Edward O. Wilson

The meaning of life is to find your gift, and the purpose is to give it away.

The real problem of humanity is the following: We have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and god-like technology.

If all insects on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all life on Earth would disappear. If all humans on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all species would flourish.

The more we know, the more we realize how much we don't know.

The love of complexity without reductionism makes for a flabby humanism; the love of reductionism without an appreciation of complexity makes for a barren scientism.

The brain is a meat machine.

The world is a wonder, and we are its stewards.

The highest forms of life are not those that are most complex, but those that are most diverse.

The human mind is a product of evolution, and its capacities are constrained by its history.

The only way to save the world is to save the species.

The greatest challenge facing humanity is to learn to live sustainably on Earth.

The more we understand about the natural world, the more we appreciate its beauty and complexity.

The future of humanity depends on our ability to protect biodiversity.

The greatest discovery of all time is that the universe is knowable.

The human mind is a product of natural selection, and its capacities are adapted to the environment in which it evolved.

The only way to understand the human condition is to understand its biological roots.

The world is a single, interconnected system, and we are all a part of it.

The greatest threat to biodiversity is human ignorance and indifference.

The human species is a social species, and our behavior is shaped by our social environment.

The natural world is a source of both beauty and terror.