--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maria Goeppert-Mayer, you know, she…" description: "\"Maria Goeppert-Mayer, you know, she didn't even get paid to be a scientist. And yet, she was doing Nobel Prize-winning work. How ridiculous is that?\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/donna-strickland-17064_doing_maria-goeppert-mayer-you-know-she-didn-t_1398891.jpg" --- # Maria Goeppert-Mayer, you know, she didn't even get paid… ![“Maria Goeppert-Mayer, you know, she didn't even get paid to be a scientist. And yet, she was doing Nobel Prize-winning work. How ridiculous is that?” quote by Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/donna-strickland-17064_doing_maria-goeppert-mayer-you-know-she-didn-t_1398891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/donna-strickland-17064_doing_maria-goeppert-mayer-you-know-she-didn-t_1398891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/201/donna-strickland-17064_doing_maria-goeppert-mayer-you-know-she-didn-t_1398891.jpg) > “Maria Goeppert-Mayer, you know, she didn't even get paid to be a scientist. And yet, she was doing Nobel Prize-winning work. How ridiculous is that?” [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even unpaid, women can achieve groundbreaking science, highlighting systemic inequities. **In simple terms:** Women can excel despite lack of pay. Key Takeaway Advocate for fair compensation. Themes gender equity science recognition pay disparity N achievement Mood concerned inspirational Type advocacy inspirational When to use this quote - academic careers - grant applications - policy advocacy - mentorship Key Concepts systemic bias Nobel achievement women in STEM Questions to Reflect On - What barriers still exist for women? - How can institutions ensure equity? A Different Perspective Change is slow without structural reform. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [The first proponent of cortical memory networks on a major scale was neither a neuroscientist nor a computer scientist but .. a Viennes economist:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/the-first-proponent-of-cortical-memory-networks-on-a-major-scale-was/) Joaquin Fuster > [I've tried to be a straight scientist doing the science and reporting it as best I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/i-ve-tried-to-be-a-straight-scientist-doing-the-science-and-reporting/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [I actually wanted to be a forensic scientist for a while. 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I fell in love with India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-bradbrook/i-was-in-india-as-scientist-doing-post-doctoral-research-for-about/) [Gail Bradbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-bradbrook/) > [ \[on what characteristics Nobel prize winning physicists had in common\] I cannot think of a single one, not even intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/on-what-characteristics-nobel-prize-winning-physicists-had-in-common/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [I think the team that successfully puts together an economic and social policy framework for global full employment in decent working conditions based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-somavia/i-think-the-team-that-successfully-puts-together-an-economic-and/) [Juan Somavia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-somavia/) > [ There's no reason - not yet, anyway - to believe \[Bob\] Dylan himself endorses such an attitude; or that he would think of himself… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bennun/there-s-no-reason-not-yet-anyway-to-believe-bob-dylan-himself/) [David Bennun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bennun/) > [If there is a Nobel prize for dirt and filth, India will win it, no doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/if-there-is-a-nobel-prize-for-dirt-and-filth-india-will-win-it-no/) [Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/) > [Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton, Of all the nobel prizes that I've never won, And I may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-partridge/well-i-don-t-know-how-many-pounds-make-up-a-ton-of-all-the-nobel/) [Andy Partridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-partridge/) > [As a Nobel Prize winner I cannot but regret that the award was never given to Mark Twain, nor to Henry James, speaking only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/as-a-nobel-prize-winner-i-cannot-but-regret-that-the-award-was-never/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [The Nobel Prize confers on an individual an authority which in economics no man ought to possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-august-von-hayek/the-nobel-prize-confers-on-an-individual-an-authority-which-in/) [Friedrich August von Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-august-von-hayek/) ## More by Donna Strickland > [We read to our kids at bedtime because we want to have literacy, but what are we doing to make sure kids are equally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/we-read-to-our-kids-at-bedtime-because-we-want-to-have-literacy-but/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [In high school, I was very good in math and physics. I wasn't good at much of anything else. Some people are good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/in-high-school-i-was-very-good-in-math-and-physics-i-wasn-t-good-at/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [If somebody else thinks something that you don't believe in, just think they're wrong and you're right and keep going. That's pretty much the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/if-somebody-else-thinks-something-that-you-don-t-believe-in-just/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [I think for a long time we were just 10 percent women in physics, and so obviously people can see things in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/i-think-for-a-long-time-we-were-just-10-percent-women-in-physics-and/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [Obviously, over the history of certainly the last 300 years, it was that men went out and worked, and women stayed home. Yes okay,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/obviously-over-the-history-of-certainly-the-last-300-years-it-was/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [Because the high-intensity pulses are short, the laser only damages the area where it's applied. The result is precise, clean cuts that are ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/because-the-high-intensity-pulses-are-short-the-laser-only-damages/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [For her PhD, Maria Goeppert Mayer, a theoretical physicist, came up with the idea of multi-photon physics. That means an atom absorbs two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/for-her-phd-maria-goeppert-mayer-a-theoretical-physicist-came-up-with/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [I still try to make different types of lasers that other people don't have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/i-still-try-to-make-different-types-of-lasers-that-other-people-don-t/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [I hadn't looked at all the Nobel Prizes and thought, my goodness, there's no women. So it was a little bit surprising to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/i-hadn-t-looked-at-all-the-nobel-prizes-and-thought-my-goodness-there/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [I think we've been pushing for a lot of years and I do feel like women's lib was talked about a lot in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/i-think-we-ve-been-pushing-for-a-lot-of-years-and-i-do-feel-like/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [We proved that we could increase laser intensity by orders of magnitude. In fact, CPA led to the most intense laser pulses ever recorded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/we-proved-that-we-could-increase-laser-intensity-by-orders-of/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [Sometimes you just have to be happy you get one chance in life and not worry too much about whether you get two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/sometimes-you-just-have-to-be-happy-you-get-one-chance-in-life-and/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [Gérard Mourou, who was my PhD supervisor, dreamed up the idea of increasing laser intensity by orders of magnitude. He did it while he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/g-rard-mourou-who-was-my-phd-supervisor-dreamed-up-the-idea-of/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [But I don't see myself as a woman in science. I see myself as a scientist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/but-i-don-t-see-myself-as-a-woman-in-science-i-see-myself-as-a/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) > [When I was a first-year in grad school, there were 18 of us in the Ph.D. program, and four of us were women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-strickland/when-i-was-a-first-year-in-grad-school-there-were-18-of-us-in-the-ph/) [Donna Strickland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) [Explore all 38 Donna Strickland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-strickland/) ## More Doing quotes > [I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm damn well gonna do it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geri-halliwell/i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-but-i-m-damn-well-gonna-do-it/) [Geri Halliwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geri-halliwell/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. 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