"It is easier to make a scientific discovery than to explain it to the common man."

"Atomic weight belongs not to coal or diamond but carbon."

"It is the duty of the chemist to teach the world how to use the elements wisely."

"The capital fact to note is that petroleum was born in the depths of the earth, and it is only there that we must seek its origin."

"Why do they [Americans] quarrel, why do they hate Negroes, Indians, even Germans, why do they not have science and poetry commensurate with themselves, why are there so many frauds and so much nonsens…"