Carl Linnaeus

Biological taxonomy

Early Modern influential 145 sayings

Sayings by Carl Linnaeus

It is not God, but people themselves who shorten their lives by not keeping physically fit.

18th Century — A statement on personal responsibility for health, shifting focus from divine will to human agency.
Philosophical Unverifiable

It is the genus that gives the characters, and not the characters that make the genus.

18th Century — A foundational principle of his taxonomy, emphasizing the inherent nature of a genus over its descri…
Philosophical Unverifiable

The plant kingdom covers the entire earth, offering our senses great pleasure and the delights of summer.

18th Century — A poetic appreciation of the aesthetic and sensory value of the botanical world.
Philosophical Unverifiable

A professor can never better distinguish himself in his work than by encouraging a clever pupil, for the true discoverers are among them, as comets amongst the stars.

18th Century — A statement on mentorship and the nature of scientific discovery, valuing the potential of students.
Philosophical Unverifiable

The stony rocks are not primeval, but daughters of Time.

1735 — From 'Systema Naturae' (1735). A profound statement on geological time and the formation of the Eart…
Philosophical Unverifiable