Marie Curie and Having Dreams That Bring the Future to the Present

Marie Curie, one of the greatest female scientists of all time once said: “Humanity needs practical men, who get the most out of their work, and, without forgetting the general good, safeguard their own interests. But humanity also needs dreamers, for whom the disinterested development of an enterprise is so captivating that it becomes impossible for them to devote their care to their own material profit.”

It is a long quote but arguably one of her greatest. She described what scientists need to be and how important it is for humanity to have scientists – the dreamers. 

These dreamers are the only ones who can work on something so hard and groundbreaking that they will forget everything else. They will work for as long as they need to make their dreams come to reality. And so often, it happens that these dreams bring the future to the present. That’s precisely what Marie Curie did. 

The Greatness of Marie Curie Dreams

Marie Curie was born in Poland when it was under Russia. From an early age, she started doing more than those around her. She practically excelled at her studies and won a lot of awards. 

She craved for an independent Poland, as under Russia, the Polish people did not have much to hope for, especially the intellectuals. 

However, Marie Curie did the impossible in such conditions – she opted for higher education. Russian Poland didn’t give her many options, so she managed to get her degree in Physics in France. Later on, she did the same with Math, all the while being the best in her classes. 

Eventually, she met Pierre Curie, and the two became inseparable after they married and up until his early death. 

The work they did together was groundbreaking. Despite what some would say, most of it was due to her brilliance – which becomes even more significant once you take into account that the world of science at that time had almost zero women in it.

But as she said once: “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”

She put those words into action and discovered two elements – polonium and radium – and did groundbreaking achievements in Radioactivity by isolating radioactive isotopes for the first time in history. She also invented the practical use of X-Rays. 

Mostly, her work laid the groundworks for the entire science of radiation to develop. 

In the end, for her incredible achievements, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics and thus became the first woman to get a Nobel Prize at all. She later received another Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry. 

The male-dominant world of science often tried to discredit her, but her accomplishments couldn’t be ignored, which is why every person today has heard about the great Marie Curie. 

If the dreams of Marie Curie inspire you, you should work towards turning your dreams into reality. Ours and the thoughts of the World Happiness Agora are to bring the future to the present and create a happier world for all humanity. If you believe this to be possible, you should join us, and we’ll all work towards that dream together.