Amidst the vicissitudes of the earth's surface, species cannot be immortal, but must perish, one after another, like the individuals which compose them. There is no possibility of escaping from this conclusion.
Charles LyellRead
When the aggregate amount of solid matter transported by rivers in a given number of centuries from a large continent, shall be reduced to arithmetical computation, the result will appear most astonishing to those...not in the habit of reflecting how many of the mightiest of operations in nature are effected insensibly, without noise or disorder.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the vast and often unnoticed impacts of natural processes over time.
Charles Lyell's quote emphasizes the significance of geological processes such as erosion and sediment transport by rivers, suggesting that many profound changes in nature occur subtly and gradually, without drawing attention to themselves. It serves to remind us that some of the most powerful natural phenomena unfold quietly and require thoughtful reflection to appreciate their magnitude and impact on the landscape and environment.
Themes
NatureGeologyErosionChangeReflection
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about environmental conservation, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of recognizing gradual changes in nature.
More from Charles Lyell
All quotes →Never was there a dogma more calculated to foster indolence, and to blunt the keen edge of curiosity, than the assumption of the discordance between the former and the existing causes of change.
Charles LyellRead
The question now at issue, whether the living species are connected with the extinct by a common bond of descent, will best be cleared up by devoting ourselves to the study of the actual state of the living world, and to those monuments of the past in which the relics of the animate creation of former ages are best preserved and least mutilated by the hand of time.
Charles LyellRead
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