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A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.
Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Discovery often occurs when opportunity and readiness intersect.

This quote emphasizes that while discoveries may appear accidental, they often occur when an individual is intellectually prepared to recognize and seize unexpected opportunities. It suggests that having a prepared mind is essential for understanding and appreciating the serendipity of discoveries in various fields.

Themes

DiscoveryAccidentPreparedMindOpportunity

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about innovation, one might say, 'As Albert Szent-Gyorgyi observed, a discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.'

More from Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Science has helped us to understand and master ourselves, creating an elevated new form of human life, the wealth and beauty of which cannot be pictured today by the keenest imagination.
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I called it ignose, not knowing which carbohydrate it was. This name was turned down by my editor. 'God-nose' was not more successful, so in the end 'hexuronic acid' was agreed upon. To-day the substance is called 'ascorbic acid' and I will use this name.
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It is impossible to encircle the hips of a girl with my right arm and hold her smile in my left hand, then proceed to study the two items separately. Similarly, we can not separate life from living matter, in order to study only living matter and its reactions. Inevitably, studying living matter and its reactions, we study life itself
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Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.
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The real scientist is ready to bear privation and, if need be, starvation rather than let anyone dictate to him which direction his work must take.
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Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
Albert Szent-GyorgyiRead

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