--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A scientist worthy of a lab coat should…" description: "\"A scientist worthy of a lab coat should be able to make original discoveries while wearing a clown suit, or give a lecture in a high squeaky voice from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png" --- # A scientist worthy of a lab coat should be able to make… ![“A scientist worthy of a lab coat should be able to make original discoveries while wearing a clown suit, or give a lecture in a high squeaky voice from inhaling helium. It is written nowhere in the math of probability theory that one may have no fun.” quote by Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png) > “A scientist worthy of a lab coat should be able to make original discoveries while wearing a clown suit, or give a lecture in a high squeaky voice from inhaling helium. It is written nowhere in the math of probability theory that one may have no fun.” [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science should be fun; creativity and humor can coexist with rigorous inquiry, challenging the notion that seriousness is required. **In simple terms:** Science can be playful and still be serious. Key Takeaway Embrace fun in research. Themes science creativity humor learning probability Mood inspirational lighthearted encouraging Type motivational educational When to use this quote - classroom teaching - public lectures - science outreach - team brainstorming - lab culture Key Concepts cognitive flexibility educational theory innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can humor enhance scientific communication? - When does playfulness become distraction? A Different Perspective Risk of undermining credibility if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clown/) [Discoveries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discoveries/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Original](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original/) [Probability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probability/) [Probability theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probability-theory/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“You can’t talk to thermodynamics and you can’t pray to probability theory. You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/you-can-t-talk-to-thermodynamics-and-you-can-t-pray-to-probability/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I am a very bad scientist. I will do anything to make a human being feel better, even if it's unscientific. No scientist worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-am-a-very-bad-scientist-i-will-do-anything-to-make-a-human-being/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [A scientist worthy of his name, about all a mathematician, experiences in his work the same impression as an artist; his pleasure is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/a-scientist-worthy-of-his-name-about-all-a-mathematician-experiences/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [It was our use of probability theory as logic that has enabled us to do so easily what was impossible for those who thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-thompson-jaynes/it-was-our-use-of-probability-theory-as-logic-that-has-enabled-us-to/) Edwin Thompson Jaynes > [The theory of probabilities is at bottom nothing but common sense reduced to calculus; it enables us to appreciate with exactness that which accurate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-simon-laplace/the-theory-of-probabilities-is-at-bottom-nothing-but-common-sense/) [Pierre-Simon Laplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-simon-laplace/) > [In no other branch of mathematics is it so easy for experts to blunder as in probability theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/in-no-other-branch-of-mathematics-is-it-so-easy-for-experts-to/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [Probability theory is nothing but common sense reduced to calculation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-simon-laplace/probability-theory-is-nothing-but-common-sense-reduced-to-calculation/) [Pierre-Simon Laplace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-simon-laplace/) > [“Probability is orderly opinion and inference from data is nothing other than the revision of such opinion in the light of relevant new information.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-s-yudkowsky/probability-is-orderly-opinion-and-inference-from-data-is-nothing/) Eliezer S. Yudkowsky > [At a purely formal level, one could call probability theory the study of measure spaces with total measure one, but that would be like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/at-a-purely-formal-level-one-could-call-probability-theory-the-study/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [One of the most striking and fundamental things about probability theory is that it leads to an understanding of the otherwise strange fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-weaver/one-of-the-most-striking-and-fundamental-things-about-probability/) [Warren Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-weaver/) > [I failed math twice, never fully grasping probability theory. I mean, first off, who cares if you pick a black ball or a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-failed-math-twice-never-fully-grasping-probability-theory-i-mean/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“I am no friend of probability theory, I have hated it from the first moment when our dear friend Max Born gave it birth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-schrodinger/i-am-no-friend-of-probability-theory-i-have-hated-it-from-the-first/) [Erwin Schrödinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-schrodinger/) > [Well I’ve been doing it for about twenty years, I did films when I was a little kid, when I was about six or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-libman/well-i-ve-been-doing-it-for-about-twenty-years-i-did-films-when-i-was/) Andrea Libman > [We, all of us, are what happens when a primordial mixture of hydrogen and helium evolves for so long that it begins to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/we-all-of-us-are-what-happens-when-a-primordial-mixture-of-hydrogen/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [There are few moments in science in which you genuinely are excited. The discovery of superfluidity in helium-3 was one of those moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lee/there-are-few-moments-in-science-in-which-you-genuinely-are-excited/) [David Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lee/) ## More by Eliezer Yudkowsky > [“But I really am Ravenclaw, you know, not Slytherin. I don't want to rule the universe. I just think it could be more sensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/but-i-really-am-ravenclaw-you-know-not-slytherin-i-don-t-want-to-rule/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“‎If you regard evidence as a constraint and seek to free yourself, you sell yourself into the chains of your whims. For you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/if-you-regard-evidence-as-a-constraint-and-seek-to-free-yourself-you/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“I am not sure how to explain it, except that - truth matters to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-am-not-sure-how-to-explain-it-except-that-truth-matters-to-us/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I see little hope for democracy as an effective form of government, but I admire the poetry of how it makes its victims complicit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-see-little-hope-for-democracy-as-an-effective-form-of-government/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“He really really really shouldn't have done that. Amazing how much more obvious that became one second after it was too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/he-really-really-really-shouldn-t-have-done-that-amazing-how-much/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [I'm wondering if there's a spell to make lightning flash in the background whenever I make an ominous resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-m-wondering-if-there-s-a-spell-to-make-lightning-flash-in-the/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“There’s a technique we use in our local rationalist cluster called “Is That Your True Rejection?”, and it works like this: Before you stake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/there-s-a-technique-we-use-in-our-local-rationalist-cluster-called-is/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [Lonely dissent doesn't feel like going to school dressed in black. It feels like going to school wearing a clown suit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/lonely-dissent-doesn-t-feel-like-going-to-school-dressed-in-black-it/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“Knowing that Draco's hopeful face had probably been drilled into him by months of practice did not make it any less effective, Harry observed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/knowing-that-draco-s-hopeful-face-had-probably-been-drilled-into-him/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [The strength of a theory is not what it allows, but what it prohibits; if you can invent an equally persuasive explanation for any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-strength-of-a-theory-is-not-what-it-allows-but-what-it-prohibits/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [It is triple ultra forbidden to respond to criticism with violence. There are a very few injunctions in the human art of rationality that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/it-is-triple-ultra-forbidden-to-respond-to-criticism-with-violence/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [The human species was not born into a market economy. Bees won't sell you honey if you offer them an electronic funds transfer. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/the-human-species-was-not-born-into-a-market-economy-bees-won-t-sell/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“Frigideiro! " said Hermione again from the desk next to him. Her water was solid ice and there were white crystals forming on the rim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/frigideiro-said-hermione-again-from-the-desk-next-to-him-her-water/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“And then Harry Potter had launched in to a speech that was inspiring, yet vague. A speech to the effect that Fred and George…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-then-harry-potter-had-launched-in-to-a-speech-that-was-inspiring/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [“And I know that I'd just make myself unhappy by comparing that reality to... something perfect that I built up in my imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/and-i-know-that-i-d-just-make-myself-unhappy-by-comparing-that/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) [Explore all 274 Eliezer Yudkowsky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A scientist worthy of a lab coat should be able to make original discoveries while wearing a clown suit, or give a lecture in a high squeaky voice from inhaling helium. It is written nowhere in the math of probability theory that one may have no fun.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eliezer Yudkowsky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should-be-able-to-make-original/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should-be-able-to-make-original/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d8/eliezer-yudkowsky-1207_able_a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should_3192393.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A scientist worthy of a lab coat should be able to make original discoveries while wearing a clown suit, or…” — Eliezer Yudkowsky", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Eliezer Yudkowsky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A scientist worthy of a lab...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should-be-able-to-make-original/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/a-scientist-worthy-of-a-lab-coat-should-be-able-to-make-original/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```