Nothing exists for itself alone, but only in relation to other forms of life Charles Darwin More Quotes by Charles Darwin More Quotes From Charles Darwin I was a young man with uninformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them. Charles Darwin men people ideas On the theory of natural selection we can clearly understand the full meaning of that old canon in natural history, “Natura non facit saltum.” This canon, if we look only to the present inhabitants of the world, is not strictly correct, but if we include all those of past times, it must by my theory be strictly true. Charles Darwin looks past world I am almost convinced (quite contrary to opinion I started with) that species are not (it is like confessing a murder) immutable. Charles Darwin origin-of-species murder opinion ...he who remains passive when over-whelmed with grief loses his best chance of recovering his elasticity of mind. Charles Darwin chance grief mind Only picture to yourself a nice soft wife on a sofa with good fire, & books & music. Charles Darwin nice fire book To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest possible degree. Charles Darwin distance eye believe It is really laughable to see what different ideas are prominent in various naturalists' minds, when they speak of 'species'; in some, resemblance is everything and descent of little weight-in some, resemblance seems to go for nothing, and Creation the reigning idea-in some, descent is the key,-in some, sterility an unfailing test, with others it is not worth a farthing. It all comes, I believe, from trying to define the undefinable. Charles Darwin keys science believe A grain in the balance will determine which individual shall live and which shall die - which variety or species shall increase in number, and which shall decrease, or finally become extinct. Charles Darwin individual balance numbers As many more individuals of each species are born than can possibly survive; and as, consequently, there is a frequently recurring struggle for existence, it follows that any being, if it vary however slightly in any manner profitable to itself, under the complex and sometimes varying conditions of life, will have a better chance of surviving, and thus be naturally selected. From the strong principle of inheritance, any selected variety will tend to propagate its new and modified form. Charles Darwin strong principles struggle It is no valid objection that science as yet throws no light on the far higher problem of the essence or origin of life. Who can explain gravity? No one now objects to following out the results consequent on this unknown element of attraction. Charles Darwin origin-of-life light essence Some call it evolution, And others call it God. Charles Darwin evolution It has sometimes been said that the success of the Origin proved "that the subject was in the air," or "that men's minds were prepared for it." I do not think that this is strictly true, for I occasionally sounded not a few naturalists, and never happened to come across a single one who seemed to doubt about the permanence of species. Charles Darwin success men science But just in proportion as this process of extermination has acted on an enormous scale, so must the number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed, be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory. The explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the geological record. Charles Darwin theory-of-evolution believe lying When I view all beings not as special creations, but as the lineal descendants of some few beings which lived long before the first bed of the Cambrian system was deposited, they seem to me to become ennobled. Charles Darwin special views long At no time am I a quick thinker or writer: whatever I have done in science has solely been by long pondering, patience and industry. Charles Darwin pondering done long One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die. Charles Darwin origin-of-species advancement law I am actually weary of telling people that I do not pretend to adduce [direct] evidence of one species changing into another, but I believe that this view is in the main correct, because so many phenomena can thus be grouped end explained. Charles Darwin views believe people There is no fundamental difference between humans and the higher mammalsin their mental faculties Charles Darwin faculty differences fundamentals Although I am fully convinced of the truth of the views given in this volume under the form of an abstract, I by no means expect to convince experienced naturalists whose minds are stocked with a multitude of facts all viewed, during a long course of years, from a point of view directly opposite to mine... I look with confidence to the future, to young and rising naturalists, who will be able to view both sides of the question with impartiality. Charles Darwin views mean looks It may be doubted whether any character can be named which is distinctive of a race and is constant. Charles Darwin race may character
