Carl Linnaeus

Biology Swedish 1707 – 1778 349 quotes

Father of modern taxonomy and binomial nomenclature

Quotes by Carl Linnaeus

My work is not just about names, but about understanding the divine order.

Attributed

The world was a library without an index until I came along.

Self-description (often attributed)

God created, Linnaeus arranged.

Attributed

The first step in wisdom is to know the things themselves; this is the philosopher's stone, for it is the key to all knowledge.

Philosophia Botanica

The earth's crust is a graveyard of organisms.

Attributed

The more I see, the more I am convinced that everything in nature is connected.

Attributed

No one is born a master.

Attributed

All things are ordered and arranged by God.

Attributed

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

Nature is the great book of God.

Attributed

The human mind is a wonderful thing. It starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.

Attributed (humorous, but touches on consciousness)

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)

The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.

Attributed (though often misattributed, reflects a similar sentiment)