Alexander Fleming

I am afraid that the public will expect too much from penicillin. It is not a magic bullet.

The most important thing in science is not to get ahead, but to get it right.

I have always been interested in the invisible world of microbes.

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

I have never been much of a public speaker. I prefer to let my work speak for itself.

I am a simple man, and I have lived a simple life.

I hope that my work will inspire others to pursue scientific research.

I have always believed that nature holds the key to many of our problems.

I am deeply grateful for the recognition I have received, but the real credit belongs to the microbes.

The greatest danger in medicine is the misuse of powerful drugs.

I have always been fascinated by the way things work.

The path of discovery is often paved with unexpected detours.

It is important to keep an open mind and to be prepared for the unexpected.

I never set out to discover penicillin. I was just trying to solve a problem.

I have always been a firm believer in the power of observation.

The greatest challenge in science is to make the complex simple.

The story of penicillin has a certain dramatic interest, but it is not a story of a single individual.

I have been accused of being a bacteriologist, but I am really a pathologist.

It is a commonplace that the unexpected often happens.

The mold was growing on a culture plate that had been accidentally left open.