Botanical Collector

Charles Darwin

Science

1758–1778

"It is mere rubbish thinking, at present, of origin of life; one might as well think of origin of matter. —"

John Stuart Mill

Philosophy

Liberalism

1806–1873

"If I had loved any one sufficiently to make confiding my griefs a necessity, I should not have been in the condition."

🇩🇪Rosa Luxemburg

Social Activism

1871–1919

"Historically, the errors committed by a truly revolutionary movement are infinitely more fruitful than the infallibility of the cleverest Central Committee."

John Muir

Philosophy

environmentalism

1838–1914

"One day's exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books. See how willingly Nature poses herself upon photographers' plates. No earthly chemicals are so sensitive as those of the human soul."

"I have come to view vegetarianism as a standing protest against predation, which is life's greatest evil. If there were no other argument in its favor, that would be sufficient."

🇫🇷Pierre-Paul Grassé

Science

1895–1985

"The mutation of bacteria and viruses are merely hereditary fluctuations around a median position; a swing to the right, a swing to the left, but no final evolutionary effect."

🇺🇸Hugh Iltis

Science

1925–2016

"The general biological ignorance bodes ill for democratic decisions on environmental issues."

🇫🇷Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Religion

1881–1955

"The Human Phenomenon Excerpts from the book"

Harry Johnston

Art

1858–1927

"It is the first rational exposition of the relations of mankind to the mystery which shrouds the how and wherefore of man's existence, the first honest protest against our long, long martyrdom."

Julian Huxley

Science

atheism

1887–1975

"The New Divinity" from Essays of a Humanist"

🇺🇸Percival Lowell

Mathematics

1855–1916

"Are physical forces alone at work there, or has evolution begotten something more complex, something not unakin to what we know on Earth as life?"

🇺🇸John Muir (indologist)

Philosophy

environmentalism

1838–1914

"“Only that man... who is deluded, who is desirous of acquiring profits, who has neither deliberated upon his own religion, nor looked at the defects in Christianity, would become a Christian."

🇺🇸John James Audubon

Science

Naturalism

1785–1851

"International celebration of Audubon through stamps"

🇬🇧Wilfred Thesiger

Military

1910–2003

"They strolled with me through the streets hand in hand, as is usual with Arab friends, but I was lightly uncomfortable, having re-acquired my inhibitions with my trousers."

🇬🇧Richard Francis Burton

Military

1821–1890

"The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself."

James Hudson Taylor

Medicine

1832–1905

"You are not sent to preach death and sin and judgment, but life and holiness and salvation – not to be a witness against the people, but to be a witness for God – to preach the good news – Christ Himself."

🇺🇸George Washington Carver

Technology

1864–1943

"The Life of George Washington Carver: In His Own Words, Eagle Forum University."

"“...from its name, Ramgar, I am inclined to support that it was a part of the building actually erected by Rama."

🇫🇷Jean-Henri Fabre

Science

Félibrige

1823–1915

"Without feeling abashed by my ignorance, I confess that I am absolutely unable to say. In the absence of an appearance of learning, my answer has at least one merit, that of perfect sincerity."

🇩🇪Alexander von Humboldt

Philosophy

1767–1835

"Our imagination is struck only by what is great; but the lover of natural philosophy should reflect equally on little things."

🇬🇧Alfred Russel Wallace

Science

1823–1913

"Every species has come into existence coincident both in space and time with a pre-existing closely allied species."

🇺🇸Thomas Wentworth Higginson

Politics

1823–1911

"To be really cosmopolitan a man must be at home even in his own country."

🇺🇸Roy Chapman Andrews

Science

1884–1960

"I wanted to go everywhere. I would have started on a day’s notice for the North Pole or the South, to the jungle or the desert. It made not the slightest difference to me."

Gregor Mendel

Science

1822–1884

"1913 Catholic Encyclopedia entry, "Mendel, Mendelism"

🇺🇸Aldo Leopold

Science

1887–1948

"Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization."

🇺🇸Louis Agassiz

Science

1807–1873

"The facts will eventually test all our theories, and they form, after all, the only impartial jury to which we can appeal."

🇬🇧Douglas Mawson

Science

1882–1958

"If we ignore the facts contained in one part of the world, surely we are hampering scientific advance."