Katherine Johnson was an African-American mathematician who spent more than 30 years working for NASA. Katherine and her colleagues were regarded as ” Human-Computers” during the early years of NASA, and Katherine’s intelligence was critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.
Katherine received many great awards, and she played a significant role in many missions of NASA. In 2016, Taraji P. Henson played and portrayed Katherine Johnson’s life in the award-winning movie Hidden Figures. You can follow this link to know more about Katherine’s life.
Katherine Johnson quotes are the source of motivation and strength for many ambitious people out there. Here are the 40 inspirational Katherine Johnson quotes:
Table of Contents
Inspirational Katherine Johnson Quotes
I felt most proud on the success of the Apollo mission.
– Katherine Johnson
Like what you do, and then you will do your best.
– 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
I was just excited to have challenging work to do and smart people to work with.
– Katherine Johnson
I like to learn. That’s an art and a science.
– Katherine Johnson
We always worked as a team. It’s never just one person.
– 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
We put in some long hours at times, and I had three children at home. But they were very responsible, and I had family and friends who helped look after them.
– Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson Quotes About Mathematics
In math, you’re either right or you’re wrong.
– Katherine Johnson
Everything is physics and math.
– Katherine Johnson
I like to work problems. If you do your best, nobody can ask you to do it over again. I never had to repeat what I did.
– 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
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
Best Katherine Johnson Quotes
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
There’s nothing to it; I was just doing my job.
– Katherine Johnson
All jobs are important to somebody. They had to be important to somebody. My theory is, do the best you can all the time. No fooling around.
– 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
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
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
Katherine Johnson Quotes With Images
Girls are capable of doing everything men are capable of doing. Sometimes they have more imagination than men.
Katherine Johnson
I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.
Katherine Johnson
I’m just lucky — the Lord likes me and I like him.
– Katherine Johnson
Men don’t pay attention to small things.
– Katherine Johnson
You should always be interested in something.
– Katherine Johnson
I had a very, very interesting childhood, but, oh my, education was the primary focus in our family.
– Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson Quotes On Education
The women did what they were told to do. They didn’t ask questions or take the task any further. I asked questions; I wanted to know why. They got used to me asking questions and being the only woman there.
– 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
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
Know how to learn. Then, want to learn.
– 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
I entered college; I was 15. I was going to be a math teacher because that was it. You could be a math teacher or a nurse, but I was told I would make a good research mathematician and they had me take all of the courses in the catalog.
– Katherine Johnson
More Katherine Johnson Quotes
Girls, some of them are reluctant to ask questions. But if you want to know, you ask the question. There’s no such thing as a dumb question. It’s dumb if you don’t ask it.
– Katherine Johnson
Follow your passion. Whatever you’re doing, do your best at all times and make it as correct as possible. Work as if someone is watching you. Then you’ll be prepared when an opportunity presents itself. And you’ll have the answers.
– Katherine Johnson
They needed information and I had it, and it didn’t matter that I found it. At the time, it was just a question and an answer.
– Katherine Johnson
My colleagues and I were committed to the work. We found different ways to deal with the segregation.
– Katherine Johnson
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
We had to determine so much. Where you were, where the Moon would be and how fast the astronauts were going.
– Katherine Johnson
Frequently Asked Questions About Katherine Johnson
What is Katherine Johnson’s famous quote?
Though all of Katherine Johnson’s quotes are famous, if I’ve to mention only one, then here’s a famous quote by Katherine Johnson:
I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.
– Katherine Johnson
What are some fun facts about Katherine Johnson?
- At the age of 18, Katherine Johnson graduated from college with degrees in both mathematics and French.
- Katherine Johnson was rejected by NASA the first time she applied for the job because there were no positions left for her.
- Katherine Johnson helped send the first men to the moon.
- Johnson wrote the book on space travel.
- Katherine Johnson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her pioneering work in the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The medal is the highest honour a civilian can receive.
- Katherine Johnson helped send John Glenn into orbit.
Is Katherine Johnson still alive?
Katherine Johnson was born in 1918 in West Virginia. She died on Feb. 24, 2020, at the age of 101.
Final Thoughts
Hope you enjoyed reading these inspirational quotes by Katherine Johnson. Katherine was an intellectual woman, and she has inspired many of us to think big and achieve great things.
Which of these Katherine Johnson quotes you like the most? And what about the Katherine Johnson has inspired you the most? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Also read: 40+ Inspirational Quotes About Doing The Right Thing