Having an assistant (except for the strictly necessary) removes your soul from the game. - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Self-contradiction is made culturally to be shameful, a matter that can prove disastrous in science.

Work hard, not in grunt work, but in chasing such opportunities and maximizing exposure to them. This makes living in big cities invaluable because you increase the odds of serendipitous encounters-you gain exposure to the envelope of serendipity.

Another way to view it: the iatrogenics is in the patient, not in the treatment. If the patient is close to death, all speculative treatments should be encouraged — no holds barred. Conversely, if the patient is near healthy, then Mother Nature should be the doctor.