Quotes about research
page 11

Simone Weil photo

“In order to be exercised, the intelligence requires to be free to express itself without control by any authority. There must therefore be a domain of pure intellectual research, separate but accessible to all, where no authority intervenes.”

Simone Weil (1909–1943) French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist

Draft for a Statement of Human Obligation (1943), Statement Of Obligations
Context: In order to be exercised, the intelligence requires to be free to express itself without control by any authority. There must therefore be a domain of pure intellectual research, separate but accessible to all, where no authority intervenes.
The human soul has need of some solitude and privacy and also of some social life.
The human soul has need of both personal property and.

Philip G. Zimbardo photo

“Research has shown that the bystander effect is often motivated by diffusion of responsibility, when different people witnessing an emergency all assume someone else will help.”

Philip G. Zimbardo (1933) American social psychologist, author of Stanford Prison Experiment

"The Banality of Heroism" in The Greater Good (Fall/Winter 2006/2007), co-written with Zeno Franco
Context: The idea of the banality of heroism debunks the myth of the “heroic elect,” a myth that reinforces two basic human tendencies. The first is to ascribe very rare personal characteristics to people who do something special — to see them as superhuman, practically beyond comparison to the rest of us. The second is the trap of inaction — sometimes known as the "bystander effect." Research has shown that the bystander effect is often motivated by diffusion of responsibility, when different people witnessing an emergency all assume someone else will help. Like the “good guards,” we fall into the trap of inaction when we assume it’s someone else’s responsibility to act the hero.

George Adamski photo
Zora Neale Hurston photo
Jacques Ellul photo
Tracy Chevalier photo

“Usually, I take great pleasure in finding a notebook that’s going to match the subject matter. And this time, for some reason, I was in a hurry. I hadn’t found the right one, I had started my research, and I couldn’t wait for the perfect notebook. So, I just grabbed one that I had. It’s the first time though, and it felt a little sad.”

Tracy Chevalier (1962) American writer

On choosing a notebook for each novel that she writes in “An Interview with Tracy Chevalier” https://fictionwritersreview.com/interview/an-interview-with-tracy-chevalier/ in Fiction Writers Review (2019 Sep 23)

Ernest King photo
Madhu Kishwar photo

“Once again IITians & those engaged in cutting edge scientific research are in forefront of challenging & correcting distorted narratives on Indic faiths floated by Wikipedia.”

Madhu Kishwar (1959) Indian activist and writer

Madhu Kishwar on Twitter on 13 Jan 2019 https://twitter.com/madhukishwar/status/1084396568290250753

Charles Stross photo

“If life hands your research department lemons and a recipe, you shouldn’t be surprised if they make lemonade for you. Or, better still, anti-lemonade countermeasures.”

Source: The Laundry Files, The Annihilation Score (2015), Chapter 10, “Great Pay and Benefits! Apply Here!” (p. 184)

Frederica of Hanover photo

“It was my advanced research in physics that had started me on a spiritual quest. It culminated in me accepting the non-dualism or absolute monism of Shankara as my philosophy of life and science.”

Frederica of Hanover (1917–1981) Queen consort of Greece as the wife of King Paul; daughter of Ernest Augustus, Duke of Brunswick

Queen Fredricka of Greece, wife of King Paul.Quoted from Gewali, Salil (2013). Great Minds on India. New Delhi: Penguin Random House.

Thomas Edison photo

“During all those years of experimentation and research, I never once made a discovery. All my work was deductive, and the results I achieved were those of invention, pure and simple. I would construct a theory and work on its lines until I found it was untenable. Then it would be discarded at once and another theory evolved. This was the only possible way for me to work out the problem. … I speak without exaggeration when I say that I have constructed 3,000 different theories in connection with the electric light, each one of them reasonable and apparently likely to be true. Yet only in two cases did my experiments prove the truth of my theory. My chief difficulty was in constructing the carbon filament.... Every quarter of the globe was ransacked by my agents, and all sorts of the queerest materials used, until finally the shred of bamboo, now utilized by us, was settled upon.”

Thomas Edison (1847–1931) American inventor and businessman

On his years of research in developing the electric light bulb, as quoted in "Talks with Edison" by George Parsons Lathrop in Harper's magazine, Vol. 80 (February 1890), p. 425.
Variant:
Through all the years of experimenting and research, I never once made a discovery. I start where the last man left off. … All my work was deductive, and the results I achieved were those of invention pure and simple.
As quoted in Makers of the Modern World : The Lives of Ninety-two Writers, Artists, Scientists, Statesmen, Inventors, Philosophers, Composers, and Other Creators who Formed the Pattern of Our Century (1955) by Louis Untermeyer, p. 227.
1800s

Koenraad Elst photo
Koenraad Elst photo
Reggie Yates photo

“It’s never an interview, it’s a conversation, researched to a point, but I can still be surprised in the moment. I feel confident in saying that if I sat down with George Clooney, I could get him to say something he’d never said before.”

Reggie Yates (1983) English actor, television presenter and radio DJ

On his confidence after launching two documentary series in “Reggie Yates: ‘I could get George Clooney to say stuff he’d never said before’” https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/19/reggie-yates-documentary-maker-interview-i-could-get-george-clooney-to-say-stuff in The Guardian (2019 Oct 19)

Samuel R. Delany photo
Albert Einstein photo
Harold Wilson photo
H. G. Wells photo
Vikram Sarabhai photo

“He said that if we want to establish ourselves in the world, we have to be self-sufficient and research for new ideas and techniques.”

Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971) (1919-1971), Indian physicist

About, Pride Of The Nation: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Vikram Sarabhai photo

“Vikram Sarabhai had dream to conquer the space is no more now but his dream is in fact a prime matter of research in the ISRO even today.”

Vikram Sarabhai (1919–1971) (1919-1971), Indian physicist

About, Pride Of The Nation: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Yuval Noah Harari photo
Sam Harris photo

“Some researchers have speculated that religion itself may have played an important role in getting large groups of prehistoric humans to socially cohere. If this is true, we can say that religion has served an important purpose. This does not suggest, however, that it serves an important purpose now.”

Sam Harris (1967) American author, philosopher and neuroscientist

There is, after all, nothing more natural than rape. But no one would argue that rape is good, or compatible with a civil society, because it may have had evolutionary advantages for our ancestors. That religion may have served some necessary function for us in the past does not preclude the possibility that it is now the greatest impediment to our building a global civilization.
Source: 2000s, Letter to a Christian Nation (2006), p. 90-91

Marilyn Ferguson photo
Gerard Batten photo
Laura Mersini-Houghton photo

“If gravity is a fundamental force, then it has to be explained by an expanded version of general relativity, a more complete, a more fundamental theory. Whether that is quantum gravity of something more radical that requires a paradigm shift like, for instance, our research in multiverse theory, nobody knows at the moment.”

Laura Mersini-Houghton (1969) Albanian cosmologist and theoretical physicist

[Why Is Gravity So Elusive? Frank Wilczek, Erik Verlinde, Laura Mersini-Houghton, 4 December 2017, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lui9qZ6cDs] 11:20 of 40:44

Imran Khan photo
Zygmunt Vetulani photo
ASAP Rocky photo

“You gotta go do research on the way they treat like fucking chickens, man. Those chickens go through fucking torture before they’re processed and shit, have all sorts of fucking steroids injected in them and everything.”

ASAP Rocky (1988) American rapper, singer record producer and music video director from New York

Interview with Rap Industry Fan Fiction; quoted in “Five Things You Probably Didn't Catch About A$AP Rocky – 3. A$AP is a Vegetarian”, in Vibe (23 February 2012) https://www.vibe.com/2012/02/five-things-you-probably-didnt-catch-about-aap-rocky/screenshot20120223at3-01-18pm/.

“Researchers of the peninsula will get nowhere unless they take a break from their quantifying now and then, and enter into an imaginative sympathy with Korean nationalism, the way any sensible literary scholar assumes a Christian frame of mind when reading Bunyan or Blake.”

Brian Reynolds Myers (1963) American professor of international studies

Having done that one begins to understand why the North appeals strongly to an influential minority in the South. They don’t want to live up there anymore than a moderate Muslim wants to live under the Taliban, but they see it as the purer Korea in many ways, the real deal.
2010s, League Confederation Goes Outer-Track (September 2018)

C. V. Raman photo

“For the Chair of Physics created by Sir Palit, we have been fortunate enough to secure the services of Mr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, who has greatly distinguished himself and acquired a European fame by his brilliant research in the domain of Physical Science, assiduously carried on under the most adverse circumstances amidst the distraction of pressing official duties. I rejoice to think that many of these valuable researches have been carried on in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, founded by our late illustrious colleague, Dr. Mahandra Lal Sircar, who devoted a lifetime to the foundation of an institution for the cultivation and advancement of science in this country. I should fail in my duty if I were to restrain myself in my expression of genuine admiration I feel for the courage and spirit of self-sacrifice with which Mr. Raman had decided to exchange a lucrative official appointment with attractive prospects, for a University Professorship, which, I regret to say, does not carry even liberal emoluments. This one instance encourages me to entertain the hope that there will be no lack of seeker after truth in the Temple of Knowledge which it is our ambition to erect.”

C. V. Raman (1888–1970) Indian physicist

Quoted from Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman:A Legend of Modern Indian Science, 22 November 2013, Official Government of Indian website Vigyan Prasar http://www.vigyanprasar.gov.in/scientists/cvraman/raman1.htm,

Ken Ham photo

“Our research has found that public school textbooks are using the same word science for observational science and historical science. They arbitrarily define science as naturalism and outlaw the supernatural. They present molecules-to-man evolution as fact.”

Ken Ham (1951) Australian young Earth creationist

They're imposing (I believe) the religion of naturalism or atheism on generations of students. You see, I assert that the word 'science' has been hijacked by secularists in teaching evolution to force the religion of naturalism on generations of kids.
"Bill Nye Debates Ken Ham" (February 4, 2014)

Alfred Rosenberg photo
Guy Debord photo

“In addition to her high-profile work on cults, Singer was also an authority on schizophrenia, and was nominated twice for a Nobel Prize for her research.”

Margaret Singer (1921–2003) clinical psychology

"Margaret Thaler Singer." Biography Resource Center Online. Gale, 2004.
About, Recognized expert

Robert Aumann photo
Robert Silverberg photo

“Research, he calls it. Research.”

Robert Silverberg (1935) American speculative fiction writer and editor

Pitkin sneered. “Junkie!”
Schwartz matched him sneer for sneer. “Economist!”
Short fiction, Schwartz Between the Galaxies (1974)

John Nash photo
Arthur C. Clarke photo
Edward Bulwer-Lytton photo
Robert Greene photo
Walker Percy photo

“My aunt is convinced I have a "flair for research."”

This is not true. If I had a flair for research, I would be doing research. Actually I'm not very smart. My grades were average. My mother and my aunt think I am smart because I am quiet and absent-minded–and because my father and grandfather were smart. They think I was meant to do research because I am not fit to do anything else–I am a genius whom ordinary professions can't satisfy.
The Moviegoer (1961)

David Graeber photo
Joseph Weizenbaum photo
Steve Jobs photo
Uwem Akpan photo
Bernie Sanders photo

“Here is the bottom line. When we are dealing with this crisis, we need to listen to the scientists, to the researchers, to the medical folks, not politicians. We need an emergency response to this crisis and we need it now.”

Bernie Sanders (1941) American politician, senator for Vermont

2020-03-12
Now Is the Time for Solidarity: Bernie Sanders Addresses Health and Economic Crisis Facing US as Coronavirus Spreads
Jake Johnson
Common Dreams
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/12/now-time-solidarity-bernie-sanders-addresses-health-and-economic-crisis-facing-us
2020

David Hilbert photo
Dana Arnold photo
Marilyn Ferguson photo
Marilyn Ferguson photo
Thomas Hylland Eriksen photo

“One scientific discovery is a gift from the accumulated work of hundreds of researchers. Collaboration is crucial because viruses are smarter than researchers.”

Michael Lai (1942) Taiwanese virologist (born 1942)

Michael Lai (2017) cited in " Persistence pays for Taiwan virologist who helped stop SARS https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Persistence-pays-for-Taiwan-virologist-who-helped-stop-SARS2" on Nikkei Asian Review, 1 May 2017.

Howard H. Aiken photo

“Originally one thought that if there were a half dozen large computers in this country, hidden away in research laboratories, this would take care of all requirements we had throughout the country.”

Howard H. Aiken (1900–1973) pioneer in computing, original conceptual designer behind IBM's Harvard Mark I computer

1952. Quoted in I. Bernard Cohen: Howard Aiken: Portrait of a Computer Pioneer. 1999. MIT Press. p. 292. And I. Bernard Cohen: IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 20.3 pp. 27–33. (1998)

Derrick Morgan (American football) photo
Thomas Hylland Eriksen photo
William Blum photo
David Pearce (philosopher) photo

“Research is society’s investment in its future.”

Ari Ne'eman (1987) American autism rights advocate

Just Asking: Ari Ne’eman, co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Context: If research is society’s investment in its future, our society does not prioritize the future of autistic people.

Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. photo

“Thimerosal is a controversial mercury based (sic) vaccine preservative that research scientists and vaccine safety advocates have connected to the epidemic of brain disorders in children.”

Robert Francis Kennedy, Jr. (1954) American activist

Source: " Why Does Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Get Brain Science So Wrong? https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/07/21/why-does-robert-f-kennedy-jr-get-brain-science-so-wrong/#451fa6e83a13" by Emily Willingham, forbes.com (July 21, 2015).

Ibn Hazm photo
Daniel Abraham photo
John F. Kennedy photo

“There are a number of ways by which the Federal Government can meet its responsibilities to aid economic growth. We can and must improve American education and technical training. We can and must expand civilian research and technology. One of the great bottlenecks for this country's economic growth in this decade will be the shortage of doctorates in mathematics, engineering, and physics; a serious shortage with a great demand and an under-supply of highly trained manpower. We can and must step up the development of our natural resources. But the most direct and significant kind of Federal action aiding economic growth is to make possible an increase in private consumption and investment demand--to cut the fetters which hold back private spending. In the past, this could be done in part by the increased use of credit and monetary tools, but our balance of payments situation today places limits on our use of those tools for expansion. It could also be done by increasing Federal expenditures more rapidly than necessary, but such a course would soon demoralize both the Government and our economy. If Government is to retain the confidence of the people, it must not spend more than can be justified on grounds of national need or spent with maximum efficiency.”

John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) 35th president of the United States of America

Source: 1962, Address and Question and Answer Period at the Economic Club of New York

Alexandra David-Néel photo
Diana Pavlac Glyer photo
Kate Williams (historian) photo
Miyamoto Musashi photo
Connie Willis photo
Valery Gerasimov photo

“Any scientific research in the field of military science is worthless if military theory does not provide the function of foresight.”

Valery Gerasimov (1955) chief of the General Staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation

"Ценность науки в предвидении" https://vpk-news.ru/articles/14632 (26 February 2013)

Michael Nielsen photo

“We have to overthrow the idea that it's a diversion from "real" work when scientists conduct high-quality research in the open. Publicly funded science should be open science.”

Michael Nielsen (1974) Australian and Canadian physicist and writer (b.1974)

The New Einsteins Will Be Scientists Who Share https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204644504576653573191370088. In The Wall Street Journal. October 29, 2011.

Liu Yandong photo

“The reform of training, personnel system, scientific research and the management system of colleges and departments will strengthen the endogenous driving force for the healthy development of universities.”

Liu Yandong (1945) Chinese politician

Source: "刘延东强调:加快建设中国特色现代大学制度" http://www.gov.cn/guowuyuan/2013-08/23/content_2589585.htm (23 August 2017)

“In recent decades the effects of environmental change on insect populations has been the focus of my research. It is widely recognised that invasive alien species, climate change and habitat destruction are all major players in the declines of many insects. Ladybirds are no exception.”

Helen Roy (1969) British ecologist and entomologist

Source: Ladybirds: an interview with Helen Roy, Ecological Entomologist at the BRC https://www.nhbs.com/blog/ladybirds-helen-roy (14 May 2013)

“One main challenge of this research is to properly enumerate the things that matter and then to assign them weights, weights that presumably varied with time and place.”

Bruce Gilley (1966) researcher

Source: The Case for Colonialism: A Response to My Critics, Page 17-18 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352039835_The_Case_for_Colonialism_A_Response_to_My_Critics The case for colonialism, Gilley, 2017

Guy P. Harrison photo
Abigail Thorn photo

“On Philosophy Tube, I call all the shots, I do all the writing, I do all the research. I plan it all out, and it's my show. I miss the feeling of being at the bottom and having to climb up again.”

Abigail Thorn (1993) British actress and YouTuber

Source: Meet Abigail Thorn, the trans philosopher who wants to kill James Bond https://www.insider.com/abigail-thorn-interview-philosophy-tube-kill-james-bond-podcast-2021-8, 21 August 202

Tayari Jones photo

“When I first started writing, I was thinking of it as a book about mass incarceration, and mass incarceration is not a plot. It’s not a story. It’s not a character. I was at Harvard doing research on this subject, and I felt like I had a lot of information, but I had not yet found my story because I had to realize that I am a novelist. I’m not a sociologist. I’m not a documentarian. I’m not an ethnographer. And I found the story, actually, through eavesdropping…”

Tayari Jones (1970) American writer

Source: On how she chose the topic of mass incarceration for her novel An American Marriage in “If I Can’t Cry, Nobody Cries: An Interview with Tayari Jones” https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/02/08/cant-cry-nobody-cries-interview-tayari-jones/ in The Paris Review (2018 Feb 8)

Reza Torkzadeh photo

“Research. Trial strategy. Debate. As a lawyer, these are the complex areas in which you thrive. But when it comes to building a sustainable business, your education—and experience—can’t guarantee your success.”

Reza Torkzadeh Author and Lawyer

The Lawyer As CEO: Stay Competitive, Attract Better Talent, and Get Your Clients Results (While Building the Law Firm of the Future) (2022),

Joanne K. Rowling photo

“All the time I've been researching and learning, accusations and threats from trans activists have been bubbling in my Twitter timeline. This was initially triggered by a 'like.'”

Joanne K. Rowling (1965) British novelist, author of the Harry Potter series

When I started taking an interest in gender identity and transgender matters, I began screenshotting comments that interested me, as a way of reminding myself what I might want to research later. On one occasion, I absent-mindedly 'liked' instead of screenshotting. That single 'like' was deemed evidence of wrongthink, and a persistent low level of harassment began.
Months later, I compounded my accidental 'like' crime by following Magdalen Berns on Twitter. Magdalen was an immensely brave young feminist and lesbian who was dying of an aggressive brain tumour. I followed her because I wanted to contact her directly, which I succeeded in doing. However, as Magdalen was a great believer in the importance of biological sex, and didn't believe lesbians should be called bigots for not dating trans women with penises, dots were joined in the heads of twitter trans activists, and the level of social media abuse increased.
2020s, Reasons for Speaking out on Sex and Gender Issues (10 June 2020)