According to Lamarck, there was a force—the ‘power of life’—that pushed organisms to become increasingly complex.

Though it might be nice to imagine there once was a time when man lived in harmony with nature, it's not clear that he ever really did.

In what seems like a fantastic coincidence, but is probably no coincidence at all, the history of these events is recovered just as people come to realize that they are causing another one.

Amphibians—the word comes from the Greek meaning ‘double life.

His interest, after all, was not in the origin of species but in their demise.

The 'incredible frog hotel'—really a local bed and breakfast—...the frogs stay (in their tanks) in a block of rented rooms.

Realize that everything connects to everything else.

Beatrix, do you know what happens to girls who ask such naughty questions?”“They’re ravished in haylofts?” she inquired hopefully.

Reagan understood an important distinction that (Lyndon) Johnson never grasped: being in control and being successful aren't always the same thing.

Never believe anything a writer tells you about himself. A man comes to believe in the end the lies he tells himself about himself.

If you don't make mistakes, you don't make anything .

Sometimes idiosyncrasies which used to be irritating become endearing, part of the complexity of a partner who has become woven deep into our own selves.

As one boy said, 'I was thinking all these horrible thoughts about my parents when suddenly it hit me-if they're all that bad, how come I'm so wonderful'

To me, England is past its sell-by date. It's not the country I grew up in.