Marie Curie

We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.

You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.

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 the 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.

A scientist must not be a poet. A scientist must be a scientist.

We must believe in the human spirit, which is a powerful weapon.

The greatest scientists are artists as well.

My husband and I were so closely united by our affection and our common work that we passed almost our whole time together.

I believe that every woman who has a scientific career should be able to combine marriage with her work.

I have tried to preserve the memory of Pierre Curie and to perpetuate the work which was the object of his life.

My mind is entirely absorbed by my studies, and I consider it a great privilege to be able to devote myself to them.

The way of progress was neither swift nor easy.

After all, science is essentially an international thing.

I was only a student, but I was burning with desire to learn.

The scientist in his laboratory is not merely a technician, but also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales.

I had to work for my living, and I had to study. It was a very hard time for me.

There are cruel and unjust people, but they are not the majority.

I was very much absorbed in the study of physics and chemistry.

We must not turn back, we must not recoil.

I would like to think that the discoveries we have made will one day prove to be of benefit to humanity.