Charles Darwin

"I value freedom and independence of thought above all other virtues."

"The manner in which fanciful and romantic notions take hold of the human mind never ceases to astonish me."

"It is through the accumulation of small changes that great modifications arise in nature."

"I have always felt that a man's highest obligation is to the truth as he perceives it."

"The complexity of an organism tends to increase over successive generations in most instances."

"My whole soul rebels at the idea of being bound by the prejudices of ignorant men."

"It would be difficult to find a single organism that has remained absolutely unchanged through geological time."

"The contemplation of the works of nature elevates the mind and expands the understanding."

"I have found that the best approach to a difficult problem is to look at it from multiple perspectives."

"The habit of collecting facts and observations becomes habitual with those who pursue natural studies."

"I have come to believe that mercy is as necessary to justice as water is to life."

"The tendency of all organisms is toward greater complexity and refinement."

"Those species which adapt most readily to environmental change are most likely to survive."

"I confess myself to be astonished at the general ignorance of educated men concerning scientific principles."

"The greatest satisfaction in life comes from intellectual pursuits and the search for truth."

"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data."

"The light of knowledge shines brightest to those who earnestly seek it."

"I believe that understanding the natural world is the greatest pursuit available to mankind."

"Every creature, from the smallest to the largest, plays a role in the grand design of nature."

"The path to wisdom lies in patient observation and rigorous analysis of natural phenomena."

"I have learned that the most dangerous man is one who is certain he is right."

"The diversity of life is not merely accidental but represents the working out of profound natural laws."

"In the end, we must follow the evidence wherever it leads, regardless of our preconceptions."

"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved."

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man."

"I have tried lately to read Shakespeare, and found it so intolerably dull that it nauseated me."

"An American monkey, after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus was wiser than most men."

"The struggle for existence will always be; therefore to increase in numbers is the condition of every species."

"A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life."