J.B.S. Haldane

It took man 250,000 years to transcend the hunting pack. It will not take him so long to transcend the nation.

Science affects the average man and woman in two ways already. He or she benefits by its application driving a motor-car or omnibus instead of a horse-drawn vehicle, and being treated for disease by a doctor or surgeon rather than a witch.

My practice as a scientist is atheistic. That is to say, when I set up an experiment I assume that no god, angel or devil is going to interfere with its course; and this assumption has been justified by such success as I have achieved in my professional career. I should therefore be intellectually dishonest if I were not also atheistic in the affairs of the world.

An attempt to study the evolution of living organisms without reference to cytology would be as futile as an account of stellar evolution which ignored spectroscopy.

பிரபஞ்சம் நாம் அனுமானித்திருந்ததைவிட அதிக விசித்திரமானது மட்டுமல்ல; நம்மால் அனுமானிக்க முடிவதைவிட அதிக விசித்திரமானதும்கூட

The world shall perish not for lack of wonders, but for lack of wonder

I have no doubt that in reality the future will be vastly more surprising than anything I can imagine. Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose.

I suppose the process of acceptance will pass through the usual four stages: i) this is worthless nonsense; ii) this is an interesting, but perverse, point of view; iii) this is true, but quite unimportant; iv) I always said so.

Now, my own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose. I have read and heard many attempts at a systematic account of it, from materialism and theosophy to the Christian system or that of Kant, and I have always felt that they were much too simple. I suspect that there are more things in heaven and earth that are dreamed of, or can be dreamed of, in any philosophy. That is the reason why I have no philosophy myself, and must be my excuse for dreaming.

Teleology is like a mistress to a biologist: he cannot live without her but he’s unwilling to be seen with her in public.

There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god.

The universe is not only stranger than we imagine; but stranger than we CAN imagine.

I would lay down my life for two brothers or eight cousins.

We can fortell little of the future save that the thing that has not been is the thing that shall be.

"The four stages of acceptance:
1. This is worthless nonsense.
2. This is an interesting, but perverse, point of view.
3. This is true, but quite unimportant.
4. I always said so."

(Review of <i>The Truth About Death</i>, in: <i>Journal of Genetics</i> 1963, Vol. 58, p.464)