John Pople Quotes & Sayings

On my return to Pittsburgh, I resolved to go back to the fundamental problems of electronic structure that I had contemplated abstractly many years earlier. — John Pople

I was approaching the age of 40 with a substantial publication record, but had not yet held any position in a chemistry department. — John Pople

Leaving England was a painful decision, and we still have some regrets about it. However, at that time, the research environment for theoretical chemistry was clearly better in the U.S. — John Pople

I was a close observer of the developments in molecular biology. — John Pople

From an early age I was told that I was expected to do more than continue to run a small business. Education was important and seen as a way of moving forward. — John Pople

In the war, most young men were inducted into the armed forces at the age of 17. A group of students was permitted to attend university before taking part in wartime research projects. — John Pople

Our children were mostly brought up and educated in the Churchill suburb east of Pittsburgh. Each summer, we took them back to England for an extended period. — John Pople

Life with a scientist who is often changing jobs and is frequently away at meetings and on lecture tours is not easy. Without a secure home base, I could not have made much progress. — John Pople

I abandoned chemistry to concentrate on mathematics and physics. In 1942, I travelled to Cambridge to take the scholarship examination at Trinity College, received an award and entered the university in October 1943. — John Pople

I have had many opportunities to visit universities all over the world in the past 50 years. — John Pople

I had changed from being a mathematician to a practicing scientist. I was increasingly embarassed that I could no longer follow some of the more modern branches of pure mathematics. — John Pople

I am delighted to have had students, friends and colleagues in so many nations and to have learned so much of what I know from them. This Nobel Award honours them all. — John Pople

Looking through the list of earlier Nobel laureates, I note a large number with whom I became acquainted and with whom I interacted during those years as they passed through Cambridge. — John Pople

At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated by simultaneous equations and read ahead of the class to the end of the book. — John Pople

I found a discarded textbook on calculus in a wastebasket and read it from cover to cover. — John Pople

Like many other Laureates, I have benefit immeasurably from the love and support of my wife and children. — John Pople