Luck is not scalable. Luck is not a national strategy.

My public school teachers did a great job of saying, 'Check this out. You're qualified for this. You should explore these opportunities.' They're the ones who said, 'You know, apply to Harvard. You might be a good fit here.'

If bad things happen to you as a kid, it's hard for you to succeed as an adult.

I just think that philanthropy is a fancy way to say that you care about others and that you want to serve others. And that's been a part of me for as long as I can remember.

I have been described by one of my colleagues as a 'militant agnostic' with my tagline, 'I don't know, and neither do you!' I take this hard-line, fence-sitting position because it is the only position consistent with both my scientific ethos and my conscience.

Without free speech no search for truth is possible... no discovery of truth is useful.

Biohackers want to tinker; do fun science; and, in the process, accelerate the pace of biotech innovation.

The secret of concentration is the secret of self-discovery. You reach inside yourself to discover your personal resources, and what it takes to match them to the challenge.