Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that all life is interconnected and has evolved from common ancestors, which adds a sense of dignity to all beings.
Charles Darwin reflects on the concept of common ancestry in evolution, indicating that when we perceive all living beings as part of a continuous lineage rather than as unique and separate creations, it elevates their value. This perspective fosters a sense of respect and nobility among all forms of life, highlighting the shared history and interconnectedness of all organisms throughout time.
Themes
EvolutionAncestryInterconnectednessRespectLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one could quote Darwin to emphasize the dignity of all life forms and their evolutionary connections.
More from Charles Darwin
All quotes →The 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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