The most remarkable discovery made by scientists is science itself. The discovery must be compared in importance with the invention of cave-painting and of writing. Like these earlier human creations, science is an attempt to control our surroundings by entering into them and understanding them from inside. And like them, science has surely made a critical step in human development which cannot be reversed. We cannot conceive a future society without science. I have used three words to describe these far - reaching changes : discovery, invention and creation. There are contexts in which one of these words is more appropriate than the others.

p. 97 Partly cited in: Daniel C. Schlenof. "50 Years Ago: Greatest Scientific Discovery is Science Itself," in Scientific American, Aug. 18, 2008. - The Creative Process, 1958