"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."
"Each honest calling, each walk of life, has its own elite, its own aristocracy based on excellence of performance. . . . There will always be the false snobbery which tries to place one vocation above another. You will become a member of the aristocracy in the American sense only if your accomplishments and integrity earn this appellation."
6 likes
Source: Letter to the Editor, N.Y. Times, 13 Aug. 1945
About the author
Same author
More quotes by James Bryant Conant
"The stumbling way in which even the ablest of the scientists in every generation have had to fight through thickets of erroneous observations, misleading generalizations, inadequate formulation, and unconscious prejudice is rarely appreciated by those who obtain their scientific knowledge from textbooks."
"Just like a turtle, we only make progress if we stick our neck out."
"Behavior which appears superficially correct but is intrinsically corrupt always irritates those who see below the surface."
"Public education is a great instrument of social change. Through it, if we so desire, we can make our country more nearly a democracy without classes. To do so will require the efforts of us all-teachers, administrators, taxpayers and statesmen. Education is a social process, perhaps the most important process in determining the future of our country; it should command a far larger portion of our national income than it does today."
"Education is what is left after all that has been learnt is forgotten."