One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.
Meaning of the quote
Many people think scientists are very smart and interesting, but this is not always true. Some scientists can actually be narrow-minded, boring, and even a little stupid. The popular idea that all scientists are brilliant is not always correct. This quote by James D. Watson, an American scientist, reminds us that not every scientist is a genius, and some may even be a bit dull or short-sighted. It's important to remember that scientists are human too, and like anyone else, they can have flaws and weaknesses.
More quotes from James D. Watson
One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.
Today, the theory of evolution is an accepted fact for everyone but a fundamentalist minority, whose objections are based not on reasoning but on doctrinaire adherence to religious principles.
Science moves with the spirit of an adventure characterized both by youthful arrogance and by the belief that the truth, once found, would be simple as well as pretty.
Take young researchers, put them together in virtual seclusion, give them an unprecedented degree of freedom and turn up the pressure by fostering competitiveness.
Biology has at least 50 more interesting years.
I think the reason people are dealing with science less well now than 50 years ago is that it has become so complicated.
It’s necessary to be slightly underemployed if you are to do something significant.