I am convinced, by repeated observation, that marbles, lime-stones, chalks, marls, clays, sand, and almost all terrestrial substances, wherever situated, are full of shells and other spoils of the ocean.

The dog has no ambition, no self-interest, no desire for vengeance, no fear other than that of displeasing.

To write well is to think well, to feel well, and to render well; it is to possess at once intellect, soul, and taste.

We can only penetrate the rind of the earth.

The discoveries that one can make with the microscope amount to very little, for one sees with the mind's eye and without the microscope the real existence of all these little beings.

Let us suppose, that the Old and New worlds were formerly but one continent, and that, by a violent earthquake, the ancient Atalantis [sic] of Plato was sunk ... The sea would necessarily rush in from all quarters, and form what is now called the Atlantic ocean.

Writing well is at one and the same time good thinking, good feeling, and good expression; it is having wit, soul, and taste, all together.