Believe Quote by Francis Crick
“When you start in science, you are brainwashed into believing how careful you must be, and how difficult it is to discover things. There's something that might be called the 'graduate student syndrome'; graduate students hardly believe they can make a discovery.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Scientist, 1975
Graduate training often instills excessive caution, hindering confidence in making discoveries.
In simple terms: Students become overly cautious and doubt their ability to discover.
Key Takeaway
Balance rigor with confidence in research.
Themes
education
science
confidence
innovation
Mood
inquisitive
optimistic
Type
educational
inspirational
When to use this quote
- lab work
- grant writing
- publishing
- career planning
Key Concepts
psychology
epistemology
research methodology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you cultivate confidence without sacrificing rigor?
- What small experiment could you try to break the cautious habit?
A Different Perspective
Over‑caution may prevent taking necessary risks for breakthroughs.
![“I cast people from right around me. I was at my alma mater. It's special to have most of the graduate students in it [and] one professor, because I feel like in terms of this school, I was one of the few students lucky enough to break into the art industry or the contemporary art world.” quote by Kalup Linzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/71e/kalup-linzy-20386_alma-mater_i-cast-people-from-right-around-me-i-was_524503.jpg)
