15 Quotes by Andre Geim

Many of my colleagues are not able to run their family budget. On the other hand, I look at some of the apparatchiks in research councils, and I have even less trust in their abilities. Good intentions have always paved the road to hell.

Human progress has always been driven by a sense of adventure and unconventional thinking.

I would say there are three important things about graphene. It's two-dimensional, which is the best possible number for studying fundamental physics. The second thing is the quality of graphene, which stems from its extremely strong carbon-carbon bonds. And finally, the system is also metallic.

When people are thinking, we are quite inventive animals.

What is important about graphene is the new physics it has delivered.

Ernest Rutherford's 1908 Nobel Prize in Chemistry wasn't given for the nuclear power station - he wouldn't have survived that long - it was given for showing how interesting atomic physics could be.

Some people would call me a workaholic. I don't consider this time: I just love my work so much, so it's my real hobby, OK? And, yeah, getting some play during working hours for which you are paid is the best job I can recommend for anyone around!

The biggest adventure is to move into an area in which you are not an expert. Sometimes I joke that I am not interested in doing re-search, only search.

The consequences of a lack of new knowledge is decades of stagnation: the next generation will be poorer than this one.