Indeed, we are privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to study Nature and to follow our own thoughts and inspirations in a time of relative tranquillity and in a land with a generous and forward-looking government. – Sidney Altman
By the time I reached high school my father’s grocery store had made our life adequately comfortable and I was able to choose, without any practical encumbrances, the subjects that I wanted to pursue in college. – Sidney Altman
It was from them that I learned that hard work in stable surroundings could yield rewards, even if only in infinitesimally small increments. – Sidney Altman
The mystique associated with the bomb, the role that scientists played in it, and its general importance could not fail to impress even a six-year old. – Sidney Altman
We are very fortunate to be recognized here in such an extraordinary manner for work that we enjoy. – Sidney Altman
I spent eighteen months as a graduate student in physics at Columbia University, waiting unhappily for an opportunity to work in a laboratory and wondering if I should continue in physics. – Sidney Altman
Nevertheless, as is a frequent occurrence in science, a general hypothesis was constructed from a few specific instances of a phenomenon. – Sidney Altman
About seven years later I was given a book about the periodic table of the elements. For the first time I saw the elegance of scientific theory and its predictive power. – Sidney Altman
My intention was to enroll at McGill University but an unexpected series of events led me to study physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. – Sidney Altman
We are united in the hope that every individual will someday enjoy at least the intellectual privileges we have had, if not always the material advantages. – Sidney Altman
Eight months later, having left Columbia, I was studying physics in a summer program and working in Colorado when I decided to enroll as a graduate student in biophysics. – Sidney Altman
