Dmitri Mendeleev...on the edifice of science
The edifice of science not only requires material, but also a plan...without the material, the plan alone is but a castle in the air - a mere possibility; whilst the material without a plan is but useless matter....In the work of science, the artisan, architect, and creator are very often one and the same individual. But sometimes, as in other walks of life, there is a difference between them. Sometimes the plan is preconceived, sometimes it follows the preparation and accumulation of the raw material. Free access to the edifice of science is not only allowed to those who devised the plan, worked out the detailed drawings, prepared the materials, or piled up the brickwork, but also to all those who are desirous of making a close acquaintance with the plan, and wish to avoid dwelling in the vaults or in the garrets where the useless lumber is stored.
Knowing how contented, free, and joyful is life in the realm of science, one fervently wishes that many would enter its portals.
- The Principles of Chemistry, 1868