“The recent recognition that in nature there occurs a widespread utilization of phosphate bonds as energy carriers, necessitates a still further revision of the earlier view concerning the biological significance of phosphate turn-over. During various metabolic processes phosphate is introduced into compounds not merely, or at least not solely, to facilitate their breakdown, but as a prospective carrier of energy. The outline of the metabolic generation and the circulation of this peculiar type of chemical energy is the primary purpose of this paper.”
“Two groups of important discoveries nourish the thinking of [post Lamarckian-Darwinian] biologists today. For the one part, the astonishing progress since Fritz Lipmann in the domain of bioenergetics and for the other, the impetus which thermodynamics has assumed under the fertile impulse of the genius of Prigogine. We are thus led to relegate the panoply of classic concepts as accessories and to re-think (see: unlearn) biological facts from the viewpoint of thermodynamics.”— Ernest Schoffeniels (1973), Anti-Chance (pg. xi)
“On the basis of his achievements, Lipmann was unquestionably, a biochemical genius. How these achievements were made, however, differ from the expected characteristics of a scientist of such stature. To begin with, he was either unwilling or unable to follow a complicated argument. It was not unusual for him to state that he could not follow the logic of a seminar or a personal conversation. When he wanted to understand a train of thought he asked question after question to get the speaker to make smaller and smaller steps between an observation and conclusion. As a result of this much closer scrutiny, Lipmann might find that a conclusion was untenable. I believe that this constant striving to simplify contributed to his success. His curiosity and desire to learn also prompted him to ask many questions of a general nature, that might seem elementary for a first year graduate student. This curiosity and enthusiasm never waned. After understanding the background of a problem, however, he was often able to make incisive comments or pose questions that helped to clarify ideas and concepts. Nearly everyone who came into contact with him held high regard for his scientific intuition. The source of this astuteness, however, might defy or transcend apparent logic. Lipmann wrote that he lacked the ability to make a good impression. Although he spent considerable time preparing for various symposium talks, he was not a gifted speaker. He was also ill at ease in answering questions after his seminars. After contemplating a question for several days (or months), he might formulate a new line of experimentation which went further than any implications that the questioner might have originally had in mind. Although his thought processes may have lacked speed, they certainly possessed undeniable power.”— Robert Roskoski (1987) “Lipmann Obituary”, Trends in Biochemical Sciences [10]
“I can’t function anymore.”— Fritz Lipmann (1986), “last words” (age 87); stated while preparing a lecture to be delivered at the meeting of the Federal European Biochemical Society, Berlin [10]