Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

"Nothing is easier than to admit in words the truth of the universal struggle for life, or more difficult--at least I have found it so--than constantly to bear this conclusion in mind."
52 Quotes
"Nothing is easier than to admit in words the truth of the universal struggle for life, or more difficult--at least I have found it so--than constantly to bear this conclusion in mind."
Charles Darwin The Origin of Species
"“If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.”"
Charles Darwin The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, 1809–82
"The following proposition seems to me in a high degree probable—namely, that any animal whatever, endowed with well-marked social instincts, the parental and filial affections being here included, would inevitably acquire a moral sense or conscience, as soon as its intellectual powers had become as well, or nearly as well developed, as in man. For, firstly, the social instincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of its fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with them, and to perform various services for them."
Charles Darwin The Descent of Man
"We can allow satellites, planets, suns, universe, nay whole systems of universe, to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, we wish to be created at once by special act."
Charles Darwin Notebooks
"... But I own that I cannot see as plainly as others do, and as I should wish to do, evidence of design and beneficence on all sides of us. There seems to me too much misery in the world. I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidæ with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars, or that a cat should play with mice... I feel most deeply that the whole subject is too profound for the human intellect. A dog might as well speculate on the mind of Newton. Let each man hope and believe what he can."
Charles Darwin The Life & Letters of Charles Darwin
"One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die."
Charles Darwin The Origin of Species
"How paramount the future is to the present when one is surrounded by children."
Charles Darwin
"At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate, and replace the savage races throughout the world."
Charles Darwin
"An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus is much wiser than most men."
Charles Darwin
"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars."
Charles Darwin
"A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth."
Charles Darwin
"False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness."
Charles Darwin
"On the ordinary view of each species having been independently created, we gain no scientific explanation."
Charles Darwin
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science."
Charles Darwin
"The very essence of instinct is that it's followed independently of reason."
Charles Darwin
"I love fools' experiments. I am always making them."
Charles Darwin
"I have tried lately to read Shakespeare and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me."
Charles Darwin
"As for a future life every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague possibilities."
Charles Darwin
"As for future life every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities."
Charles Darwin
"The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us and I for one must be content to remain agnostic."
Charles Darwin
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