Alfred Russel Wallace
Independently conceived the theory of evolution by natural selection and made significant contributions to biogeography.
Most quoted
"The action of this principle is exactly like that of the centrifugal governor of the steam engine, which checks and corrects any irregularities almost before they become evident; and in like manner no unbalanced deficiency in the animal kingdom can ever have continued to exist."
— from Letter to Charles Darwin, 1858
"The great superiority of the human intellect over that of the lower animals, and the fact that this superiority is not required by the conditions of savage life, seem to me to be an insuperable difficulty in the way of the theory of natural selection."
— from Contributions to the Theory of Natural Selection
"The general result of the study of the fossil remains of the extinct mammalia is to show that the forms most nearly allied to those now living were the latest, and that the more ancient forms differ more and more widely from the existing types."
— from Island Life, 1880
All quotes by Alfred Russel Wallace (406)
Gratitude is the secret to happiness.
Joy is the natural state of the soul.
Peace begins within.
The path to enlightenment is a journey inward.
Meditation is the gateway to higher consciousness.
Prayer is communication with the Divine.
The universe is alive with divine intelligence.
Every atom in the universe is imbued with consciousness.
The human being is a microcosm of the macrocosm.
We are all interconnected, part of a vast cosmic web.
Our actions have ripple effects throughout the universe.
The future of humanity depends on our collective consciousness.
Let us strive to create a world of peace, love, and harmony.
Natural selection can only develop those faculties that are immediately useful to their possessor.
The brain of the lowest savages, and, what is more important, their mental capacity, is very little inferior to that of the average members of our own civilised society.
I do not believe that the brain of the savage could have been developed by natural selection alone.
A superior intelligence has guided the development of man in a definite direction, and for a special purpose.
The spiritual nature of man, which is so universally believed in, must have had some origin.
The universe is not a mere chance aggregation of atoms, but the designed work of a supreme intelligence.
The earth is the only inhabited planet in the solar system, and probably in the entire universe.
Contemporaries of Alfred Russel Wallace
Other Biologys born within 50 years of Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913).