I have always liked to collect quotes. Here is a collection of my favourite quotes.

Hamming, Richard The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn

• On having a vision

  It is well known the drunken sailor who staggers to the left or right with $ {n} $ independent random steps will,on the average, end up about $ \sqrt{n} $ steps from the origin. But if there is a pretty girl in one direction, then his steps will tend to go in that direction and he will go a distance proportional to $ {n} $.

  In a lifetime of many, many independent choices, small and large, a career with a vision will get you a distance proportional to n, while no vision will get you only the distance . In a sense, the main difference between those who go far and those who do not is some people have a vision and the others do not and therefore can only react to the current events as they happen.

• On looking at the larger picture

  I strongly recommend taking the time, on a regular basis, to ask the larger questions, and not stay immersed in the sea of detail where almost everyone stays almost all of the time.

• On working to hone your skills

  I had to establish the reputation on my own time that I could do important work, and only then was I given the time to do it. You do not hire a plumber to learn plumbing while trying to fix your trouble; you expect he is already an expert.