Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
Attention, if sudden and close, graduates into surprise; and this into astonishment; and this into stupefied amazement.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights how attention, when intense, leads to a progression of emotions from surprise to astonishment and ultimately to amazement.
Charles Darwin's quote illustrates the transformative power of attention. When we focus intently on something, our emotional response deepens, evolving from mere surprise to profound astonishment, culminating in a state of stupefied amazement. This sequence underlines how the human experience is enriched through concentrated observation and engagement, suggesting that the depth of our attention can significantly enhance our perception and understanding of the world around us.
Themes
AttentionSurpriseAstonishmentAmazementPerception
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about being present in the moment.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes βThe highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
Charles DarwinRead
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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