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)
The genome is a story of survival.
The cell is a living machine.
The history of life is a history of invention.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.
One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.
The future of biology lies in understanding the logic of living systems.
Every experiment is a question put to nature.
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.
To understand is to simplify.
The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
We are all prisoners of our own perceptions.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'
Life is a continuous creation.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
Science is a human endeavor, with all its strengths and weaknesses.
The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.
The beauty of science lies in its ability to reveal the hidden order of the world.
To doubt everything or to believe everything are two equally convenient solutions; both dispense with the necessity of reflection.
The greatest challenge in science is not to find answers, but to ask the right questions.
Evolution is not a theory, it is a fact.
Contemporaries of François Jacob
Other Biologys born within 50 years of François Jacob (1920–2013).