Inspirational Quotes by John Lubbock (English Politician, Biologist)

John Lubbock (1834–1913,) fully Sir John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury, was an English politician, biologist, and anthropologist. A celebrated writer on science, he was a popularizer of developments in biology and anthropology.

Born in London, Lubbock was the son of the astronomer Sir John William Lubbock, himself a distinguished member of the English scientific community and the head of the family banking establishment.

John Lubbock studied at Eton, started working for his family’s banking house at age 14, and made a partner at age 22. He was a civic leader and served on several educational and financial commissions. A hardworking Liberal member of parliament, he led the passing of more than a dozen essential measures, including the Bank Holidays Act (1871,) the Bills of Exchange Act (1882,) the Ancient Monuments Act (1882,) and the Shop Hours Act (1889.)

Lubbock is also best known for his studies on primitive man and the habits of bees and ants. He initiated the archaeological terms ‘Paleolithic’ and ‘Neolithic’ as classifications of the Stone Age. He published Prehistoric Times (1865,) Origin of Civilisation and the Primitive Condition of Man (1870,) and other books on natural history. He was not only a neighbor and friend of the naturalist Charles Darwin but also one of his few protégés.

Lubbock was a member of the ‘X’ Club (together with Thomas Henry Huxley, Joseph Dalton Hooker, and others,) which conspired to apply Darwin’s theory of evolution to replace the ecclesiastical establishment with a scientific one.

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