Lewis Thomas Quotes

A collection of quotes by Lewis Thomas.

Lewis Thomas was an eminent American physician, researcher, and author, revered for his contributions to the field of medicine and his ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to the general public. Born on November 25, 1913, in Flushing, New York, Thomas graduated from Princeton University in 1933. He then pursued a medical degree at Harvard Medical School, graduating in 1937.

Thomas served in the Army Medical Corps during World War II, where he conducted pioneering research on the use of typhus vaccines. Following the war, he held prominent positions in the medical field, including Dean of the Yale Medical School and the New York University School of Medicine.

Despite his remarkable achievements in medicine, it was Thomas' exceptional talent as a writer that solidified his legacy. Known for his elegant prose and insightful observations, Thomas authored numerous essays and books on various scientific and philosophical subjects. His most famous work, "The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher," published in 1974, earned critical acclaim and garnered a wide readership. The book explored the interdependency and interconnectedness of all forms of life on Earth, shedding light on the profound implications of biological studies.

Lewis Thomas' ability to bridge the gap between science and society made him a highly influential figure. His unique perspective and eloquent writings continue to inspire and educate an ever-expanding audience. Lewis Thomas passed away on December 3, 1993, but his impact on the field of medicine and his ability to engage the public with science remain enduring contributions.

The most solid piece of scientific truth I know of is that w

The most solid piece of scientific truth I know of is that we are profoundly ignorant about nature.

The cloning of humans is on most of the lists of things to w

The cloning of humans is on most of the lists of things to worry about from Science, along with behaviour control, genetic engineering, transplanted heads, computer poetry and the unrestrained growth of plastic flowers.

Survival, in the cool economics of biology, means simply the

Survival, in the cool economics of biology, means simply the persistence of one's own genes in the generations to follow.

Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here i

Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that the mere fact of our existence should keep us all in a state of contented dazzlement.

Life Truth Existence Probability Statistically

The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA.

The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA. Without this special attribute, we would still be anaerobic bacteria and there would be no music.

Science

Very few recognize science as the high adventure it really i

Very few recognize science as the high adventure it really is, the wildest of all explorations ever taken by human beings, the chance to glimpse things never seen before, the shrewdest maneuver for discovering how the world works.

Science

Much of today's public anxiety about science is the apprehen

Much of today's public anxiety about science is the apprehension that we may forever be overlooking the whole by an endless, obsessive preoccupation with the parts.

Science

It is from the progeny of this parent cell that we all take

It is from the progeny of this parent cell that we all take our looks we still share genes around, and the resemblance of the enzymes of grasses to those of whales is in fact a family resemblance.

Family

There's really no such thing as the agony of dying. I'm quit

There's really no such thing as the agony of dying. I'm quite sure that pain is shut off at the moment of death. You see, something happens when the body knows it's about to go. Peptide hormones are released by cells in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Endorphins. They attach themselves to the cells responsible for feeling pain.

Death

The central task of science is to arrive, stage by stage, at

The central task of science is to arrive, stage by stage, at a clearer comprehension of nature, but this does not at all mean, as it is sometimes claimed to mean, a search for mastery over nature.

Science

If you want to use a cliche you must take full responsibilit

If you want to use a cliche you must take full responsibility for it yourself and not try to fob it off on anon., or on society.

Society

Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment

Ants are so much like human beings as to be an embarrassment. They farm fungi, raise aphids as livestock, launch armies into war, use chemical sprays to alarm and confuse enemies, capture slaves, engage in child labour, exchange information ceaselessly. They do everything but watch television.

War

A multitude of bees can tell the time of day, calculate the

A multitude of bees can tell the time of day, calculate the geometry of the sun's position, argue about the best location for the next swarm. Bees do a lot of close observing of other bees maybe they know what follows stinging and do it anyway.

Best

The great secret of doctors, known only to their wives, but

The great secret of doctors, known only to their wives, but still hidden from the public, is that most things get better by themselves most things, in fact, are better in the morning.

Great

At this early stage in our evolution, now through our infanc

At this early stage in our evolution, now through our infancy and into our childhood and then, with luck, our growing up, what our species needs most of all, right now, is simply a future.

Future

I won't compare ants and people, but ants give us a useful m

I won't compare ants and people, but ants give us a useful model of how single members of a community can become so organized that they end up resembling, in effect, one big collective brain. Our own exploding population and communication technology are leading us that way.

Communication

We're as clever as we think we are, but we'll be a lot cleve

We're as clever as we think we are, but we'll be a lot cleverer when we learn to use not just one brain but to pool huge numbers of brains. We're at a level technologically where we can share information and think collectively about our problems. We do it in science all the time - there's no reason why we can't do it in other endeavors.

Science

Doctors, dressed up in one professional costume or another,

Doctors, dressed up in one professional costume or another, have been in busy practice since the earliest records of every culture on earth. It is hard to think of a more dependable or enduring occupation, harder still to imagine any future events leading to its extinction.

Future

A lot of people fear death because they think that so overwh

A lot of people fear death because they think that so overwhelming an experience has to be painful, but I've seen quite a few deaths, and, with one exception, I've never known anyone to undergo anything like agony. That's amazing when you think about it. I mean, how complicated the mechanism is that's being taken apart.

Amazing

Medical knowledge and technical savvy are biodegradable. The

Medical knowledge and technical savvy are biodegradable. The sort of medicine that was practiced in Boston or New York or Atlanta fifty years ago would be as strange to a medical student or intern today as the ceremonial dance of a !Kung San tribe would seem to a rock festival audience in Hackensack.

Knowledge