...Nature-the word that stands for the baffling mysteries of the Universe. Steadily, unflinchingly, we strive to pierce the inmost heart of Nature, from what she is to reconstruct what she has been, and to prophesy what she yet shall be. Veil after veil we have lifted, and her face grows more beautiful, august, and wonderful, with every barrier that is withdrawn.
Interpretation
The quote expresses humanity's persistent quest to understand the mysteries of nature, revealing its beauty with each discovery.
William Crookes reflects on the relentless human pursuit to understand nature and the universe. He suggests that as we gradually unveil the layers of nature's mysteries, we not only gain knowledge but also appreciate its inherent beauty and majesty, indicating that with every discovery, nature becomes even more glorious and complex.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about environmental science to inspire respect for nature.
To stop short in any research that bids fair to widen the gates of knowledge, to recoil from fear of difficulty or adverse criticism, is to bring reproach on science. There is nothing for the investigator to do but go straight on, 'to explore up and down, inch by inch, with the taper his reason;' to follow the light wherever it may lead, even should it at times resemble a will-o'-the-wisp.
In a pine tree,/ A few yards from my window sill,/ A brilliant blue jay is springing up and down, up and/ down./ On a branch./ I laugh, as I see him abandon himself/ To entire delight, for he knows as well as I do/ That the branch will not break.
That grand old poem called Winter
The cutting of primeval forest and other disasters, fueled by the demands of growing human populations, are the overriding threat to biological diversity everywhere.
Though men now possess the power to dominate and exploit every corner of the natural world, nothing in that fact implies that they have the right or the need to do so.
Labor is the only prayer that Nature answers: It is the only prayer that deserves an answer—good, honest, noble work.
Corn wind in the fall, come off the black lands, come off the whisper of the silk hangers, the lap of the flat spear leaves.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.