Ernst Mayr

Natural selection acts on variations, large and small.

The tree of life is bushy, not ladder-like.

Biology teaches us humility before nature's complexity.

Evolution is the architect of life's forms.

Scientific truth is provisional, but reliable.

The study of birds revealed the patterns of speciation.

Chance and necessity drive evolution.

Life's meaning lies in its persistence and adaptation.

Taxonomy is the foundation of biology.

The past is the key to the present in biology.

Isolating mechanisms define species.

Biology is a historical science.

The wonder of evolution is its unpredictability.

Genes interact in complex ways, defying simple predictions.

Human evolution is part of the grand tapestry.

Nature's laws are discovered, not invented.

The extinction of species is evolution's harsh editor.

Biology bridges the gap between physics and humanities.

In my long life, I've seen biology transform.

The future of biology lies in synthesis.