The Double Helix Quotes
"The discovery of the structure by Crick and Watson, with all its biological implications, has been one of the major scientific events of this century."
"The tension mounts and mounts towards the final climax. I do not know of any other instance where one is able to share so intimately in the researcher’s struggles and doubts and final triumph."
"This dilemma comes out clearly in the DNA story. It is a source of deep satisfaction to all intimately concerned that, in the award of the Nobel Prize in 1962, due recognition was given to the long, patient investigation."
"The realization of this difficulty has led to the establishment of a somewhat vague code amongst scientists which recognizes a claim in a line of research staked out by a colleague—up to a certain point."
"The thought that I should write this book has been with me almost from the moment the double helix was found."
"A scientist's life might be interesting socially as well as intellectually."
"Pauling’s success with the polypeptide chain had naturally suggested to Francis that the same tricks might also work for DNA."
"Equations occasionally crept into his argument, but in most cases words would have sufficed. The key to Linus’ success was his reliance on the simple laws of structural chemistry."
"Worrying about complications before ruling out the possibility that the answer was simple would have been damned foolishness."
"The painful fact that the pictures belonged to Maurice could not be avoided."
"The best way to salvage something from the day was to come to an agreement about the next round of experiments."
"The chilling prospect of enduring Francis throughout the remaining years of his tenure as the Cavendish Professor was too much to ask of Bragg or anyone with a normal set of nerves."
"Lying low made sense because we were up the creek with models based on sugar-phosphate cores."
"The decision was thus passed on to Max that Francis and I must give up DNA."
"The remnants of Christianity were indeed useful."
"No seats were left on the overnight Glasgow train, giving us a ten-hour journey seated on luggage listening to Val comment on the dull, boorish habits of the Americans who each year are deposited in increasing numbers at Oxford."
"Every time my limpid contribution was read, I wanted to sink behind my chair rather than face the condescending stares of the Mitchison women."
"The climate was not with me, however, for a group from the house caught the Clyde steamer at Tarbert and the next morning we were in London."
"Apparently no decision had been made and the worst was to be expected. The ax, however, could at most be only annoying."
"I naturally accepted the fellowship. Two thousand dollars was not to be thrown away."
"A letter went off saying that I found Cambridge intellectually very exciting and so did not plan to be in the States by June."
"If we solved RNA we might also provide the vital clue to DNA."
"The idea was so simple that it had to be right."
"I went with her after hiring a Restoration soldier’s garb."
"This time he was unexpectedly sympathetic and without hesitation volunteered some virus."
"The failure to let one of the world’s leading scientists attend a completely nonpolitical meeting would have been expected from the Russians."
"Admittedly the nucleic-acid component was not DNA but a second form of nucleic acid known as ribonucleic acid (RNA)."
"Every helical staircase I saw that weekend in Oxford made me more confident that other biological structures would also have helical symmetry."
"The sensation of the meeting was the unexpected appearance of Linus."
"The only new result we were likely to pick up before Christmas was the divalent metal content of the DNA-containing phage T4."
"The arrows did not signify chemical transformations, but instead expressed the transfer of genetic information from the sequences of nucleotides in DNA molecules to the sequences of amino acids in proteins."
"Everything I knew about nucleic-acid chemistry indicated that phosphate groups never contained bound hydrogen atoms."
"By teatime I was back in the Cavendish, where Francis was explaining to John and Max that no further time must be lost on this side of the Atlantic."
"I started to say that Maurice was busy, but before the insult was out I asked her whether she wanted to look at Peter’s copy of his father’s manuscript."
"Interrupting her harangue, I asserted that the simplest form for any regular polymeric molecule was a helix."
"Suddenly Rosy came from behind the lab bench that separated us and began moving toward me."
"My encounter with Rosy opened up Maurice to a degree that I had not seen before."
"As the morning wore on, Max and John successively came by to see if we still thought we had it."
"The unforeseen dividend of having Jerry share an office with Francis, Peter, and me, though obvious to all, was not spoken about."
"Rosy’s instant acceptance of our model at first amazed me."