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Lewis Thomas Quotes about Life

All Lewis Thomas Quotes Affection Children Dying Earth Growing Up Ignorance Knowledge Language Learning Life quotes Memories Morning Music Nature Reality Running Science Survival Technology Understanding Worry Writing
Mistakes are at the very base of human thought, embedded there, feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the knack for being wrong, we could never get anything useful done. We think our way

Mistakes are at the very base of human thought, embedded there, feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the knack for being wrong, we could never get anything useful done. We think our way along by choosing between right and wrong alternatives, and the wrong choices have to be made as often as the right ones. We get along in life this way.

Lewis Thomas
Life, Mistake, Creativity
Lewis Thomas (1990). “A Long Line of Cells Collected Essays”

We are, perhaps, uniquely among the earth's creatures, the worrying animal. We worry away our lives, fearing the future, discontent with the present, unable to take in the idea of dying, unable to sit still.

Lewis Thomas
Life, Death, Fear
Lewis Thomas (1990). “A Long Line of Cells Collected Essays”

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

Lewis Thomas
Life, Gratitude, Earth Day

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
Life, Science, Thinking

We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness is about as close to a 'common goal' of nature as I can guess at.

Lewis Thomas
Life, Music, Science
Lewis Thomas (1990). “A Long Line of Cells Collected Essays”

...the life of the planet began the long, slow process of modulating and regulating the physical conditions of the planet. The oxygen in today's atmosphere is almost entirely the result of photosynthetic living, which had its start with the appearance of blue-green algae among the microorganisms.

Lewis Thomas
Life, Science, Blue
Lewis Thomas (1982). “The Nineteenth Cosmos Club Award, Lewis Thomas, M.D.”

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