Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
Charles DarwinRead
...I have always maintained that, excepting fools, men did not differ much in intellect, only in zeal and hard work; and I still think there is an eminently important difference.
Interpretation
Intellect varies little among men; the key distinctions lie in their passion and effort.
In this quote, Charles Darwin suggests that the differences in intelligence among individuals are minimal. Instead, what truly sets people apart is their level of enthusiasm and dedication to their pursuits, implying that hard work and passion are significant determinants of success and achievement.
In practice
During a motivational speech for students emphasizing the importance of effort over natural talent.
Everything in nature is the result of fixed laws.
The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.
I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science....It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many flaw[s] & holes as sound parts.
We cannot fathom the marvelous complexity of an organic being; but on the hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must be looked at as a microcosm--a little universe, formed of a host of self-propagating organisms, inconceivably minute and as numerous as the stars in heaven.
I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.
we are always slow in admitting any great change of which we do not see the intermediate steps
Leisure is a form of silence, not noiselessness. It is the silence of contemplation such as occurs when we let our minds rest on a rosebud, a child at play, a Divine mystery, or a waterfall.
We're professional worriers. You're constantly imagining things that could go wrong and then writing about them.
I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship.
A wise person decides slowly but abides by these decisions.
Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.
You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.
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