When antibiotics became industrially produced following World War II, our quality of life and our longevity improved enormously. No one thought bacteria were going to become resistant.

[Bacteria] have an incredibly complicated chemical lexicon that ... allows bacteria to be multicellular. In the spirit of TED they're doing things together because it makes a difference.

My bacteria glow in the dark - no human being doesn't like that.

You think of yourselves as human beings, but I think of you as 99 percent bacterial.

I think being open-minded about what Nature is trying to tell you is the key to being creative and successful.

Bacteria mineralized the rocks; they deposited the iron. They made the geology we see.

The goal of scientists is you hope that the thing you're working on is bigger than the thing you're pipetting into that tube at the moment.

If a bacterium is trying to infect you, it won't secrete alone, because your immune system will block it. Bacteria will hide until they can all act together and make an impact.

We write to shed our sorrows and give strength to our spirit.

Talent is the presence of ability and absence of understanding about the source and operation of knowledge.

Like the he-man movie stars who turn out to be queer . . . or the silent-film actors whose voices sound terrible recorded--the audience only wants a limited amount of honesty. [ellipses original]

Understanding of life begins with the understanding of patterns.

We say that someone occupies an official position, whereas it is the official position that occupies him.

That's just a much more enjoyable and motivating experience for me, when I can see people who are just as obsessed with the idea as I am.

Giving up something that no longer serves a purpose, or protects you, or helps you, isn’t giving up at all, it’s growing up.

Dear God, I surrender this thought to you, for I would see the miracle that lies behind it. Amen.

Whenever equality rights and religious rights collide, equality rights trump.

It is the pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness.