In fact, death seems to have been a rather late invention in evolution. One can go a long way in evolution before encountering an authentic corpse.
George WaldRead
I have lived much of my life among molecules. They are good company. I tell my students to try to know molecules, so well that when they have some question involving molecules, they can ask themselves, What would I do if I were that molecule? I tell them, Try to feel like a molecule; and if you work hard, who knows? Some day you may get to feel like a big molecule!
Interpretation
What this quote means
Understanding molecules helps deepen knowledge in science, leading to greater insights and potential.
In this quote, George Wald emphasizes the importance of deeply understanding the fundamental building blocks of life—molecules. By encouraging his students to empathize with molecules, he suggests that this approach will enhance their scientific thinking and creativity, ultimately fostering a more profound appreciation for the complexities of the natural world. Wald inspires a sense of curiosity and imaginative inquiry in science education, advocating for a hands-on, empathetic approach to learning.
Themes
MoleculesScienceUnderstandingEducationInquiry
In practice
Example use cases
During a science class, a teacher might use this quote to inspire students to appreciate the complexity of life at a molecular level.
More from George Wald
All quotes →Our challenge is to give what account we can of what becomes of life in the solar system, this corner of the universe that is our home; and, most of all, what becomes of men-all men, of all nations, colors, and creeds. This has become one world, a world for all men. It is only such a world that can now offer us life, and the chance to go on.
George WaldRead
Evolution advances, not by a priori design, but by the selection of what works best out of whatever choices offer. We are the products of editing, rather than of authorship.
George WaldRead
Nuclear weapons offer us nothing but a balance of terror, and a balance of terror is still terror.
George WaldRead
I think if a physician wrote on a death certificate that old age was the cause of death, he'd be thrown out of the union. There is always some final event, some failure of an organ, some last attack of pneumonia, that finishes off a life. No one dies of old age.
George WaldRead
Civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.
George WaldRead
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