F. Sherwood Rowland
He shared the Nobel Prize for his work on the depletion of the ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbons.
Most quoted
"Isn't it a responsibility of scientists, if you believe that you have found something that can affect the environment, isn't it your responsibility to actually do something about it, enough so that action actually takes place?"
— from Nobel Prize Lecture, 1995
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Especially if you made them feel wrong."
— from Attributed/Paraphrased
"What's the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions if, in the end, all we're willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true?"
— from Interview/Speech
All quotes by F. Sherwood Rowland (415)
The only thing more frustrating than a scientific mystery is a scientific mystery that no one believes is a mystery.
The future of the planet depends on our ability to understand its chemistry.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Especially if you made them feel wrong.
The scientific method is a wonderful thing, but it doesn't always account for human stubbornness.
It's not about being smart; it's about being curious.
The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.
If you're not having fun, you're probably not doing science right.
The truth has a way of coming out, eventually. Sometimes it just takes a while.
Don't be afraid to ask 'why?'. It's the most powerful question in science.
The world is full of interesting problems, and not enough people trying to solve them.
Sometimes the most important experiments are the ones that fail.
My job is to worry about things that most people don't even know exist.
The ozone hole wasn't a theory; it was an observation. And a rather alarming one.
Science is a journey, not a destination.
The only thing more complex than the atmosphere is human behavior.
It's a good thing I'm persistent, because the world wasn't exactly lining up to believe me at first.
The greatest discoveries often come from looking at the same thing as everyone else, but seeing something different.
What's the use of having developed a science well enough to make predictions if, in the end, all we're willing to do is stand around and wait for them to come true?
Our responsibility is to do the best science we can, and then to communicate it as clearly as possible.
Science is not just a collection of facts, but a way of thinking, a way of questioning, a way of understanding the world.
Contemporaries of F. Sherwood Rowland
Other Chemistrys born within 50 years of F. Sherwood Rowland (1927–2012).