Ernst Mayr
Architect of the modern synthesis who emphasized species as the key to evolution.
Quotes by Ernst Mayr
To a biologist, the world is a place of endless diversity.
Scientific progress is measured by the increase in precision of predictions.
The species problem is the most fundamental problem in biology.
Evolution does not work toward perfection; it works toward adaptation.
Life's diversity is its greatest wonder.
The gene is the unit of heredity, but the organism is the unit of selection.
Biology without evolution is meaningless.
In science, we must always be prepared to abandon our hypotheses.
The origin of species is a question of populations, not individuals.
Nature is not teleological; it is opportunistic.
Every species is a unique historical entity.
The joy of discovery in biology is unmatched.
Reductionism has its limits in biology.
Evolution is creative, but not directed.
The fossil record tells a story of contingency.
Life on Earth is a grand experiment.
Species boundaries are real, but fluid.
Science thrives on skepticism.
The diversity of life reflects the creativity of evolution.
In biology, wholes are more than the sum of parts.