William Beebe Quotes

#1. The marsh, to him who enters it in a receptive mood, holds, besides mosquitoes and stagnation, melody, the mystery of unknown waters, and the sweetness of Nature undisturbed by man.

William Beebe

#2. A first walk in any new country is one of the things which makes life on this planet worth being grateful for.

William Beebe

#3. Before we have the complete solution of the whys and wherefores of herding and flocking and schooling, there must be a great deal of uncomfortable climbing and diving, hiding in unpleasant places, getting wet and hot and cramped and weary.

William Beebe

#4. The longer we were in it, the smaller it seemed to get.

William Beebe

#5. The isness of things is well worth studying; but it is their whyness that makes life worth living.

William Beebe

#6. When ... we realize the possibilities of deep sea life still unknown to us, every haul of the dredge should be welcomed by an expectant enthusiasm equaled in other fields only by the possible hope of communication with our sister planets.

William Beebe

#7. I can only think of one experience which might exceed in interest a few hours spent under water, and that would be a journey to Mars.

William Beebe

#8. Earth has few secrets from the birds.

William Beebe

#9. To be a naturalist is better than to be a king.

William Beebe

#10. Butterflies doing strange things in very beautiful ways were in my mind when I sat down, but by the time my pen was uncapped my thoughts had shifted to rocks.

William Beebe