|

|

Advertisements

Lewis Thomas Quotes

Cats are a standing rebuke to behavioral scientists wanting to know how the minds of animals work. The mind of a cat is an unscrutable mystery Picture Quote #1

It is a distortion, with something profoundly disloyal about it, to picture the human being as a teetering, fallible contraption, always needing, watching and patching, always on the verge of flapping to pieces Picture Quote #1

If an idea cannot move on its own, pushing it doesn’t help; best to let it lie there Picture Quote #1

I will confess that I have no more sense of what goes on in the mind of mankind than I have for the mind of an ant Picture Quote #1

The human mind is not meant to be governed, certainly not by any book of rules yet written; it is supposed to run itself, and we are obliged to follow it along, trying to keep up with it as best we can Picture Quote #1

Given any new technology for transmitting information, we seem bound to use it for great quantities of small talk. We are only saved by music from being overwhelmed by nonsense Picture Quote #1

Advertisements

We still think of human disease as the work of an organized, modernized kind of demonology, in which the bacteria are the most visible and centrally placed of our adversaries. We assume that they must somehow relish what they do Picture Quote #1

Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you’d think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise Picture Quote #1

A multitude of bees can tell the time of day, calculate the geometry of the sun’s position, argue about the best location for the next swarm. Bees do a lot of close observing of other bees; maybe they know what follows stinging and do it anyway Picture Quote #1

Animals have genes for altruism, and those genes have been selected in the evolution of many creatures because of the advantage they confer for the continuing survival of the species Picture Quote #1

Of all celestial bodies within reach or view, as far as we can see, out to the edge, the most wonderful and marvellous and mysterious is turning out to be our own planet earth. There is nothing to match it anywhere, not yet anyway Picture Quote #1

The earliest sensation at the onset of illness, often preceding the recognition of identifiable symptoms, is apprehension. Something has gone wrong, and a glimpse of mortality shifts somewhere deep in the mind. It is the most ancient of our fears Picture Quote #1

Advertisements

The uniformity of the earth’s life, more astonishing than its diversity, is accountable by the high probability that we derived, originally, from some single cell, fertilized in a bolt of lightning as the earth cooled Picture Quote #1

The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th century science has been the discovery of human ignorance Picture Quote #1

It is not a simple life to be a single cell, although I have no right to say so, having been a single cell so long ago myself that I have no memory at all of that stage of my life Picture Quote #1

I can say, if I like, that social insects behave like the working parts of an immense central nervous system: the termite colony is an enormous brain on millions of legs; the individual termite is a mobile neurone Picture Quote #1

I cannot think of a single field in biology or medicine in which we can claim genuine understanding, and it seems to me the more we learn about living creatures, especially ourselves, the stranger life becomes Picture Quote #1

It is in our genes to understand the universe if we can, to keep trying even if we cannot, and to be enchanted by the act of learning all the way Picture Quote #1

Advertisements

It is not so bad being ignorant if you are totally ignorant; the hard thing is knowing in some detail the reality of ignorance Picture Quote #1

Science is founded on uncertainty. Each time we learn something new and surprising, the astonishment comes with the realization that we were wrong before Picture Quote #1

We owe our lives to the sun... How is it, then, that we feel no gratitude? Picture Quote #1

Good applied science in medicine, as in physics, requires a high degree of certainty about the basic facts at hand, and especially about their meaning, and we have not yet reached this point for most of medicine Picture Quote #1

The gift of language is the single human trait that marks us all genetically, setting us apart from the rest of life Picture Quote #1

We can take some gratification at having come a certain distance in just a few thousand years of our existence as language users, but it should be a deeper satisfaction, even an exhilaration, to recognize that we have such a distance still to go Picture Quote #1

Advertisements

I do not agree with this century’s fashion of running down the human species as a failed try, a doomed sport. At our worst, we may be going through the early stages of adolescence, and everyone remembers what that is like Picture Quote #1

The literature has become too vast to comprehend... It is... difficult to grasp even for workers in closely neighboring fields... There is much more reliance on word of mouth for the transmission of scientific data... gossip Picture Quote #1

Society evolves not by shouting each other down, but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings to comprehend each other Picture Quote #1

It’s just plain learning something that you didn’t know. There is a real aesthetic experience in being dumbfounded Picture Quote #1

I don’t think that the permanence of the individual human soul is an indispensable part of religious thought Picture Quote #1

At this early stage in our evolution, now through our infancy and into our childhood and then, with luck, our growing up, what our species needs most of all, right now, is simply a future Picture Quote #1

1 2 3 4

Friendship Quotes

Motivational Quotes

Inspirational Quotes

Advertisements

Text Quotes

Cats are a standing rebuke to behavioral scientists wanting to know how the minds of animals work. The mind of a cat is an unscrutable mystery (Lewis Thomas Quotes) It is a distortion, with something profoundly disloyal about it, to picture the human being as a teetering, fallible contraption, always needing, watching and patching, always on the verge of flapping to pieces (Lewis Thomas Quotes) If an idea cannot move on its own, pushing it doesn’t help; best to let it lie there (Lewis Thomas Quotes) I will confess that I have no more sense of what goes on in the mind of mankind than I have for the mind of an ant (Lewis Thomas Quotes) The human mind is not meant to be governed, certainly not by any book of rules yet written; it is supposed to run itself, and we are obliged to follow it along, trying to keep up with it as best we can (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Given any new technology for transmitting information, we seem bound to use it for great quantities of small talk. We are only saved by music from being overwhelmed by nonsense (Lewis Thomas Quotes) We still think of human disease as the work of an organized, modernized kind of demonology, in which the bacteria are the most visible and centrally placed of our adversaries. We assume that they must somehow relish what they do (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you’d think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise (Lewis Thomas Quotes) A multitude of bees can tell the time of day, calculate the geometry of the sun’s position, argue about the best location for the next swarm. Bees do a lot of close observing of other bees; maybe they know what follows stinging and do it anyway (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Animals have genes for altruism, and those genes have been selected in the evolution of many creatures because of the advantage they confer for the continuing survival of the species (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Of all celestial bodies within reach or view, as far as we can see, out to the edge, the most wonderful and marvellous and mysterious is turning out to be our own planet earth. There is nothing to match it anywhere, not yet anyway (Lewis Thomas Quotes) The earliest sensation at the onset of illness, often preceding the recognition of identifiable symptoms, is apprehension. Something has gone wrong, and a glimpse of mortality shifts somewhere deep in the mind. It is the most ancient of our fears (Lewis Thomas Quotes) The uniformity of the earth’s life, more astonishing than its diversity, is accountable by the high probability that we derived, originally, from some single cell, fertilized in a bolt of lightning as the earth cooled (Lewis Thomas Quotes) The greatest of all the accomplishments of 20th century science has been the discovery of human ignorance (Lewis Thomas Quotes) It is not a simple life to be a single cell, although I have no right to say so, having been a single cell so long ago myself that I have no memory at all of that stage of my life (Lewis Thomas Quotes) I can say, if I like, that social insects behave like the working parts of an immense central nervous system: the termite colony is an enormous brain on millions of legs; the individual termite is a mobile neurone (Lewis Thomas Quotes) I cannot think of a single field in biology or medicine in which we can claim genuine understanding, and it seems to me the more we learn about living creatures, especially ourselves, the stranger life becomes (Lewis Thomas Quotes) It is in our genes to understand the universe if we can, to keep trying even if we cannot, and to be enchanted by the act of learning all the way (Lewis Thomas Quotes) It is not so bad being ignorant if you are totally ignorant; the hard thing is knowing in some detail the reality of ignorance (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Science is founded on uncertainty. Each time we learn something new and surprising, the astonishment comes with the realization that we were wrong before (Lewis Thomas Quotes) We owe our lives to the sun... How is it, then, that we feel no gratitude? (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Good applied science in medicine, as in physics, requires a high degree of certainty about the basic facts at hand, and especially about their meaning, and we have not yet reached this point for most of medicine (Lewis Thomas Quotes) The gift of language is the single human trait that marks us all genetically, setting us apart from the rest of life (Lewis Thomas Quotes) We can take some gratification at having come a certain distance in just a few thousand years of our existence as language users, but it should be a deeper satisfaction, even an exhilaration, to recognize that we have such a distance still to go (Lewis Thomas Quotes) I do not agree with this century’s fashion of running down the human species as a failed try, a doomed sport. At our worst, we may be going through the early stages of adolescence, and everyone remembers what that is like (Lewis Thomas Quotes) The literature has become too vast to comprehend... It is... difficult to grasp even for workers in closely neighboring fields... There is much more reliance on word of mouth for the transmission of scientific data... gossip (Lewis Thomas Quotes) Society evolves not by shouting each other down, but by the unique capacity of unique, individual human beings to comprehend each other (Lewis Thomas Quotes) It’s just plain learning something that you didn’t know. There is a real aesthetic experience in being dumbfounded (Lewis Thomas Quotes) I don’t think that the permanence of the individual human soul is an indispensable part of religious thought (Lewis Thomas Quotes) At this early stage in our evolution, now through our infancy and into our childhood and then, with luck, our growing up, what our species needs most of all, right now, is simply a future (Lewis Thomas Quotes)

1 2 3 4