Darwinian man, though well-behaved, at best is only a monkey shaved.
—W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) English Dramatist, Librettist, Poet, Illustrator
Natural selection, as it has operated in human history, favors not only the clever but the murderous.
—Barbara Ehrenreich (b.1941) American Social Critic, Essayist
The historic ascent of humanity, taken as a whole, may be summarized as a succession of victories of consciousness over blind forces — in nature, in society, in man himself.
—Leon Trotsky (1879–1940) Russian Marxist Revolutionary
The theory of evolution by cumulative natural selection is the only theory we know of that is in principle capable of explaining the existence of organized complexity
—Richard Dawkins (b.1941) British Evolutionary Biologist, Atheist
My theory of evolution is that Darwin was adopted.
—Steven Wright (b.1955) American Comedian, Actor, Writer
Creationist critics often charge that evolution cannot be tested, and therefore cannot be viewed as a properly scientific subject at all. This claim is rhetorical nonsense.
—Stephen Jay Gould (1941–2002) American Paleontologist
The expression often used by Mr. Herbert Spencer of the Survival of the Fittest is more accurate, and is sometimes equally convenient.
—Charles Darwin (1809–82) English Naturalist
Evolution is not a force but a process. Not a cause but a law.
—John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn (1838–1923) British Political Leader, Writer, Editor, Journalist
I was a young man with uninformed ideas. I threw out queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them.
—Charles Darwin (1809–82) English Naturalist
Evolution is gaining the psychic zones of the world… life, being and ascent of consciousness, could not continue to advance indefinitely along its line without transforming itself in depth. The being who is the object of his own reflection, in consequence, of that very doubling back upon himself becomes in a flash able to raise himself to a new sphere.
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955) French Jesuit Philosopher, Paleontologist
God created a number of possibilities in case some of his prototypes failed — that is the meaning of evolution.
—Graham Greene (1904–91) British Novelist, Playwright, Short Story Writer
There is no law of progress. Our future is in our own hands, to make or to mar. It will be an uphill fight to the end, and would we have it otherwise? Let no one suppose that evolution will ever exempt us from struggles. ‘You forget,’ said the Devil, with a chuckle, ‘that I have been evolving too.’
—William Ralph Inge (1860–1954) English Anglican Clergyman, Priest, Mystic
Evolution is what it is. The upper classes have always died out; it’s one of the most charming things about them.
—Germaine Greer (b.1939) Australia Academic, Journalist, Scholar, Writer
Evolution is fascinating to watch. To me it is the most interesting when one can observe the evolution of a single man.
—Shana Alexander (1925–2005) American Journalist, Editor, Author
It is disturbing to discover in oneself these curious revelations of the validity of the Darwinian theory. If it is true that we have sprung from the ape, there are occasions when my own spring appears not to have been very far.
—Cornelia Otis Skinner (1899–1979) American Actress, Playwright