François Jacob
A molecular biologist who, with Jacques Monod, discovered the operon model of gene regulation, explaining how genes are turned on and off.
Most quoted
"A theory is a good theory if it satisfies two requirements: It must accurately describe a large class of observations on the basis of a model that contains only a few arbitrary elements, and it must make definite predictions about the results of future observations."
— from Attributed
"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."
— from The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity
"The dream of the biologist is to understand the living world, to grasp its essence, to unravel its secrets. But the living world is not a simple mechanism; it is a history."
— from La logique du vivant, une histoire de l'hérédité, 1970
All quotes by François Jacob (362)
Science is a long and often frustrating journey, but the rewards are immense.
The beauty of science is that it allows us to understand the world around us, and to appreciate its complexity.
The future of biology is in understanding how all the pieces fit together.
We are all made of stardust, and we are all connected.
The history of life is a history of tinkering.
The most important thing in science is not to get the right answer, but to ask the right question.
Evolution is not a force but a process.
We are the product of chance and necessity.
Man is a machine, but a machine that thinks.
The universe is not obliged to make sense to us.
The greatest discovery of all is that we can change our minds.
To understand is to perceive patterns.
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
We are all made of stardust.
Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.
The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create.
Science is a way of trying to understand the world.
Beauty in nature is not an accident.
We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life.
The meaning of life is to give life meaning.
Contemporaries of François Jacob
Other Biologys born within 50 years of François Jacob (1920–2013).