Neil deGrasse Tyson

"The word smart is not applied to all professions, even if you are smart in that profession. No one talks about smart lawyers. They may say a brilliant lawyer. They'll talk about a creative artist. Smart is saved for scientists. It just is. It's not even really applied to medical doctors. It applies to scientists in the lab figuring out what hadn't been figured out before."

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Source: Neil deGrasse Tyson (2007). “Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries”, p.281, W. W. Norton & Company

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Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Astrophysicist, Science Communicator

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist and science communicator known for making complex scientific concepts accessible to the public through his work and quotes.

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