Pi Day: 10 Quotes From Scientists to Inspire Your Career

Pi Day has been with us since at least 1988, when physicist Larry Shaw first led a parade of fruit-pie eating staffers at the San Francisco Exploratorium. It's hard to believe, though, that some math-minded folks hadn't noticed earlier the connection between today's date – 3.14, if noted in the American style, month-first – and the first digits of pi, 3.14, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Regardless of how long you've been celebrating, today's a great day to eat pie, wish Albert Einstein a happy birthday, or generally get inspired by math and science.

March 14, 2017

Pi Day has been with us since at least 1988, when physicist Larry Shaw first led a parade of fruit-pie eating staffers at the San Francisco Exploratorium. It’s hard to believe, though, that some math-minded folks hadn’t noticed earlier the connection between today’s date – 3.14, if noted in the American style, month-first – and the first digits of pi, 3.14, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Regardless of how long you’ve been celebrating, today’s a great day to eat pie, wish Albert Einstein a happy birthday, or generally get inspired by math and science.

For our career-minded readership, here’s what some of the great minds of STEM have to say about success, perseverance, and inspiration:

1. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

2. “In considering any new subject, there is frequently a tendency, first, to overrate what we find to be already interesting or remarkable; and, secondly, by a sort of natural reaction, to undervalue the true state of the case, when we do discover that our notions have surpassed those that were really tenable.” – Ada Lovelace

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3. “Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy.” – Isaac Newton

4. “To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.” – Charles Darwin

5. “If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It’s much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.” – Grace Hopper

6. “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” – Stephen Hawking

7. “There is no shortcut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation – veneer isn’t worth anything.” – George Washington Carver

8. “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” – Marie Curie

9. “No one is dumb who is curious. The people who don’t ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

10. “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan

Sources: Brainy Quote, Agnes Scott College, Good Reads, Wikiquote

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