Barbara McClintock

It's not a question of being brilliant. It's a question of being able to look at things and see what's there.

I was always interested in the exceptions, the things that didn't fit the rules.

You have to have a feeling for the organism.

I spent my life trying to understand how things work.

I never had any doubt that I was doing the right thing.

The future of science depends on those who are willing to look at things in a new way.

It takes time to understand. It takes time to see.

I was always fascinated by the complexity of living things.

The greatest joy is to understand something that no one else has understood.

I just followed my nose.

It's not about being first, it's about being right.

I didn't have any particular goal in mind, except to understand.

The answers are there if you know how to look for them.

I was fortunate to be in a position where I could pursue my own interests.

Science is a way of life, not just a profession.

You have to be willing to challenge established ideas.

I never felt isolated, because I was so absorbed in my work.

The beauty of science is that it's always evolving.

I learned to trust my own observations.

The organism has a way of telling you what it's doing.