Jacques Monod

Biology French 1910 – 1976 353 quotes

A molecular biologist who, with François Jacob, elucidated the mechanisms of gene regulation, particularly the operon model.

Most quoted

"Man must at last wake out of his millenary dream; and in doing so, wake to his total solitude, his fundamental isolation. He must realize that, like a gypsy, he lives on the boundary of an alien world; a world that is deaf to his music, just as indifferent to his hopes as it is to his sufferings or his crimes."

— from Chance and Necessity, 1970

"Pure chance, absolutely free but blind, at the very root of the stupendous edifice of evolution: this central concept of modern biology is no longer one among other possible or even conceivable hypotheses. It is today the sole conceivable hypothesis, the only one compatible with observed and tested fact."

— from Chance and Necessity, 1970

"And man must at last wake out of his millenary dream and discover his total solitude, his fundamental isolation. He must realize that, like a gypsy, he lives on the boundary of an alien world; a world that is deaf to his music, and as indifferent to his hopes as it is to his suffering or his crimes."

— from Chance and Necessity, 1970

All quotes by Jacques Monod (353)

The scientific attitude is a commitment to necessity.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the unknown.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to discovery.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to progress.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to understanding.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to knowledge.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific method.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific community.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific enterprise.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific ideal.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific spirit.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific revolution.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific future.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific adventure.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific quest.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific journey.

Chance and Necessity 1970

The scientific attitude is a commitment to the scientific path.

Chance and Necessity 1970

What is true for E. coli is true for the elephant, only more so.

Attributed

The cell is a machine, but it's a machine that builds itself.

Attributed

Science has nothing to say about values.

Attributed