Charles Best

The best scientists are often the ones who are willing to look foolish.

Don't be afraid to ask stupid questions. They're often the most important ones.

The path to discovery is rarely a straight line; it's more like a tangled mess.

Credit is a funny thing. Everyone wants it, but few deserve it entirely.

If you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong.

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'

We learned more from our failures than from our successes, which is fortunate, because we had plenty of failures.

The human body is a marvel of engineering, and a constant source of frustration for doctors.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is just get out of the way and let nature do its work.

The only thing constant in science is change, and the occasional spilled beaker.

Don't confuse activity with accomplishment.

The public wants miracles, but science delivers hard work and incremental progress.

We were just trying to make a difference, not make history.

The best experiments are simple, elegant, and often messy.

If you're not occasionally bewildered, you're not paying attention.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.

We stood on the shoulders of giants, and occasionally tripped over their feet.

The most important tool in a laboratory is a curious mind.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good enough, especially when lives are at stake.

The scientific method is a wonderful thing, when applied correctly, which is almost never.