[In the case of research director, Willis R. Whitney, whose style was to give talented investigators as much freedom as possible, you may define "serendipity" as] the art of profiting from unexpected occurrences. When you do things in that way… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
Many of the things that have happened in the laboratory have happened in ways it would have been impossible to foresee, but not impossible to plan for in a sense. I do not think Dr. Whitney deliberately plans his serendipity but he is built that way; he has the art-an instinctive way of preparing himself by his curiosity and by… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share
Science, almost from its beginnings, has been truly international in character. National prejudices disappear completely in the scientist's search for truth. — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
Only a small part of scientific progress has resulted from planned search for specific objectives. A much more important part has been made possible… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
The scientist is motivated primarily by curiosity and a desire for truth. — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
This coupling together of science with international peace, is, I think, particularly significant. — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
Happy indeed is the scientist who not only has the pleasures which I have enumerated, but who also wins the recognition of fellow scientists… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
To my mind, the most important aspect of the Nobel Awards is that they bring home to the masses of the peoples of all… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
Train yourselves. Don't wait to be fed knowledge out of a book. Get out and seek it. Make explorations. Do your own research work. Train your hands and your mind. Become curious. Invent your own problems and solve them. You can see things going on all about you. Inquire into them. Seek out answers to your own questions. There are… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share
History proves abundantly that pure science, undertaken without regard to applications to human needs, is usually ultimately of direct benefit to mankind. — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
[There] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved but where people are tricked into false results by a lack of understanding about what… — Irving Langmuir Copy Share Image
![“[In the case of research director, Willis R. Whitney, whose style was to give talented investigators as much freedom as possible, you may define "serendipity" as] the art of profiting from unexpected occurrences. When you do things in that way you get unexpected results. Then you do something else…” quote by Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/595/irving-langmuir-34598_art_in-the-case-of-research-director-willis_2471184.jpg)
![“[There] are cases where there is no dishonesty involved but where people are tricked into false results by a lack of understanding about what human beings can do to themselves in the way of being led astray by subjective effects, wishful thinking or threshold interactions. These are examples of…” quote by Irving Langmuir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/629/irving-langmuir-34598_attention_there-are-cases-where-there-is-no-dishon_1612300.jpg)
