Book Blurbs

“The only way to have real success in science, the field I’m familiar with, is to describe the evidence very carefully without regard to the way you feel it should be. If you have a theory, you must try to explain what’s good and what’s bad about it equally. In science, you learn a kind of standard integrity and honesty.

“In other fields, such as business, it’s different. For example, almost every advertisement you see is obviously designed, in some way or another, to fool the customer: the print that they don’t want you to read is small; the statements are written in an obscure way. It is obvious to anybody that the product is not being present in a scientific and balanced way. Therefore, in the selling business, there’s a lack of integrity.

“My father had the spirit and integrity of a scientist, but he was a salesman. I remember asking him the question, ‘How can a man of integrity be a salesman?’

“He said to me, ‘Frankly, many salesman in the business are not straightforward–they think it’s a better way to sell. But I’ve tried being straightforward, and I find it has its advantages. In fact, I wouldn’t do it any other way. If the customer thinks at all, he’ll realize he has had some bad experience with another salesman, but hasn’t had that kind of experience with you. So in the end, several customers will stay with you for a long time and appreciate it.”

“It is well known that youth have a tendency to attack the major problems and begin their careers with a major piece of work. It is necessary to restrain such ambition, which might easily lead to discouraging failures, and make the beginner see the advantages of starting with the minor problems. He runs little risk of committing mistakes with them, and when he does there is no chance of ridicule. Later on, there will be opportunity to carry out the great work he dreams of, when technical aptitude and greater understanding are developed.” (p. 148)

“The future scientist is typically an ardent patriot who is eager to bring honor to himself and to his country, captivated by originality, indifferent to material gain and ordinary pleasures, inclined more toward action than words, and an untiring reader. In short, he is capable of all sorts of sacrifices to achieve the noble dream of giving his own name to some new start in the firmament of knowledge.” (p. 146)