--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every good laboratory consists of first…" description: "\"Every good laboratory consists of first rate men working in great harmony to insure the progress of science; but down at the end of the hall is an unso..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png" --- # Every good laboratory consists of first rate men working… ![“Every good laboratory consists of first rate men working in great harmony to insure the progress of science; but down at the end of the hall is an unsociable, wrong-headed fellow working on unprofitable lines, and in his hands lies the hope of discovery.” quote by Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png) > “Every good laboratory consists of first rate men working in great harmony to insure the progress of science; but down at the end of the hall is an unsociable, wrong-headed fellow working on unprofitable lines, and in his hands lies the hope of discovery.” [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Science thrives when talented people collaborate harmoniously, but a single disruptive individual can hinder progress despite holding valuable ideas. **In simple terms:** Collaboration drives science; a lone troublemaker can block it. Key Takeaway Foster teamwork, manage difficult personalities. Themes collaboration conflict innovation leadership Mood reflective analytical Type advisory organizational When to use this quote - research labs - project teams - academic departments - tech startups Key Concepts group dynamics organizational behavior risk management Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate a difficult colleague without compromising harmony? - What mechanisms can protect valuable ideas from being dismissed? A Different Perspective Even a disruptive person may possess crucial insights that could be lost if excluded. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fellows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fellows/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Good Laboratory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-laboratory-333087/) [Halls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/halls/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Hope Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope-discovery-333090/) [Laboratory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laboratory/) [Laboratory Consists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laboratory-consists-333088/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-work/) [Men Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-working-333089/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Rate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rate/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Very good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-good/) ## Related quotes > [“the three men working hardest to maneuver the president—Bannon, Kushner, and Priebus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/the-three-men-working-hardest-to-maneuver-the-president-bannon/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [Ooh, ah, ooh, ah, that's the sound of the men working on the chain gang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-cooke/ooh-ah-ooh-ah-that-s-the-sound-of-the-men-working-on-the-chain-gang/) [Sam Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-cooke/) > [The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cash-penney/the-best-teamwork-comes-from-men-who-are-working-independently-toward/) [James Cash Penney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cash-penney/) > [Problems always appear big when incompetent men are working on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/problems-always-appear-big-when-incompetent-men-are-working-on-them/) [William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/) > [There are fit men everywhere, so I'm working my way through them, one at a time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/there-are-fit-men-everywhere-so-i-m-working-my-way-through-them-one/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [You know, I am sorry for the poor fellows that haven't got labs to work in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/you-know-i-am-sorry-for-the-poor-fellows-that-haven-t-got-labs-to/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“Hornblower worked as hard to conceal his human weaknesses as some men worked to conceal ignoble birth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester-2/hornblower-worked-as-hard-to-conceal-his-human-weaknesses-as-some-men/) [C.S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester-2/) > [Men must work, and women must weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/men-must-work-and-women-must-weep/) [Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/) > [The Providence that watches over the affairs of men works out of their mistakes, at times, a healthier issue than could have been accomplished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/the-providence-that-watches-over-the-affairs-of-men-works-out-of/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [Private property is a necessary institution, at least in a fallen world; men work more and dispute less when goods are private than when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-h-tawney/private-property-is-a-necessary-institution-at-least-in-a-fallen/) [R. H. Tawney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-h-tawney/) > [Where most men work for degrees after their names, we work for one before our names: Saint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-angelica/where-most-men-work-for-degrees-after-their-names-we-work-for-one/) [Mother Angelica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-angelica/) > [ The thing most worth doing in this modern world \[is to\] create jobs that men can work at, and be proud of, and make… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/the-thing-most-worth-doing-in-this-modern-world-is-to-create-jobs/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [“The foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability. Floor layers, makers of sliding doors, thresholds and lintels, ceilings and so on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/the-foreman-carpenter-allots-his-men-work-according-to-their-ability/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [Parisian men make love all day and have no time to work; American men work all day and have no time for love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zsa-zsa-gabor/parisian-men-make-love-all-day-and-have-no-time-to-work-american-men/) [Zsa Zsa Gabor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zsa-zsa-gabor/) > [“ROM1.24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  ROM1.25…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rom1-24-wherefore-god-also-gave-them-up-to-uncleanness-through-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ernest Rutherford > [It was almost as incredible as if you fired a 15-inch shell at a piece of tissue paper and it came back to hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-was-almost-as-incredible-as-if-you-fired-a-15-inch-shell-at-a/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [From the results so far obtained it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the long-range atoms arising from collision of alpha particles with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/from-the-results-so-far-obtained-it-is-difficult-to-avoid-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“When we consider the magnitude and extent of his discoveries and their influence on the progress of science and of industry, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/when-we-consider-the-magnitude-and-extent-of-his-discoveries-and/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [An alleged scientific discovery has no merit unless it can be explained to a barmaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/an-alleged-scientific-discovery-has-no-merit-unless-it-can-be/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [A good scientific theory should be explicable to a barmaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/a-good-scientific-theory-should-be-explicable-to-a-barmaid/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Gentlemen, now you will see that now you see nothing. And why you see nothing you will see presently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/gentlemen-now-you-will-see-that-now-you-see-nothing-and-why-you-see/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [ The great object is to find the theory of the matter \[of X-rays\] before anyone else, for nearly every professor in Europe is now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-great-object-is-to-find-the-theory-of-the-matter-of-x-rays-before/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [It is essential for men of science to take an interest in the administration of their own affairs or else the professional civil servant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/it-is-essential-for-men-of-science-to-take-an-interest-in-the/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [All science is either physics or stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/all-science-is-either-physics-or-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [You should never bet against anything in science at odds of more than about 1012 to 1.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/you-should-never-bet-against-anything-in-science-at-odds-of-more-than/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [“We haven't got the money, so we'll have to think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/we-haven-t-got-the-money-so-we-ll-have-to-think/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Radioactivity is shown to be accompanied by chemical changes in which new types of matter are being continually produced. … The conclusion is drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/radioactivity-is-shown-to-be-accompanied-by-chemical-changes-in-which/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [The energy produced by the breaking down of the atom is a very poor kind of thing. Anyone who expects a source of power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/the-energy-produced-by-the-breaking-down-of-the-atom-is-a-very-poor/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [ \[From uranium\] there are present at least two distinct types of radiation one that is very readily absorbed, which will be termed for convenience… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/from-uranium-there-are-present-at-least-two-distinct-types-of/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) [Explore all 51 Ernest Rutherford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) ## More Discovery quotes > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Throughout my work, I have assumed that the standard model is correct, and hence, the Higgs boson should be found. Although this is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashoke-sen/throughout-my-work-i-have-assumed-that-the-standard-model-is-correct/) [Ashoke Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashoke-sen/) > [There is usually no dreamer so unworldly as the anthologist. He wanders in a vast garden, lost in wonder, unable to decide often between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-webb/there-is-usually-no-dreamer-so-unworldly-as-the-anthologist-he/) [Mary Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-webb/) > [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The discovery that heartbreak is indeed heartbreaking consoles us about our humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-discovery-that-heartbreak-is-indeed-heartbreaking-consoles-us/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [ That has been another interesting discovery: that basically a city \[Lagos\] could recover from a really deep, deep, deep pit. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem-koolhaas/that-has-been-another-interesting-discovery-that-basically-a-city/) [Rem Koolhaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem-koolhaas/) > [Every fact of science was once Damned. Every invention was considered impossible. Every discovery was a nervous shock to some orthodoxy. Every artistic innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/every-fact-of-science-was-once-damned-every-invention-was-considered/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things. Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/discovery-is-the-ability-to-be-puzzled-by-simple-things-noam-chomsky/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/education-is-a-progressive-discovery-of-our-own-ignorance/) [Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Browse all 3,125 Discovery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every good laboratory consists of first rate men working in great harmony to insure the progress of science; but down at the end of the hall is an unsociable, wrong-headed fellow working on unprofitable lines, and in his hands lies the hope of discovery.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ernest Rutherford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first-rate-men-working-in-great/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Discovery" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first-rate-men-working-in-great/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/ernest-rutherford-13268_discovery_every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first_2435345.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every good laboratory consists of first rate men working in great harmony to insure the progress of science…” — Ernest Rutherford", "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": "Ernest Rutherford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every good laboratory consists of first...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first-rate-men-working-in-great/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/every-good-laboratory-consists-of-first-rate-men-working-in-great/#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 } } ] } ```