Edith Widder Quotes

#1. The teeth on [the viperfish] are so long that if they closed inside the mouth of the fish, it would actually impale its own brain.

Edith Widder

#2. I think I have the best job in the world. Seventy-one percent of the planet is covered by water, we've explored less than five percent of the ocean, and there are so many fabulous discoveries that have yet to be made.

Edith Widder

#3. Our biggest challenges for the ocean and for the planet are problems of perception. People need to understand that species extinctions, habitat destruction, ocean acidification, and pollution are all chipping away at the resilience of the thin layer of life that sustains us on Spaceship Earth.

Edith Widder

#4. Exploration is the engine that drives innovation. Innovation drives economic growth. So let's all go exploring.

Edith Widder

#5. In the ocean, [bioluminescence] is the rule rather than the exception.

Edith Widder

#6. It's a little-appreciated fact that most of the animals in our ocean make light.

Edith Widder

#7. I just was mesmerized by all of this life everywhere I looked. And so I wanted to be a marine biologist.

Edith Widder

#8. The difference between a fairy tale and a sea tale? A fairy tale starts with "Once upon a time". A sea tale starts with " This ain't no $hit"!

Edith Widder

#9. I loved anything to do with animals from a very early age.

Edith Widder

#10. We've only explored about 5% of our ocean. There are great discoveries yet to be made down there - fantastic creatures representing millions of years of evolution and possibly bioactive compounds that could benefit us in ways we can't even imagine.

Edith Widder

#11. I never, ever would have imagined the kind of career I've had. It just wouldn't have occurred to me that anything like this could have been possible. I didn't have any such aspirations. And I still can't believe my good fortune.

Edith Widder

#12. Our problems are solvable if they are clearly defined. To do so, we need to monitor our planetary life support systems the way doctors monitor a patient's vital signs and then use that information to protect ecosystem services as though our lives depend on it, because they do.

Edith Widder