“To make a huge success, a scientist must be prepared to get into deep trouble.”

—  James D. Watson

Succeeding in Science: Some Rules of Thumb (1993)
Context: To make a huge success, a scientist must be prepared to get into deep trouble. Sometime or another, someone will tell you that you are not ready to do something. … If you are going to make a big jump in science, you will very likely be unqualified to succeed by definition. The truth, however, won't save you from criticism. Your very willingness to take on a very big goal will offend some people who will think that you are too big for your britches and crazy to boot.

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James D. Watson 47
American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist. 1928

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