Charles Best Quotes

Powerful Charles Best for Daily Growth

About Charles Best

Charles Best (1906-1978) was a Canadian medical researcher and Nobel laureate, known for his pioneering work in insulin production. Born on June 27, 1906, in Montreal, Quebec, Best was the son of a Presbyterian minister, John Frederick Best, and Mary Elizabeth (MacGibbon) Best. His childhood was marked by frequent moves due to his father's ministerial duties, but these experiences instilled in him a sense of curiosity and a desire for knowledge. Best attended McGill University, where he met Frederick Banting, a fellow student with an idea for extracting insulin from the pancreas of dogs for treatment of diabetes. Initially dismissed by faculty, Best and Banting persevered, seeking funding and laboratory space. Their collaboration led to the discovery of insulin in 1921, which revolutionized the treatment of diabetes and saved countless lives. For their work, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923, making them the youngest Nobel laureates at that time. After his Nobel-winning work, Best continued his medical studies, earning his M.D. from McGill in 1927. He later worked as a physician and researcher in Toronto, where he focused on the study of hormones and their effects on the body. Throughout his career, Best was committed to medical education and research, serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto from 1955 to 1968. Best's work on insulin production remains a cornerstone of diabetes treatment, and he is remembered for his commitment to science, medicine, and human welfare. His life story exemplifies the power of curiosity, perseverance, and collaboration in scientific discovery.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Science is a way of learning about the world through observation, experimentation, and reasoning."

This quote by Charles Best emphasizes that science is an empirical process of understanding the universe based on observation, experimentation, and logical reasoning. It suggests that scientific knowledge isn't simply received but is constructed through systematic investigations, testing hypotheses, and drawing conclusions based on evidence. Science is about asking questions, seeking answers, and constantly refining our understanding of the world around us.


"Scientific research is based on asking good questions, developing hypotheses, testing those hypotheses against observations or experiments, and then modifying our understanding based on the results."

The quote highlights the scientific methodology, a systematic approach to investigate phenomena, including asking meaningful questions, formulating hypotheses (possible explanations), conducting experiments or observations to test these hypotheses, and refining our understanding based on the findings. It emphasizes that science is an iterative process where knowledge is constantly revised and improved as new evidence emerges.


"The best way to predict your future is to create it."

This quote emphasizes that individuals have the power to shape their own destiny. Instead of passively waiting for the future, one should actively work towards creating the desired outcomes, as this will greatly influence what lies ahead. In essence, the message is: take charge of your life, make proactive decisions, and strive hard to achieve your goals. Your future is not predetermined; it's something you can mold through dedication and action.


"In science, as in life, there are no absolute truths, only approximations that become truer as more evidence accumulates."

This quote emphasizes that scientific knowledge is ever-evolving, subject to refinement and correction with the accumulation of new evidence. The ultimate goal in science is not to find an absolute truth but rather to arrive at increasingly accurate approximations of reality. It underscores the dynamic nature of scientific understanding and the importance of continuous learning and questioning.


"It's important for young people to be curious about the world around them, to ask questions and seek answers, and to have a sense of wonder about how things work."

This quote emphasizes the significance of fostering curiosity, questioning, learning, and wonder in young individuals as they navigate through life. By encouraging these qualities, we empower youth to explore their surroundings, seek knowledge, and develop a deeper understanding of the world, which is essential for personal growth, innovation, and problem-solving skills.


Every day, teachers across the country excite their students with new opportunities and experiences.

- Charles Best

Every Day, New, Country, New Opportunities

I do not live off canned soup.

- Charles Best

Live, Soup, Off, Canned

We're thrilled to be a part of PNC's longstanding commitment to early childhood learning. Their generosity will help us expand the DonorsChoose.org platform to serve Head Start classrooms nationwide, ensuring that many more pre-K teachers have resources they need to give their students a solid educational foundation.

- Charles Best

Early Childhood, Part, Generosity

Students can't dream big when classrooms lack books, microscopes, and robotics kits - or even paper, pencils, and paste.

- Charles Best

Big, Students, Robotics, Pencils

Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. Requests range from pencils for a poetry writing unit to violins for a school recital to microscope slides for a biology class.

- Charles Best

Range, Slides, Public School, Pencils

My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy paper and pencils, and often we couldn't get the resources that would excite our students about learning.

- Charles Best

Own, Resources, About, Pencils

My colleagues and I were always having the same conversation in the teachers lunchroom about books we wanted our students to read, a field trip we knew would really bring a subject matter to life... And most of us would go into our own pockets to buy just paper and pencils.

- Charles Best

Own, Buy, Subject, Pencils

My colleagues and I would spend a lot of our own money on copy, paper, and pencils. I just figured there are people out there who would want to help teachers like us if they could see exactly where their money was going.

- Charles Best

Own, Figured, Our, Pencils

Whether you're raising money for a cause, a personal need, or a project, most crowdfunding sites center on you hitting up people you already know. These sites make it easier to tap your social network for funds, but only the most compelling cases inspire support from strangers.

- Charles Best

Project, Cause, Compelling, Sites

DonorsChoose was conceived at a Bronx public high school where I taught social studies for five years. In the teachers' lunch room, my colleagues and I often lamented a problem that drained learning from students and creativity from teachers: a lack of funding for essential materials and for the activities that bring subject matter to life.

- Charles Best

Lunch, Subject, Conceived, Drained

I was lucky enough to go to boarding school for my high school years, and I had all the resources that I possibly could needed - squash courts and every book you ever would have wanted, every art supply.

- Charles Best

Book, Lucky, Needed, Boarding School

I get my share of 'cold' requests via LinkedIn from people who are launching non-profit or for-profit ventures and who request a meeting to get my input or help. I wish I could say yes to all of them, but given limited bandwidth, I say yes to the subset who've written a compelling description of their work and who are underrepresented.

- Charles Best

Cold, Request, Compelling, LinkedIn

Hardworking, passionate teachers know their students' needs better than anyone else in the school environment. If we can tap into their needs, we can unleash smarter solutions and empower those people on the front lines.

- Charles Best

School, Passionate, Students, Hardworking

Students who learn to collaborate and negotiate - on Capitol Hill, in the board room, in everyday life - will outperform peers who have higher test scores.

- Charles Best

Learn, Test, Negotiate, Collaborate

After 14 years of running DonorsChoose.org as someone who had never written a line of code, I did do a three-month night school course. After all these years, I could at least speak some of the same vocabulary and have a first-hand appreciation for what my colleagues on the engineering team are doing.

- Charles Best

Doing, Some, Code, First-Hand

I saw first-hand that all schools are not created equal, and the students shouldn't have to go without all of the materials that they need for a great education.

- Charles Best

Education, Need, Created, First-Hand

I believe if we can crowdsource educational solutions to teachers on the front lines, who often know their kids better than anyone, we will unearth and generate better-targeted, smarter ideas.

- Charles Best

Believe, Teachers, Smarter, Generate

To get DonorsChoose.org to scale, we first need to increase the viral appeal of our website.

- Charles Best

Website, Need, Get, Viral

Why is it that, when we want to think outside the proverbial box, we often put ourselves in one? We gather our team in a conference room, plaster the walls with sticky paper, and wait for the ideas to flow in a stream of marker scribbles. How often has your quest for innovation peaked at renovation - new dressing on old ideas?

- Charles Best

Wait, Why, Conference, Old Ideas

You have to wade through tons of 'no's' to get one 'yes,' and you can't let it go to your head when you get that yes.

- Charles Best

Go, Through, Yes, Tons

To take on the jobs of tomorrow, students must become more than good test takers. They need to become makers who design, sketch, build, and prototype. And their classrooms will need more than a chalkboard and a set of textbooks.

- Charles Best

Test, Need, Set, Takers

If you just believe in our democracy, and you want an informed electorate, public schools are in your interest, and I think our country is dependent on public schools, whether or not you personally have a kid in the public school system.

- Charles Best

Kid, Country, I Think, Electorate

We will employ almost every strategy and hustle in any possible way to recruit top engineers to our team.

- Charles Best

Will, Employ, Almost, Recruit

An art project, a hands-on science experiment, or a special field trip can transcend textbooks and flash cards. No one knows this better than those teaching students with autism.

- Charles Best

Art, Project, Cards, Flash

I created DonorsChoose by putting pencil to paper - literally - and sketching out each screen of the web site and how it would work. Then I paid a programmer from Poland $1,500 to turn my sketches and common-sense rules into a functioning website.

- Charles Best

Screen, Putting, Poland, Sketches

People not only want to support public schools, but people warm to this idea of being a philanthropist, even if they might have only have $5 to spare.

- Charles Best

Want, Idea, Might, Philanthropist

Laptops are important, but before you spend a million dollars per school providing one laptop per child... won't you please spend $5,000 per school equipping every classroom with a document camera?

- Charles Best

Before, Providing, Document, Million Dollars

Imagine someone with $10 finding a classroom project that speaks to them personally, seeing where their money is going, and realizing that they don't need to be a millionaire to make a difference.

- Charles Best

Need, Going, Imagine, Make A Difference

Arianna Huffington is one of the greatest champions of this idea - that anyone can make a difference.

- Charles Best

Champions, Idea, Anyone, Make A Difference

I'm not tech savvy at all.

- Charles Best

Tech, Savvy

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