Katherine Johnson (born Creola Katherine Coleman; August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020), also known as Katherine Goble, was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and the subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. During her 35-year career at NASA and its predecessor, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks. The space agency noted her “historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist.” Katherine Johnson quotes will motivate you to achieve your goals in life.
Best Katherine Johnson Quotes
- “I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.” – Katherine Johnson
- “In math, you’re either right or you’re wrong.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Even as a professional in an integrated world, I had been the only black woman in enough drawing rooms and boardrooms to have an inkling of the chutzpah it took for an African American woman in a segregated southern workplace to tell her bosses she was sure her calculations would put a man on the Moon.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I counted everything. I counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes and silverware I washed… anything that could be counted, I did.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Once you took the first step, anything was possible.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Our teachers made such a difference – all my teachers and professors were very supportive and nurturing.” – Katherine Johnson
- “We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I felt most proud on the success of the Apollo mission.” – Katherine Johnso
- “We needed to be assertive as women in those days – assertive and aggressive – and the degree to which we had to be that way depended on where you were. I had to be.” – Katherine Johnson
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“I was just excited to have challenging work to do and smart people to work with.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Men don’t pay attention to small things.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Let me do it. You tell me when you want it and where you want it to land, and I’ll do it backwards and tell you when to take off.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I had a very, very interesting childhood, but, oh my, education was the primary focus in our family.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Like what you do, and then you will do your best.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I liked working with smart people.” – Katherine Johnson
- “There has been a lifeguard shortage for a while, so it’s good that young people are into it.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I found what I was looking for at Langley. This was what a research mathematician did. I went to work every day for 33 years happy. Never did I get up and say I don’t want to go to work.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Everything is physics and math.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I was excited at something new, always liked something new, but give credit to everybody who helped. I didn’t do anything alone but try to go to the root of the question and succeeded there.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Go see ‘Hidden Figures,’ and take a young person! It will give a more positive outlook on what is possible if you work hard, do your best, and are prepared.” – Katherine Johnson
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“I like to learn. That’s an art and a science.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Many professors tell you that you’d be good at this or that, but they don’t always help you with that career path.” – Katherine Johnson
- “John Glenn’s life will long be remembered for his time in space, his courage, and his service to all Americans.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Let me do it. You tell me when you want it and where you want it to land, and I’ll do it backwards and tell you when to take off.” – Katherine Johnson
- “We’re really young, so there’s a lot of room for growth. If these girls stay together and work together during the off-season they will grow as a team.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Everything was so new – the whole idea of going into space was new and daring. There were no textbooks, so we had to write them.” – Katherine Johnson
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“Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men.” – Katherine Johnson
- “I see a picture right now that’s not parallel, so I’m going to go straighten it. Things must be in order.” – Katherine Johnson
- “Take all the courses in your curriculum. Do the research. Ask questions. Find someone doing what you are interested in! Be curious!” – Katherine Johnson
- “I’m always interested in learning something new.” – Katherine Johnson
