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Jean Giraudoux
(29 Oct 1882 - 31 1944)
French diplomat, novelist and playwright who was a career diplomat by career, but also established himself as a distinguished French and later turned to also writing plays, including The Mad Woman of Chaillot
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Science Quotes by Jean Giraudoux (2 quotes)
After all, it is only the mediocre who are always at their best.
— Jean Giraudoux
Likely a false attribution, although often seen but without citation. For a much earlier version (1904), with primary source, see the page for Max Beerbohm: “Only mediocrity can be trusted to be always at its best.” Also of questionable originality, often seen but without citation, is W. Somerset Maugham: “Only a mediocre person is always at his best.” For example in John Peers, Gordon Bennett, 1,001 logical laws, accurate axioms,… (1979), 92.
Is a park any better than a coal mine? What’s a mountain got that a slag pile hasn’t? What would you rather have in your garden—an almond tree or an oil well?
— Jean Giraudoux
In play, spoken by character, "A Prospector", The Madwoman of Chaillot (1947), 22.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
