"I have always been a practical man, and my science is for the benefit of mankind."

"To conceive, understand, and grasp the whole symmetry of the scientific edifice, including its unfinished portions, is equivalent to tasting that enjoyment only conveyed by the highest forms of beauty…"

"I have spent twenty-five years in the study of petroleum and have come to the conclusion that it is a product of the earth's interior, formed at great depths."

"It is the duty of the chemist to teach the world how to use the elements wisely."

"The edifice of science not only requires material, but also a plan. Without the material, the plan alone is but a castle in the air—a mere possibility; whilst the material without a plan is but useles…"