Vera Rubin Quotes

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Vera Rubin

Profession : Scientist

Birth : August 23, 1928

In my own life, my science and my religion are separate.

Vera Rubin

I'm Jewish, and so religion, to me, is a kind of moral code and a kind of history.

Vera Rubin

Worldwide, half of all brains are in women.

Vera Rubin

In a spiral galaxy, the ratio of dark-to-light matter is about a factor of ten. That's probably a good number for the ratio of our ignorance to knowledge. We're out of kindergarten, but only in about third grade.

Vera Rubin

We all need permission to do science, but for reasons that are deeply ingrained in history, this permission is more often given to men than to women.

Vera Rubin

Science progresses best when observations force us to alter our preconceptions.

Vera Rubin

There is no problem in science that can be solved by a man that cannot be solved by a woman.

Vera Rubin

The real prize is finding something new out there.

Vera Rubin

I would prefer to stay up and watch the stars than sleep.

Vera Rubin

So important is this dark matter to our understanding of the size, shape, and ultimate fate of the universe that the search for it will very likely dominate astronomy for the next few decades.

Vera Rubin

There was just nothing as interesting in my life as watching the stars every night.

Vera Rubin

My childhood bedroom - if childhood could be about ten years old - had a bed which was under windows which faced north. At about age 10, I started watching the stars just move through the night.

Vera Rubin

My father was an electrical engineer. He's presently 92 and still could be holding down a job. He had a very analytical way of looking at things, and I enjoyed that very much. I think that was a very large influence.

Vera Rubin

Nobody ever told us all matter radiated. We just assumed it did.

Vera Rubin

Does Sex Matter? Of course it does. But does it matter enough to Matter? That's a different question.

Vera Rubin

By about age 12, I would prefer to stay up and watch the stars than go to sleep. I started learning. I started going to the library and reading. But it was initially just watching the stars from my bedroom that I really did. There was just nothing as interesting in my life as watching the stars every night.

Vera Rubin

I knew there was a school where women could study astronomy. So... it never occurred to me that I couldn't be an astronomer.

Vera Rubin

No observational problem will not be solved by more data.

Vera Rubin

The conclusion is inescapable that non-luminous matter exists beyond the optical galaxy.

Vera Rubin

I think the question is, are there women and have there been women who want to do science and could be doing great science, but they never really got the opportunity?

Vera Rubin