Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
The plow is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man's inventions; but long before he existed the land was in fact regularly plowed, and still continues to be thus plowed by earthworms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Earthworms have been essential to soil health and cultivation long before humans invented plows.
In this quote, Charles Darwin highlights the vital role that earthworms play in the ecosystem, particularly in the cultivation of the land. He points out that while the plow is a significant human invention for agriculture, earthworms have naturally performed the function of plowing the earth, enriching the soil and contributing to its fertility for eons, underscoring the importance of seemingly simple and 'lowly' organisms in the grand scheme of the world’s history.
Themes
EarthwormsInventionAgricultureEcosystemNature
In practice
Example use cases
During a presentation about sustainable farming practices.
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
Similar quotes
The ideal scientist thinks like a poet and works like a bookkeeper
E. O. WilsonRead
There's already a lot of active research going on using the Crispr technology to fix diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease. They're all diseases that have known genetic causes, and we now have the technology that can repair those mutations to provide, we hope, patients with a normal life.
Jennifer DoudnaRead
Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.
Max PlanckRead
Science without conscience is the death of the soul.
Francois RabelaisRead
Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that this is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot, but does not bring us any closer to the secrets of the "Old One." I, at any rate, am convinced that He is not playing at dice.
Albert EinsteinRead
I am no poet, but if you think for yourselves, as I proceed, the facts will form a poem in your minds.
Michael FaradayRead