--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I started doing chemistry, I did it…" description: "\"When I started doing chemistry, I did it the way I fished - for the excitement, the discovery, the adventure, for going after the most elusive catch im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/karl-barry-sharpless-72994_adventure_when-i-started-doing-chemistry-i-did-it_982535.jpg" --- # When I started doing chemistry, I did it the way I fished… ![“When I started doing chemistry, I did it the way I fished - for the excitement, the discovery, the adventure, for going after the most elusive catch imaginable in uncharted seas.” quote by Karl Barry Sharpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/karl-barry-sharpless-72994_adventure_when-i-started-doing-chemistry-i-did-it_982535.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/karl-barry-sharpless-72994_adventure_when-i-started-doing-chemistry-i-did-it_982535.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1d/karl-barry-sharpless-72994_adventure_when-i-started-doing-chemistry-i-did-it_982535.jpg) > “When I started doing chemistry, I did it the way I fished - for the excitement, the discovery, the adventure, for going after the most elusive catch imaginable in uncharted seas.” [Karl Barry Sharpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barry-sharpless/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He compares chemistry to fishing, seeking excitement, discovery, and elusive breakthroughs in unknown territory. **In simple terms:** Chemistry is like a hunt for thrilling, rare discoveries. Key Takeaway Pursue curiosity and embrace uncertainty. Themes curiosity exploration science adventure Mood enthusiastic inspired Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - research labs - field experiments - career choices - personal projects Key Concepts chemical discovery risk taking innovation Questions to Reflect On - What unknowns excite you most? - How do you balance thrill with rigor? A Different Perspective The analogy may oversimplify the systematic nature of scientific method. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Chemistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemistry/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Elusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive/) [Elusive Catch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive-catch-1959160/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Excitement Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement-discovery-1959161/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Fished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fished-522259/) [Fished Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fished-excitement-1959158/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Uncharted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncharted/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Fished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-fished-1959159/) ## Related quotes > [“He wanted me to go with him, and had cast his line, hoping to snag his most elusive catch - me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-lynn-natusch/he-wanted-me-to-go-with-him-and-had-cast-his-line-hoping-to-snag-his/) [Amber Lynn Natusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-lynn-natusch/) > [With time, many of the facts I learned were forgotten but I never lost the excitement of discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-berg/with-time-many-of-the-facts-i-learned-were-forgotten-but-i-never-lost/) [Paul Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-berg/) > [That was the way of this cold world, where men fished the sea and dug in the ground and died, whilst women brought forth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-was-the-way-of-this-cold-world-where-men-fished-the-sea-and-dug/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We as songwriters are in the same position as a professional fisherman. Our fishing grounds are kind of fished out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-webb/we-as-songwriters-are-in-the-same-position-as-a-professional/) [Jimmy Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-webb/) > [I fished a little while ago with a man, not in his first youth, who had wasted the flower of his life on business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-ransome/i-fished-a-little-while-ago-with-a-man-not-in-his-first-youth-who-had/) [Arthur Ransome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-ransome/) > [I remember the good evenings I have fished, even the ones that realised material hopes not by the fish that came to the fly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-haig-brown/i-remember-the-good-evenings-i-have-fished-even-the-ones-that/) [Roderick Haig-Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderick-haig-brown/) > [I fished a lot, dove a lot, boated a lot - and made Johnny Walker Red about a quarter of a million dollars richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-diaz/i-fished-a-lot-dove-a-lot-boated-a-lot-and-made-johnny-walker-red/) [Dennis Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-diaz/) > [I didn't think I had time for fishing before I fished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mortimer/i-didn-t-think-i-had-time-for-fishing-before-i-fished/) [Bob Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-mortimer/) > [My dad and I hunted and fished together. How could I get angry at this man who took the time to be with me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dobson/my-dad-and-i-hunted-and-fished-together-how-could-i-get-angry-at-this/) [James Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dobson/) > [Living on reserve we hunted; we fished; we trapped. We lived off the land. If we didn't hunt, we didn't eat. In summer, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-bellegarde/living-on-reserve-we-hunted-we-fished-we-trapped-we-lived-off-the/) [Perry Bellegarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-bellegarde/) > [I fished upstream coming ever closer and closer to the narrow staircase of the canyon. Then I went up into it as if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-fished-upstream-coming-ever-closer-and-closer-to-the-narrow/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“I fished a cigarette from my pocket. After all, I had every reason to be content. I was not so badly off really; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/i-fished-a-cigarette-from-my-pocket-after-all-i-had-every-reason-to/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [“In April, he perched on a witch hazel branch, shivering, one eye closed, waiting for the sun to warm his wings. The night had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-kessler/in-april-he-perched-on-a-witch-hazel-branch-shivering-one-eye-closed/) [Brad Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-kessler/) > [If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/if-i-fished-only-to-capture-fish-my-fishing-trips-would-have-ended/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [I've fished and hunted all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fuller/i-ve-fished-and-hunted-all-my-life/) [Robert Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fuller/) ## More by Karl Barry Sharpless > [The discipline, nonetheless, is exacting: everything that can be observed should be observed, even if it is only recalled as the bland background from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barry-sharpless/the-discipline-nonetheless-is-exacting-everything-that-can-be/) [Karl Barry Sharpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barry-sharpless/) > [What the ocean was to the child, the Periodic Table is to the chemist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barry-sharpless/what-the-ocean-was-to-the-child-the-periodic-table-is-to-the-chemist/) [Karl Barry Sharpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barry-sharpless/) > [We have a word game in English called "Twenty questions." To play Twenty Questions, one player imagines some object, and the other players must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barry-sharpless/we-have-a-word-game-in-english-called-twenty-questions-to-play-twenty/) [Karl Barry Sharpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barry-sharpless/) [Explore all 4 Karl Barry Sharpless quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barry-sharpless/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. 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You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. 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