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...It would be possible to make much more progress than has been made if the NCI knew its job better, knew how to make discoveries...The NCI really does not know how to make discoveries....So long as the NCI is not willing to follow up ideas that seem good to people who have had experience making discoveries, the work of the NCI is going to be pedestrian.
Linus Pauling
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the need for better understanding and openness to new ideas in scientific research to achieve significant progress.

Linus Pauling criticizes the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for its lack of innovation and understanding in the field of scientific discovery. He argues that true progress in cancer research can only be achieved if the NCI embraces insights from those with practical experience and is willing to explore unconventional ideas. Without this willingness to take risks and explore new directions, the NCI's efforts will remain uninspired and limited.

Themes

DiscoveryScienceProgressInnovationResearch

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about improving scientific research practices at a conference.

More from Linus Pauling

Every aspect of the world today - even politics and international relations - is affected by chemistry.
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Although physicians, as part of their training, are taught that the dosage of a drug that is prescribed for the patient must be very carefully determined and controlled, they seem to have difficulty in remembering that the same principle applies to the vitamins.
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I like people. I like animals, too-whales and quail, dinosaurs and dodos. But I like human beings especially, and I am unhappy that the pool of human germ plasm, which determines the nature of the human race, is deteriorating.
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Just one living cell in the human body is, more complex than New York City.
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The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.
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By the proper intakes of vitamins and other nutrients and by following a few other healthful practices from youth or middle age on, you can, I believe, extend your life and years of well-being by twenty-five or even thirty-five years.
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