E.O. Wilson > Quotes

“Let us see how high we can fly before the sun melts the wax in our wings.”
― E.O. Wilson

“An ideal scientist thinks like a poet and only later works like a book-keeper.”
― E. O. Wilson

“The diversity of life forms, so numerous that we have yet to identify most of them, is the greatest wonder on this planet.”
― E. O. Wilson

“If we were to wipe out insects alone on this planet, the rest of life and humanity with it would mostly disappear from the land. Within a few months.”
― E.O. Wilson

“Science is the global civilization of which I am a citizen. The spread of its democratic ethic and its unifying powers provides my faith in humanity. The astonishing depths of wonders in the universe, continuously revealed by science is my temple. The capacity of the informed human mind, liberated at last by the understanding that we are alone and thus the sole stewards of earth, is my religion. The potential of humanity to turn this planet into a paradise for future generations is my afterlife.”
― E. O. Wilson

“Exclusion makes us suffer, inclusion makes us thrive.”
― E. O. Wilson

“The real problem of humanity is the following:
We have Paleolithic emotions,
Medieval institutions,
and God-like technology.
And it is terrifically dangerous…..”
― E.O. Wilson

“I think I may have been the only scientist in modern times to be physically attacked for an idea.”
― E.O. Wilson

“Scientists should think like poets and work like accountants.”
― E.O. Wilson

“The fundamental problem of humanity is we have paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and god-like technology.”
― E.O. Wilson

“The subject for you, as in any true love, is one in which you are interested and that stirs passion and promises pleasure from a lifetime of devotion.”
― E.O. Wilson

“Meanwhile, the most frequent question I am casually asked about ants is, 'What do I do about the ones in my kitchen?' My answer is, Watch where you step, be careful of little lives, consider becoming an amateur myrmecologist, and contribute to their scientific study. Further, why should these wondrous little insects not visit your kitchen? They carry no disease, and may help eliminate other insects that do carry disease. You are a million times larger than each one. You could hold an entire colony in your cupped hands. You inspire fear in them; they should not in you.

I recommend that you make use of your kitchen ants by feeding them and reflecting upon what you see, rather like an informal tour of a very foreign country. Place a few pieces of food the size of a thumbnail on the floor or sink. House ants are especially fond of honey, sugar water, chopped nuts, and canned tuna. A scout in close vicinity will soon find one of the baits and, to the degree the colony is hungry, run excitedly back to the nest. There will follow social behavior so alien to human experience that it might as well be on some other planet.”
― E.O. Wilson