Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus is much wiser than most men.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that animals may demonstrate more wisdom than humans by avoiding harmful substances after a negative experience.
In this quote, Charles Darwin highlights the irony of human behavior compared to that of an animal, implying that the ability to learn from past mistakes is a form of wisdom. He suggests that an American monkey, after experiencing the negative effects of alcohol, wisely chooses to avoid it in the future, contrasting this with the tendency of many humans to repeatedly engage in harmful behaviors despite the consequences.
Themes
WisdomLearningExperienceBehaviorAlcohol
In practice
Example use cases
During a seminar on personal growth, this quote could be used to discuss the importance of learning from our mistakes.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes βThe highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
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I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science....It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaw[s] & holes as sound parts.
Charles DarwinRead
We cannot fathom the marvelous complexity of an organic being; but on the hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm--a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.
Charles DarwinRead
I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
Charles DarwinRead
we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
Charles DarwinRead
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