45+ Best Charles Darwin Quotes From The Evolutionary Scientist

Supriya Jain
Dec 12, 2023 By Supriya Jain
Originally Published on Feb 04, 2021
Edited by Luca Demetriou
A statue of Charles Darwin sits in the Natural History Museum.
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Charles Darwin is one of the most well known scientists, pioneering ideas about evolution and society.

As said by Charles Darwin, there are people who read different books on different genres. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and is best known for his contributions in the field of science of evolution.

Here is a famous quote from Charles Darwin that perfectly summarizes his personality. “If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week.”

He is best known for the books that he has written and has won many awards. The advancement of technology has given rise to many applications that people refer to for reading books. But the feel of the new pages and the fragrance of the pages cannot be felt online.

The feel of the new pages is something that people still crave for. Read on to discover quotes by Charles Darwin and the information surrounding his life and sayings. These Charles Darwin quotes are interesting and fascinating.

If you are someone who loves reading books related to science, then here are some of the famous quotes for you. If you like this article, check out these Alexander Bell quotes and Rosalind Franklin quotes.

Famous Evolution Quotes From Charles Darwin

Portet of Charles Darwin at Galapagos National Park Headquarters on Santa Cruz Island in Galapagos, Ecuador.

Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution book, On The Origin Of Species', with compelling evidence in this book. Charles Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history. Here are some of the best Charles Darwin quotes on evolution along with the survival of the fittest quotes.

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

- Charles Darwin, 'The Life & Letters Of Charles Darwin'.

2. “Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge.”

- Charles Darwin, 'The Descent of Man'.

3. “Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal.”

- Charles Darwin.

4. “Man tends to increase at a greater rate than his means of subsistence.”

- Charles Darwin, 'The Descent of Man'.

5. “The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”

- Charles Darwin.

6. "My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts.”

- Charles Darwin.

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

- Charles Darwin.

8. “On the ordinary view of each species having been independently created, we gain no scientific explanation.”

- Charles Darwin.

9. “A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, – a mere heart of stone.”

- Charles Darwin

10. “I am not apt to follow blindly the lead of other men.”

- Charles Darwin.

11. “The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an agnostic.”

- Charles Darwin.

12. “Intelligence is based on how efficient a species became at doing the things they need to survive.”

- Charles Darwin.

13. “Blushing is the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.”

- Charles Darwin.

14. “I love fools’ experiments. I am always making them.”

- Charles Darwin.

15. “The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.”

- Charles Darwin.

Fascinating Charles Darwin Quotes And Sayings

In 1859, Charles Darwin set out his theory of evolution by natural selection as an explanation for adaptation and speciation. He defined natural selection as the "principle by which each slight variation if useful, is preserved." Here are some natural selection Charles Darwin quotes and sayings which you must certainly read.

16. "This preservation of favorable variations and the rejection of injurious variations, I call natural selection or the survival of the fittest."

- Charles Darwin.

17. "One general law, leading to the advancement of all organic beings namely, multiply, vary, let the strongest live and weakest die."

- Charles Darwin.

18. "If the misery of our poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin."

- Charles Darwin.

19. "The survival of preservation of certain favored words in the struggle for existence is natural selection."

- Charles Darwin.

20. "Keep steadily in mind that each organic being is striving to increase, that each at some period of its life, has the struggle for life, and suffer great destruction. The war of nature is not incessant. The vigorous, the healthy, and the happy survive and multiply."

- Charles Darwin.

21. "I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the team of natural selection."

- Charles Darwin.

Inspirational Charles Darwin Quotes And Sayings

There are people who read books with inspirational stories in order to motivate themselves to do better. People need inspiration to do achieve certain things in their life, this inspiration can come both from quotes and sayings.  Here are some of the inspirational Charles Darwin quotes and sayings that will inspire you in life.

22. “I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars.”

- Charles Darwin.

23. “It is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.”

- Charles Darwin.

24. "Man tends to increase at a greater rate than his means of subsistence.”

- Charles Darwin.

25. “To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.”

- Charles Darwin.

26. “A moral being is one who is capable of reflecting on his past actions and their motives – of approving of some and disapproving of others.”

- Charles Darwin.

27. “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

- Charles Darwin.

28. “There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed by the Creator into a few forms or into one.”

- Charles Darwin.

29. “Besides love and sympathy, animals exhibit other qualities connected with the social instincts which in us would be called moral.”

- Charles Darwin.

30. “Great is the power of steady misrepresentation.”

- Charles Darwin.

Famous Charles Darwin Quotes And Sayings

As Charles Darwin is famous for writing different books on various topics like human intellect and space, this is why Charles Darwin quotes and sayings are highly revered. Here are some of the famous Charles Darwin quotes on change and natural selection.

These Charles Darwin quotes and sayings are great fun as you can test your friends on their scientific knowledge!

31. “I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious views of anyone.”

- Charles Darwin.

32. “Man selects only for his own good: Nature only for that of the being which she tends.”

- Charles Darwin.

33. “We stopped looking for monsters under our bed when we realized that they were inside us.”

- Charles Darwin.

34. “What a book a devil’s chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature!”

- Charles Darwin.

35. “The mystery of the beginning of all things is insoluble by us; and I for one must be content to remain an agnostic.”

- Charles Darwin.

36. “Man is descended from a hairy, tailed quadruped, probably arboreal in its habits.”

- Charles Darwin.

37. “If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sin.”

- Charles Darwin.

38. “I am turned into a sort of machine for observing facts and grinding out conclusions.”

- Charles Darwin.

39. “We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities… still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.”

- Charles Darwin.

40. “How paramount the future is to the present when one is surrounded by children.”

- Charles Darwin.

41. “It is a cursed evil to any man to become as absorbed in any subject as I am in mine.”

- Charles Darwin.

42. “False facts are highly injurious to the progress of science, for they often endure long; but false views, if supported by some evidence, do little harm, for everyone takes a salutary pleasure in proving their falseness.’’

- Charles Darwin.

43. “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

- Charles Darwin.

44. “A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.”

- Charles Darwin.

45. “I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious views of anyone.”

- Charles Darwin.

46. "We can allow satellites, planets, suns, universe, nay whole systems of universe, to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, we wish to be created at once by special act.”

- Charles Darwin.

Here at Kiddadl, we have created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 45+ best Charles Darwin quotes from the evolutionary scientist then why not take a look at [nature quotes], or [David Attenborough quotes].

Main image credit: 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com

Article image credit: Boris-B / Shutterstock.com

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Written by Supriya Jain

Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

Supriya Jain picture

Supriya JainBachelor of Commerce, Master of Business Administration specializing in Marketing

As a skilled member of the Kidadl team, Shruti brings extensive experience and expertise in professional content writing. With a Bachelor's degree in Commerce from Punjab University and an MBA in Business Administration from IMT Nagpur, Shruti has worked in diverse roles such as sales intern, content writer, executive trainee, and business development consultant. Her exceptional writing skills cover a wide range of areas, including SOP, SEO, B2B/B2C, and academic content.

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