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

Life is nearly over with me. I have taken no pains about my style of writing.

Natural selection acts solely by accumulating slight successive favorable variations, it can produce no great or sudden modification; it can act only by very short steps.

After five years' work I allowed myself to speculate on the subject, and drew up some short notes; these I enlarged in 1844 into a sketch of the conclusions, which then seemed to me probable: from that period to the present day I have steadily pursued the same object. I hope that I may be excused for entering on these personal details, as I give them to show that I have not been hasty in coming to a decision.‎

I have deeply regretted that I did not proceed far enough at least to understand something of the great leading principles of mathematics, for men thus endowed seem to have an extra sense.

I have no great quickness of apprehension or wit which is so remarkable in some clever men, for instance Huxley

Endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved