Barbara McClintock

Patience is the key to understanding nature's secrets.

I feel as if I am swimming in a sea of genes.

Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.

Every scientist goes through a time when they doubt themselves.

The beauty of maize lies in its complexity.

Isolation is the price of genius.

Transposons dance within the genome.

Curiosity is the engine of progress.

I never planned my work; it just unfolded.

Nature speaks if you listen carefully.

The hard part is not the discovery, but convincing others.

Humor helps in the lab; it lightens the load.

Life's meaning is found in the pursuit of truth.

Genes are like artists, creating patterns.

Doubt is the companion of great minds.

The microscope reveals hidden worlds.

Persistence pays off in science.

I laughed at the idea of fixed genes; they jump!

Philosophy and biology intertwine.

My work is my life; there's no separation.