Marie Curie

I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not merely a technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.

We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like a radium a benefit for humanity.

You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful.

The result of the work of Pierre and Marie Curie was the discovery of a new element, radium, which was found to possess properties of radioactivity far exceeding those of uranium.

I am one of those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not merely a technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.

We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.

My husband and I were so constantly absorbed in our work that we lived in a state of perpetual dream.

The discovery of radium and polonium was the result of a long and arduous research, carried out by my husband and myself.

I have frequently been asked in America to give my opinion of the future of radium. My opinion is that radium is an element; that is all. If it has a future, it is due to its properties as an element, not to any special virtue of its discoverers.

The scientific spirit remains an indispensable condition for true progress.

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.

It was in the year 1897 that I began to study uranium rays.

The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books, a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects.

We had no money, no laboratory, no help. It was in an old shed that we carried on our work.

The human race has to suffer from the consequences of its own actions, and it is only through suffering that it can learn to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

I am working in the laboratory and I am very happy. I am very busy, but I like it very much.

We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like radium a benefit for humanity.

I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician but also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale.

I have no dress except the one I wear every day. If you are going to be kind enough to give me one, please let it be practical and dark so that I can put it on for the laboratory.