Charles Darwin

Evolution is written on the wings of butterflies

Charles Darwin

Formerly Milton’s Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only a single small volume, I always chose Milton.

Charles Darwin

From the first dawn of life, all organic beings are found to resemble each other in descending degrees, so that they can be classed in groups under groups. This classification is evidently not arbitrary like the grouping of stars in constellations.

Charles Darwin

From the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of higher animals, directly follows.

Charles Darwin

Great is the power of steady misrepresentation; but the history of science shows that fortunately this power does not long endure.

Charles Darwin

He who believes that each being has been created as we now see it, must occasionally have felt surprise when he has met with an animal having habits and structure not at all in agreement.

Charles Darwin

He who understands baboons would do more towards metaphysics than Locke.

Charles Darwin

Hence if man goes on selecting, and thus augmenting, any peculiarity, he will almost certainly modify unintentionally other parts of the structure, owing to the mysterious laws of correlation.

Charles Darwin

Hence, a traveller should be a botanist, for in all views plants form the chief embellishment.

Charles Darwin

Hereafter we shall be compelled to acknowledge that the only distinction between species and well-marked varieties is, that the latter are known, or believed to be connected at the present day by intermediate gradations whereas species were formerly thus connected.

Charles Darwin