recognition.

Acceptance Speech

My work was always driven by curiosity.

Interview

I never thought of myself as particularly clever, just persistent.

Interview

The beauty of science is that it's a continuous process of building on what others have done.

Lecture

You have to be prepared to fail many times before you succeed.

Advice to Students

The greatest satisfaction comes from understanding something new.

Interview

I always tried to keep things as simple as possible.

Interview

The most important tool in science is the human mind.

Lecture

Don't be afraid to ask simple questions.

Advice to Students

The sequence of amino acids in a protein determines its function.

Nobel Lecture 1958

The DNA sequence is the blueprint of life.

Nobel Lecture 1980

I was fortunate to work on problems that were ripe for solution.

Interview