Frederick Sanger

I have always been interested in the chemistry of living things.

The insulin work was a very straightforward, logical development from the earlier work on proteins.

I was very lucky to have chosen a problem that was just ripe for solution at the time.

The dideoxy method was really a very simple idea. It was one of those ideas that is obvious once you have thought of it.

I think I have been very fortunate in my life. I have been able to do what I wanted to do.

I never really intended to be a scientist. I sort of drifted into it.

I don't think I'm a competitive person. I just like solving problems.

The most important thing is to be interested in what you are doing.

I think the secret of my success, if there is one, is that I have been able to choose important problems to work on.

I am not a religious person, but I have a great sense of wonder at the complexity and beauty of the living world.

Science is a self-correcting process. If you make a mistake, someone else will eventually find it.

I have always enjoyed the practical side of science, the doing of experiments.

I was never very good at mathematics, but I found that I could understand the principles of chemistry and biology.

The structure of DNA was, of course, a tremendous breakthrough, but it didn't immediately tell us how genes worked.

I think it is important for scientists to be able to communicate their work to the public.

I have had a very satisfying life. I have been able to make a contribution to knowledge.

I don't believe in retirement. I think you should keep working as long as you are able.

The human genome project is a monumental achievement, but it is only the beginning. We now have to understand what all those genes do.

I am an optimist. I believe that science will eventually solve many of the world's problems.

I have always been more interested in the process of discovery than in the fame or recognition that comes with it.