...Nature-the word that stands for the baffling mysteries of the Universe. Steadily, unflinchingly, we strive to pierce the inmost heart of Nature, from what she is to reconstruct what she has been, and to prophesy what she yet shall be. Veil after veil we have lifted, and her face grows more beautiful, august, and wonderful, with every barrier that is withdrawn.
Interpretation
The quote expresses humanity's persistent quest to understand the mysteries of nature, revealing its beauty with each discovery.
William Crookes reflects on the relentless human pursuit to understand nature and the universe. He suggests that as we gradually unveil the layers of nature's mysteries, we not only gain knowledge but also appreciate its inherent beauty and majesty, indicating that with every discovery, nature becomes even more glorious and complex.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech about environmental science to inspire respect for nature.
To stop short in any research that bids fair to widen the gates of knowledge, to recoil from fear of difficulty or adverse criticism, is to bring reproach on science. There is nothing for the investigator to do but go straight on, 'to explore up and down, inch by inch, with the taper his reason;' to follow the light wherever it may lead, even should it at times resemble a will-o'-the-wisp.
The most important environmental issue is one that is rarely mentioned, and that is the lack of a conservation ethic in our culture.
Take the entire 4.5-billion-year history of the earth and scale it down to a single year, with January 1 being the origin of the earth and midnight on December 31 being the present. Until June, the only organisms were single-celled microbes, such as algae, bacteria, and amoebae. The first animal with a head did not appear until October. The first human appears on December 31. We, like all the animals and plants that have ever lived, are recent crashers at the party of life on earth.
Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.
The wrongs done to trees, wrongs of every sort, are done in the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, for when the light comes, the heart of the people is always right.
That queen of secrecy, the violet.
It may be doubted that there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have these lowly organized creatures.
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