30 Prominent Quotes by Charles Darwin

The very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume I, Part I, Chapter III, Page 103

The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (D. Appleton & Company, ed. 1878), Part I, Chapter IV, Page 123

If every one were cast in the same mould, there would be no such thing as beauty.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume II, Part II, Chapter XIX, Page 354

The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an Agnostic.The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin: Including an Autobiographical Chapter (1887), Volume I, Chapter VIII. Religion

If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.The Voyage of the Beagle (1839), (P. F. Collier & Son, ed. 1909), Chapter XXI, Page 503

If I had to live my life again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin: Including an Autobiographical Chapter (1887), Volume I, Chapter II. Autobiography

To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing a new truth or fact.Letter to Alexander Stephen Wilson (March 5, 1879)

As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities.The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin: Including an Autobiographical Chapter (1887), Volume I, Chapter VIII. Religion

We are not here concerned with hopes or fears, only with the truth as far as our reason allows us to discover it.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume II, Part II, Chapter XXI, Page 405

The shield may be as important for victory, as the sword or spear.On the Origin of Species (John Murray, ed. 1859), Chapter IV, Page 88

I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men.The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin: Including an Autobiographical Chapter (1887), Volume I, Chapter II. Autobiography

Man scans with scrupulous care the character and pedigree of his horses, cattle, and dogs before he matches them; but when he comes to his own marriage he rarely, or never, takes any such care.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume II, Part II, Chapter XXI, Page 402

Blushing is the most peculiar and the most human of all expressions.The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (John Murray, ed. 1872), Chapter XIII, Page 310

How paramount the future is to the present when one is surrounded by children.Letter to William Darwin Fox (March 7, 1849)

A language, like a species, when once extinct, never reappears.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume I, Part I, Chapter II, Page 60

Man selects only for his own good; Nature only for that of the being which she tends.On the Origin of Species (1859), (John Murray, ed. 1859), Chapter IV, Page 83

The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, is certainly one of degree and not of kind.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume I, Part I, Chapter III, Page 105

One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings, namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and the weakest die.On the Origin of Species (John Murray, ed. 1859), Chapter VII, Page 244

Animals whom we have made our slaves we do not like to consider our equals.Notebook B (1837-1838)

Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume II, Part II, Chapter XXI, Page 405

An American monkey, an Ateles, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus was wiser than many men.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume I, Part I, Chapter I, Page 12

It is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance. The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (John Murray, ed. 1872), Chapter III, Page 66

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.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume I, Introduction, Page 3

The more one thinks the more one feels the hopeless immensity of man’s ignorance.Letter to Lord Farrer (August 28, 1881)

The limit of man’s knowledge in any subject possesses a high interest, which is perhaps increased by its close neighbourhood to the realms of imagination.The Voyage of the Beagle (1839), (P. F. Collier & Son, ed. 1909), Chapter XIII, Page 288

A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections – a mere heart of stone.Letter to Thomas Henry Huxley (July 9, 1857)

False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often long endure; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, as every one takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness; and when this is done, one path towards error is closed and the road to truth is often at the same time opened.The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (John Murray, ed. 1871), Volume II, Part II, Chapter XXI, Page 385

Great is the power of steady misrepresentation; but the history of science shows that fortunately this power does not long endure.The Origin of Species (Odhams Press, ed. 1872), Chapter XV, Page 483

A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.Letter to Susan Elizabeth Darwin (August 4, 1836)

We are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps.On the Origin of Species (John Murray, ed. 1859), Chapter XIV, Page 481

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.No source (More info)

We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized that they were inside us.No source