François Jacob

Biology French 1920 – 2013 362 quotes

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)

The history of biology is a history of ideas.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The genome is a library of life's stories.

The Possible and the Actual

The cell is a theater of life.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The history of medicine is a history of progress.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The living world is a world of interconnectedness.

The Possible and the Actual

The genome is a symphony of life.

The Possible and the Actual

The cell is a miracle of nature.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The history of humanity is a history of adaptation.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The genome is a map of our destiny.

The Possible and the Actual

The cell is a testament to evolution.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The history of the universe is a history of creation.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The living world is a world of endless diversity.

The Possible and the Actual

The genome is a blueprint for life.

The Possible and the Actual

The cell is a fundamental unit of life.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The history of knowledge is a history of discovery.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The living world is a world of intricate complexity.

The Possible and the Actual

The genome is a record of our ancestry.

The Possible and the Actual

The cell is a marvel of engineering.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The history of ideas is a history of evolution.

The Logic of Life: A History of Heredity

The living world is a world of constant interaction.

The Possible and the Actual