5 Quotes & Sayings By Charles Lyell

Charles Lyell, the son of the famous geologist, was a botanist and naturalist before entering the profession of geology. He was a great collector and an accomplished writer as well as a teacher. He wrote numerous books including The Principles of Geology , published in three volumes between 1830 and 1833, and Catastrophes: Or, Recent Disasters , published in 1883. Catastrophes records his travels across the United States to see the damages caused by recent floods and earthquakes, and includes maps and illustrations of these disasters.

1
Each species may have had its origin in a single pair, or individual, where an individual was sufficient, and species may have been created in succession at such times and in such places as to enable them to multiply and endure for an appointed period, and occupy an appointed space on the globe. Charles Lyell
2
Amidst the vicissitudes of the earth's surface, species cannot be immortal, but must perish, one after another, like the individuals which compose them. There is no possibility of escaping from this conclusion. Charles Lyell
3
It must have appeared almost as improbable to the earlier geologists, that the laws of earthquakes should one day throw light on the origin of mountains, as it must to the first astronomers, that the fall of an apple should assist in explaining the motions of the moon. Charles Lyell
4
Never call an accountant a credit to his profession a good accountant is a debit to his profession. Charles Lyell