Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
A prominent naturalist who authored the monumental 'Histoire Naturelle', a 36-volume encyclopedia that influenced generations of naturalists.
Most quoted
"The first truth that results from this examination is that the Earth is a planet, a star, which has its own movement, which turns around the Sun, and which, consequently, is subject to the same laws as all the other planets."
— from Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière, 1749
"Man is the only animal that can laugh and weep; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are, and what they ought to be."
— from Attributed
"Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they ought to be."
— from Histoire Naturelle, générale et particulière, 1749
All quotes by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (406)
The universe is a symphony, and we are its instruments.
The human mind is a boundless ocean, full of wonders and mysteries.
The pursuit of knowledge is the noblest of all human endeavors.
Death is a natural part of the cycle of life.
The world is a stage, and all the men and women merely players.
True beauty comes from within.
The universe is an endless source of inspiration and wonder.
Life is a journey, not a destination.
The human spirit is capable of both great good and great evil.
Consciousness is the light that illuminates our existence.
Truth is a powerful weapon, but it must be wielded with care.
The greatest gift we can give to others is our love and compassion.
The first truth that results from this examination is that the Earth is a planet, a star, which has its own movement, which turns around the Sun, and which, consequently, is subject to the same laws as all the other planets.
The most beautiful, the most perfect, the most useful of all the animals, is man.
The species is a constant succession of similar individuals that can reproduce together.
Nature, in her grand march, never makes leaps.
The internal mold is the primitive and unalterable form of each species.
The ass is only a degenerate horse.
All animals of the New World are smaller than those of the Old World.
The American continent is a land of degeneracy, where all forms of life are inferior.
Contemporaries of Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (1707–1788).