I didn't really realize that writing... would be fun and people would pay you to do it. Being an astronaut is a glory profession, and so is writing, in a way. Mary Roach astronautfunglory Change image and share on social
I spend a lot of my time on the phone, pestering people. 'What's new in your lab? Can I come visit your lab? When can I come visit your lab?' I'm basically a professional pesterer. Mary Roach basicallylablot Change image and share on social
Most of the people who are engaged in the subjects that I look into are pretty interesting. Whether its sex researchers or someone who's devoted their career to saliva or somebody who does research with cadavers, there's an inherent fascination in the subject matter of their work. Mary Roach cadavercareerdevote share on social
Every now and then, someone will tell me that one of my books has made them laugh out loud. I never believe them because: a.) my books don't make me laugh out loud; and b.) sometimes I have said this to a writer, when really what I meant was, 'Your book made me smile appreciatively.' Mary Roach appreciativelybooklaugh share on social
Gravitation is the lust of the cosmos. Mary Roach cosmosgravitationlust Change image and share on social
I've been writing full-time since about 1984 - mostly magazine features and columns. Mary Roach columnfeaturefull Change image and share on social
Spacewalking is a little like rock climbing in that everything, including and especially oneself, must be tethered or docked at all times. If you forget to tether a tool, it's gone. Ditto yourself. Mary Roach climbdittodock Change image and share on social
If you could really guarantee that the money would be spent on something more worthwhile, I'd say, absolutely, scrap the space program, but it never works that way. Mary Roach absolutelyguaranteemoney Change image and share on social
When I was a kid, I hated everything. I was really skinny, and I'd have a milkshake with an egg in it. Growing up, I ate, like, five different foods. I was not an adventurous eater. But as soon as I left home, that all changed and from that point on, I've been a pretty enthusiastic eater of new and strange food. Mary Roach adventurouschangeeat share on social
In 'Packing for Mars,' I tried to convey the importance of getting young people interested in science. Mary Roach conveyimportanceinterest Change image and share on social