It may be doubted that there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organized creatures.

Man, wonderful man, must collapse, into nature's cauldron, he is no deity, he is no exception.

I conclude that the musical notes and rhythms were first acquired by the male or female progenitors of mankind for the sake of charming the opposite sex.

But just in proportion as this process of extermination has acted on an enormous scale, so must the number of intermediate varieties, which have formerly existed, be truly enormous. Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and serious objection which can be urged against the theory. The explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the geological record.

Language is an art, like brewing or baking.... It certainly is not a true instinct, for every language has to be learnt.

Light will be thrown on the origin of man and his history.

A novel according to my taste, does not come into the moderately good class unless it contains some person whom one can thoroughly love - and if a pretty woman, all the better.