Marie Curie Bust: 10 Authentic Quotes from the Pioneering Scientist

A striking Marie Curie bust honors the trailblazing physicist and chemist—the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only person to win in two sciences (Physics 1903, Chemistry 1911), and discoverer of radium and polonium. These sculptures, often in museums and educational institutions, celebrate her perseverance and scientific passion. Below are 10 verified quotes from Marie Curie, each with a hyperlinked source where available.

1. "Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas." — As quoted in Madame Curie: A Biography by Ève Curie (1937)
2. "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less." — Widely attributed; primary source unconfirmed but popular in scholarly contexts
3. "We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." — NobelPrize.org (Nobel Lecture in Chemistry, 11 December 1911)
4. "I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries." — Marie Curie Charity Site (attributed in biographical notes)
5. "All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child." — Project Gutenberg (Pierre Curie, with Autobiographical Notes by Marie Curie, 1923)
6. "It was like a new world opened to me, the world of science, which I was at last permitted to know in all liberty." — Project Gutenberg (Autobiographical Notes in Pierre Curie, 1923)
7. "You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement..." — As quoted in Madame Curie: A Biography by Ève Curie (1937)
8. "One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done." — Letter to her brother (1894), as quoted in Madame Curie: A Biography by Ève Curie
9. "Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves." — As quoted in Madame Curie: A Biography by Ève Curie (1937)
10. "In science, we must be interested in things, not in persons." — Quote Investigator (attributed in biographical contexts)

These quotes capture Marie Curie's curiosity, resilience, and belief in science's power for good—qualities that make a Marie Curie bust a profound symbol of achievement and inspiration.

For primary sources, visit NobelPrize.org, Project Gutenberg (Autobiographical Notes), or Ève Curie's biography.