Thomas Henry Huxley Quotes

A collection of quotes by Thomas Henry Huxley.

Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) was a British biologist, anatomist, and influential advocate for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Born in Ealing, England, Huxley showed a keen interest in natural history from an early age. Although he did not have a formal education, his passion and self-taught knowledge propelled him into a successful scientific career.

Huxley's contributions to biology were vast and multifaceted. He conducted extensive research on marine life, particularly on jellyfish, which earned him the nickname "Darwin's Bulldog" for his fierce defense of evolution. Huxley's meticulous anatomical studies of both invertebrates and vertebrates further solidified his reputation as a distinguished comparative anatomist.

As a prominent advocate for Darwinism, Huxley engaged in numerous debates and public lectures, passionately defending the scientific evidence supporting evolution and challenging religious opposition. His articulate and persuasive arguments played a crucial role in establishing evolutionary theory within the scientific community and popularizing it among the general public.

In addition to his scientific endeavors, Huxley made significant contributions to education. He championed a reformed curriculum that emphasized practical science, emphasizing the importance of hands-on experimentation and observation. He also played a pivotal role in the establishment of the natural history departments at the British Museum and the University of London.

Thomas Henry Huxley's legacy extends far beyond his lifetime. His dedication to scientific inquiry and his fervent support for evolutionary theory continue to inspire generations of scientists and thinkers.

In scientific work, those who refuse to go beyond fact rarel

In scientific work, those who refuse to go beyond fact rarely get as far as fact.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Science

Time, whose tooth gnaws away at everything else, is powerles

Time, whose tooth gnaws away at everything else, is powerless against truth.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Time

The great end of life is not knowledge but action.

The great end of life is not knowledge but action.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Action(s)

Science is simply common sense at its best--that is, rigidly

Science is simply common sense at its best--that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Science

It is not who is right, but what is right, that is of import

It is not who is right, but what is right, that is of importance.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Right

Science is nothing, but trained and organized common sense.

Science is nothing, but trained and organized common sense.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Common Sense

Patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than twice t

Patience and tenacity of purpose are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Persistence

I know of no department of natural science more likely to re

I know of no department of natural science more likely to reward a man who goes into it thoroughly than anthropology. There is an immense deal to be done in the science pure and simple, and it is one of those branches of inquiry which brings one into contact with the great problems of humanity in every direction.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Science

Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned e

Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Truth

Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmansh

Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds your stuff to any degree of fineness; but, nevertheless, what you get out depends on what you put in; and as the grandest mill in the world will not extract wheat flour from peas cods, so pages of formulae will not get a definite result out of loose data.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Mathematics

Try to learn something about everything and everything about

Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Learning

The foundation of morality is to have done, once and for all

The foundation of morality is to have done, once and for all, with lying

Thomas Henry Huxley

Morals

Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to

Sit down before fact like a little child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion. Follow humbly wherever and to whatever abyss Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Facts

No delusion is greater than the notion that method and indus

No delusion is greater than the notion that method and industry can make up for lack of mother-wit, either in science or in practical life.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Science

It is because the body is a machine that education is possib

It is because the body is a machine that education is possible. Education is the formation of habits, a superinducing of an artificial organization upon the natural organization of the body.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Education

A world of facts lies outside and beyond the world of words.

A world of facts lies outside and beyond the world of words.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Facts

There is no alleviation for the sufferings of mankind except

There is no alleviation for the sufferings of mankind except veracity of thought and of action, and the resolute facing of the world as it is when the garment of make-believe by which pious hands have hidden its uglier features is stripped off.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Integrity

Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the ab

Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Knowledge

We live in a world which is full of misery and ignorance, an

We live in a world which is full of misery and ignorance, and the plain duty of each and all of us is to try to make the little corner he can influence somewhat less miserable and somewhat less ignorant than it was before he entered it.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Duty

The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful h

The great tragedy of science -- the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.

Thomas Henry Huxley

Science