--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it was this curiosity about the…" description: "\"I think it was this curiosity about the natural world which awoke my early interest in science.\" — Paul Nurse" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png" --- # I think it was this curiosity about the natural world… ![“I think it was this curiosity about the natural world which awoke my early interest in science.” quote by Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png) > “I think it was this curiosity about the natural world which awoke my early interest in science.” [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early curiosity about nature sparked a lifelong passion for scientific inquiry. **In simple terms:** Nature curiosity led to science interest. Key Takeaway Nurture curiosity early. Themes science curiosity education Mood inspired reflective Type motivational educational When to use this quote - childhood exploration - school science projects - museum visits - family discussions Key Concepts Motivation early development learning Questions to Reflect On - How did early experiences shape your scientific path? - What can you do to spark curiosity in others? A Different Perspective Curiosity alone may not sustain a career without mentorship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Curiosity is natural to the soul of man and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/curiosity-is-natural-to-the-soul-of-man-and-interesting-objects-have-2/) [Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/) > [Curiosity is my natural state and has led me headlong into every worthwhile experience (never mind the others) I have ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/curiosity-is-my-natural-state-and-has-led-me-headlong-into-every/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [At the age of three I began to look around my grandfather's library. My first knowledge of astronomy came from reading and looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-l-greenstein/at-the-age-of-three-i-began-to-look-around-my-grandfather-s-library/) Jesse L. Greenstein > [In the morning I awoke early and experienced that sinking sensation that overcomes you when you first open your eyes and realize that instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-morning-i-awoke-early-and-experienced-that-sinking-sensation/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“I awoke early the next morning to the sound of my phone ringing. My phone had rung so much over the past twenty-four hours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-awoke-early-the-next-morning-to-the-sound-of-my-phone-ringing-my/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [Myths are early science, the result of men's first trying to explain what they saw around them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-hamilton/myths-are-early-science-the-result-of-men-s-first-trying-to-explain/) [Edith Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-hamilton/) > [The idea here, of course, is, you know, mathematics is the language of science, it's the way that we understand the natural world. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-kamenetz/the-idea-here-of-course-is-you-know-mathematics-is-the-language-of/) [Anya Kamenetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-kamenetz/) > [“Redemption is not just about being saved \*from\* the consequences of sin, it is also about being saved \*to\* something- to resume the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/redemption-is-not-just-about-being-saved-from-the-consequences-of-sin/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [To care for the natural world is the most effective insurance policy we can have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-harding/to-care-for-the-natural-world-is-the-most-effective-insurance-policy/) [Phil Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-harding/) > [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) ## More by Paul Nurse > [During the winter my attention was attracted to the changes in the stars and planets in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/during-the-winter-my-attention-was-attracted-to-the-changes-in-the/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [Ever since Sir Isaac Newton's times, scientists have worked in the same sort of way: They show a great respect for experiment and observation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/ever-since-sir-isaac-newton-s-times-scientists-have-worked-in-the/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [My 6 years with Murdoch were pivotal for my entire research career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/my-6-years-with-murdoch-were-pivotal-for-my-entire-research-career/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [It was during my time at secondary school that I abandoned religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/it-was-during-my-time-at-secondary-school-that-i-abandoned-religion/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [I decided that the University of Sussex in Brighton was a good place for this work because it had a strong tradition in bacterial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-decided-that-the-university-of-sussex-in-brighton-was-a-good-place/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [I am still a keen mountain walker and an enthusiastic glider pilot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-am-still-a-keen-mountain-walker-and-an-enthusiastic-glider-pilot/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [Therefore, I reasoned that study of the cell cycle responsible for the reproduction of cells was important and might even be illuminating about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/therefore-i-reasoned-that-study-of-the-cell-cycle-responsible-for-the/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [My main efforts focussed on trying to identify the rate controlling steps during the cell cycle. Crucial for this analysis were wee mutants that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/my-main-efforts-focussed-on-trying-to-identify-the-rate-controlling/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [This time at Birmingham turned me into a general biologist, and ever since then I have always tried to take a biological approach to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/this-time-at-birmingham-turned-me-into-a-general-biologist-and-ever/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [After an extensive interview he arranged for my weaknesses in foreign languages to be over-looked and so I started a Biology degree at Birmingham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/after-an-extensive-interview-he-arranged-for-my-weaknesses-in-foreign/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [I had a great time investigating the pigments of different mutant fruit flies by following experimental protocols published in Scientific American, and I also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-had-a-great-time-investigating-the-pigments-of-different-mutant/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [I have an idealistic view of science as a liberalising and progressive force for humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-have-an-idealistic-view-of-science-as-a-liberalising-and/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [My parents were neither wealthy nor academic, but we lived comfortably and they were always extremely supportive of my academic efforts and aspirations, both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/my-parents-were-neither-wealthy-nor-academic-but-we-lived-comfortably/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [It has been a privilege to pursue knowledge for its own sake and to see how it might help mankind in more practical ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/it-has-been-a-privilege-to-pursue-knowledge-for-its-own-sake-and-to/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) > [This possibility bothered me as I thought it was not advisable to remain in one academic environment, and the long dark winters in Edinburgh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/this-possibility-bothered-me-as-i-thought-it-was-not-advisable-to/) [Paul Nurse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) [Explore all 27 Paul Nurse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/) ## More Curiosity quotes > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Metal makes everything magical. Just ask a unicorn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sybrina-durant/metal-makes-everything-magical-just-ask-a-unicorn/) [Sybrina Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sybrina-durant/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/) [Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/) > [“So curious you must be. Like little calves poking their heads through the fence with big eyes and a headful of curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carew-papritz/so-curious-you-must-be-like-little-calves-poking-their-heads-through/) [Carew Papritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carew-papritz/) > [ “\[T\]he question "What is everything?" has no meaning, even though it seems to be profound. \[...\] The point is, perhaps, that I am not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/t-he-question-what-is-everything-has-no-meaning-even-though-it-seems/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [How do we know that we have a right to kill creatures that we are so little above, as dogs, for our curiosity or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/how-do-we-know-that-we-have-a-right-to-kill-creatures-that-we-are-so/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Be curious not judge mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/be-curious-not-judge-mental/) Unknow > [There is nothing so carking as the pangs of unsatisfied curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/there-is-nothing-so-carking-as-the-pangs-of-unsatisfied-curiosity/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes curiosity is a poison, not only for those who drink it but for everyone around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-norman-lippert/sometimes-curiosity-is-a-poison-not-only-for-those-who-drink-it-but/) [G. Norman Lippert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-norman-lippert/) > [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it sure has earned a lot of people graduate degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-irving/curiosity-may-have-killed-the-cat-but-it-sure-has-earned-a-lot-of/) Robyn Irving [Browse all 2,721 Curiosity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it was this curiosity about the natural world which awoke my early interest in science.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Nurse" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the-natural-world-which-awoke-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Curiosity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the-natural-world-which-awoke-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/159/paul-nurse-22409_curiosity_i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the_559596.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it was this curiosity about the natural world which awoke my early interest in science.” — Paul Nurse", "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": "Paul Nurse", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nurse/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it was this curiosity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the-natural-world-which-awoke-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nurse/i-think-it-was-this-curiosity-about-the-natural-world-which-awoke-my/#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 } } ] } ```