John Ray
A naturalist who made significant contributions to taxonomy, defining the concept of a species and publishing influential works on plants and animals.
Most quoted
"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
— from Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation
"The wisdom of God is conspicuously seen in the admirable contrivance of the bodies of animals, and the exquisite fitness of their several parts to their respective functions."
— from The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation, 1691
"Let us then with all diligence apply ourselves to the study of nature, that we may thereby be led to admire and adore its great Creator."
— from Preface to Synopsis Methodica Stirpium Britannicarum
All quotes by John Ray (391)
The greatest wisdom is to know ourselves.
The proper use of our reason is to discover the truth.
The world is a school, and life is a lesson.
The best way to learn is to teach.
Knowledge is power.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.
The greatest glory of a freeborn people is to transmit that freedom to their children.
He that would have the fruit must climb the tree.
The greatest wealth is health.
The works of nature are very regular, and her laws are always observed.
There is one kind of life in the veins of all animals, one kind of life in the seeds of all plants.
Nature does nothing in vain.
In the study of nature, we must not be too hasty in our conclusions.
The diversity of plants is a manifestation of divine providence.
True knowledge comes from careful observation of the creation.
Plants and animals are not mere machines, but works of art.
The beauty of a flower speaks of the Creator's wisdom.
Classification of species requires both reason and intuition.
In nature's economy, nothing is superfluous.
Contemporaries of John Ray
Other Biologys born within 50 years of John Ray (1627–1705).