Rita Levi-Montalcini

“The process for awarding Nobel prizes is so complex that it cannot be corrupted.”

“The four of us enjoyed a most wonderful family atmosphere filled with love and reciprocal devotion. Both parents were highly cultured and instilled in us their high appreciation of intellect...”

“If I had not been discriminated against or had not suffered persecution, I would never have received the Nobel Prize.”

“It is imperfection - not perfection - that is the end result of the program written into that formidably complex engine that is the human brain, and of the influences exerted upon us by the...”

“My life has been enriched by excellent human relations, work and interests. I have never felt lonely.”

“At 20, I realized that I could not possibly adjust to a feminine role as conceived by my father and asked him permission to engage in a professional career. In eight months I filled my gaps...”

“I should thank Mussolini for having declared me to be of an inferior race. This led me to the joy of working, not any more, unfortunately, in university institutes but in a bedroom.”

“I told Mother of my decision to study medicine. She encouraged me to speak to Father... I began in a roundabout way... He listened, looking at me with that serious and penetrating gaze of hi...”

“The instruments, glassware, and chemical reagents necessary for my project were the same as my 19th-century predecessors had.”

“My experience in childhood and adolescence of the subordinate role played by the female in a society run entirely by men had convinced me that I was not cut out to be a wife.”