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Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends.
Charles Darwin
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Humans often make choices based on selfish interests, while nature acts with the broader benefit of life in mind.

In this quote, Charles Darwin highlights the contrast between human decision-making and the natural world's processes. While humans tend to prioritize their own needs and desires, nature operates with a more holistic approach that ensures the survival and welfare of all living beings. This reflects a philosophical perspective on the differences in how humans and nature fulfill their roles in the ecosystem.

Themes

NatureSelfishnessHumanitySurvivalEcosystem

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about environmental conservation.

More from Charles Darwin

Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
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The 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.
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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.
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I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
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we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
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