--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have come to understand, like Darwin…" description: "\"“I have come to understand, like Darwin had, that earthworms are not destroyers, but redeemers. They move through waste and decay in their contemplativ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg" --- # I have come to understand, like Darwin had, that… ![“I have come to understand, like Darwin had, that earthworms are not destroyers, but redeemers. They move through waste and decay in their contemplative way, sifting, turning it into something else, something that is better.” quote by Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg) > ““I have come to understand, like Darwin had, that earthworms are not destroyers, but redeemers. They move through waste and decay in their contemplative way, sifting, turning it into something else, something that is better.”” [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Earthworms transform waste into fertile soil, showing that decay can become renewal through quiet, persistent work. **In simple terms:** Earthworms turn waste into life. Key Takeaway Value humble, steady work that improves surroundings. Themes nature renewal humility Mood reflective optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - gardening - environmental restoration - personal growth - community projects Key Concepts ecosystem services decomposition transformation Questions to Reflect On - How can you become a quiet transformer in your environment? - What waste in your life can be turned into something better? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex ecological processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darwin Earthworms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwin-earthworms-4880270/) [Decay Contemplative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decay-contemplative-4880272/) [Earthworms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthworms/) [Earthworms Destroyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthworms-destroyers-4880271/) [Like Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-darwin-3175620/) ## Related quotes > [“My dad was a different person when he lectured: his eyes sparkled, his lips turned upward… 'Think what it must have been like for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynn-barnes/my-dad-was-a-different-person-when-he-lectured-his-eyes-sparkled-his/) [Jennifer Lynn Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynn-barnes/) > [“Any environment, any single life is in a continuous state of change. This is just more obvious when you pay attention to earthworms. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/any-environment-any-single-life-is-in-a-continuous-state-of-change/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [The Earthworm plows the whole world with his tunnels, drains and aerates the earth… If you ever buy any land, be sure it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-earthworm-plows-the-whole-world-with-his-tunnels-drains-and/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [It may not be irrelevant to note that even very modest forms of life, like earthworms, dung beetles and fiddler crabs, have no trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-goldsmith/it-may-not-be-irrelevant-to-note-that-even-very-modest-forms-of-life/) [Edward Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-goldsmith/) > [Earthworms will dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/earthworms-will-dance/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [Earthworms cannot be painters. Those who live in the darkness can never perceive and appreciate the beauties of the light!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/earthworms-cannot-be-painters-those-who-live-in-the-darkness-can/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Earthworms are the intenstines of the soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/earthworms-are-the-intenstines-of-the-soil/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [How earthy old people become --moldy as the grave! Their wisdom smacks of the earth. There is no foretaste of immortality in it. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/how-earthy-old-people-become-moldy-as-the-grave-their-wisdom-smacks/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Earthworms are far more valuable than people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/earthworms-are-far-more-valuable-than-people/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“In a deserted stretch of the Karadj highway Munis had come face-to-face with unbridled lust, although she knew what lust was before being touched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrnush-parsipur/in-a-deserted-stretch-of-the-karadj-highway-munis-had-come-face-to/) [Shahrnush Parsipur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrnush-parsipur/) ## More by Amy Stewart > [“The first boozy concoction to come from apples was cider. Americans refer to unfiltered apple juice as apple cider and usually drink it hot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/the-first-boozy-concoction-to-come-from-apples-was-cider-americans/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Angels’ Share: In storage, a small amount of alcohol escapes the barrel through evaporation. Distillers call this lost alcohol the angels’ share. Whiskey and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/angels-share-in-storage-a-small-amount-of-alcohol-escapes-the-barrel/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Early spice traders tried to plant allspice seeds around the world but found them impossible to germinate. Eventually it was discovered that the seeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/early-spice-traders-tried-to-plant-allspice-seeds-around-the-world/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Absinthe is legal today in Europe, the United States, and many places around the world. Some governments regulate the amount of thujone that may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/absinthe-is-legal-today-in-europe-the-united-states-and-many-places/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“As the tree matures, the older vessels become plugged with crystalline structures called tyloses, and as a result, the center of the tree—the heartwood—doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/as-the-tree-matures-the-older-vessels-become-plugged-with-crystalline/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“the layer of charcoal filters and flavors the whiskey,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/the-layer-of-charcoal-filters-and-flavors-the-whiskey/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Perhaps it makes sense that a creature that doesn't get ill and has few enemies among its neighbors would also live agelessly and die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/perhaps-it-makes-sense-that-a-creature-that-doesn-t-get-ill-and-has/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Wapsie Valley, known for producing red kernels. (The legend behind Wapsie Valley is that at corn shuckings, any man who found a red kernel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/wapsie-valley-known-for-producing-red-kernels-the-legend-behind/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Among the many benefits of “limestone water” was the fact that it came out of the ground at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/among-the-many-benefits-of-limestone-water-was-the-fact-that-it-came/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“I would’ve never guessed that a life in law enforcement was mostly spent waiting, that catching criminals requires not just clever thinking and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/i-would-ve-never-guessed-that-a-life-in-law-enforcement-was-mostly/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“When Coca-Cola made its ill-fated switch to New Coke, the Wall Street Journal reported that the economy of Madagascar nearly collapsed because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/when-coca-cola-made-its-ill-fated-switch-to-new-coke-the-wall-street/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“solera system for aging. The barrels are stacked four high, with finished sherry coming only from the bottom barrel. It is refilled by sherry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/solera-system-for-aging-the-barrels-are-stacked-four-high-with/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“Gin is really nothing more than a flavored vodka whose predominant flavor is juniper, so gin drinkers who say they won’t drink vodka misunderstand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/gin-is-really-nothing-more-than-a-flavored-vodka-whose-predominant/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“AROMA (OLD WORLD) HOPS Cascade Cluster East Kent Goldings Fuggle Hallertauer Hersbrucker Tettnang Willamette”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/aroma-old-world-hops-cascade-cluster-east-kent-goldings-fuggle/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [“An invasive European moth was to blame for a series of mysterious rashes among schoolchildren in northern Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1981, roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/an-invasive-european-moth-was-to-blame-for-a-series-of-mysterious/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) [Explore all 37 Amy Stewart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) ## More Earthworms quotes > [The Earthworm plows the whole world with his tunnels, drains and aerates the earth… If you ever buy any land, be sure it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-earthworm-plows-the-whole-world-with-his-tunnels-drains-and/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Earthworms are far more valuable than people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/earthworms-are-far-more-valuable-than-people/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [How earthy old people become --moldy as the grave! Their wisdom smacks of the earth. There is no foretaste of immortality in it. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/how-earthy-old-people-become-moldy-as-the-grave-their-wisdom-smacks/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Earthworms are the intenstines of the soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/earthworms-are-the-intenstines-of-the-soil/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Earthworms cannot be painters. Those who live in the darkness can never perceive and appreciate the beauties of the light!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/earthworms-cannot-be-painters-those-who-live-in-the-darkness-can/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Any environment, any single life is in a continuous state of change. This is just more obvious when you pay attention to earthworms. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/any-environment-any-single-life-is-in-a-continuous-state-of-change/) [Amy Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/) > [Earthworms will dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/earthworms-will-dance/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [It may not be irrelevant to note that even very modest forms of life, like earthworms, dung beetles and fiddler crabs, have no trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-goldsmith/it-may-not-be-irrelevant-to-note-that-even-very-modest-forms-of-life/) [Edward Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-goldsmith/) > [“In a deserted stretch of the Karadj highway Munis had come face-to-face with unbridled lust, although she knew what lust was before being touched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahrnush-parsipur/in-a-deserted-stretch-of-the-karadj-highway-munis-had-come-face-to/) [Shahrnush Parsipur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahrnush-parsipur/) [Browse all 10 Earthworms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthworms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have come to understand, like Darwin had, that earthworms are not destroyers, but redeemers. They move through waste and decay in their contemplative way, sifting, turning it into something else, something that is better.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Stewart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-had-that-earthworms-are-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Earthworms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-had-that-earthworms-are-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d86/amy-stewart-17368_earthworms_i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-ha_3019519.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have come to understand, like Darwin had, that earthworms are not destroyers, but redeemers. They move…” — Amy Stewart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Amy Stewart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-stewart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have come to understand, like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-had-that-earthworms-are-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-stewart/i-have-come-to-understand-like-darwin-had-that-earthworms-are-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```