"Since the numbers of functional groups are relatively small, it is possible to classify a very large number of individual compounds by a relatively small number of functional groups. So the first step to enlightenment in organic chemistry is to realize the key role that functional groups play in simplifying the subject, and the second step is to learn the functional groups by name, structure, and formula."
January 1, 1970
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Organic_chemistry