My mother made me a scientist without ever intending to. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: So? Did you learn anything today? But not my mother. 'Izzy,' she would say, 'did you ask a good question today?' That difference-asking good questions-made me become a scientist.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Rabi credited his mother for valuing curiosity and questioning over rote learning.
- In plain terms
- His mother taught him to ask good questions which made him a scientist.
- What can you take from it?
- Curiosity is often more valuable than memorizing facts.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What is a good question?
- How do parents shape careers?
Another view
Not all inquiry leads to scientific careers.
More from Isidor Isaac Rabi
[He gave us the atom bomb]; what more do you want, mermaids?
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