--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has sometimes been said that the…" description: "\"It has sometimes been said that the success of the Origin proved \"that the subject was in the air,\" or \"that men's minds were prepared for it.\" I do no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/charles-darwin-507_air_it-has-sometimes-been-said-that-the-succ_3031736.jpg" --- # It has sometimes been said that the success of the Origin… ![“It has sometimes been said that the success of the Origin proved "that the subject was in the air," or "that men's minds were prepared for it." I do not think that this is strictly true, for I occasionally sounded not a few naturalists, and never happened to come across a single one who seemed to…” quote by Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/charles-darwin-507_air_it-has-sometimes-been-said-that-the-succ_3031736.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/charles-darwin-507_air_it-has-sometimes-been-said-that-the-succ_3031736.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/charles-darwin-507_air_it-has-sometimes-been-said-that-the-succ_3031736.jpg) > “It has sometimes been said that the success of the Origin proved "that the subject was in the air," or "that men's minds were prepared for it." I do not think that this is strictly true, for I occasionally sounded not a few naturalists, and never happened to come across a single one who seemed to doubt about the permanence of species.” [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Darwin notes that many believed the idea of evolution was inevitable, but he observed that few naturalists questioned species permanence. **In simple terms:** People thought evolution was inevitable, yet few doubted species lasting. Key Takeaway Recognize that scientific ideas can be accepted without deep scrutiny. Themes science history philosophy evolution belief Mood thoughtful analytical Type historical scientific reflective When to use this quote - academic debates - education curricula - public policy - media coverage Key Concepts naturalism epistemology paradigm shift Questions to Reflect On - How does consensus shape scientific progress? - What mechanisms ensure ongoing questioning? A Different Perspective Some may argue that consensus can suppress critical inquiry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Naturalist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturalist/) [Naturalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naturalists/) [Permanence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanence/) [Preparation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparation/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Now when naturalists observe a close agreement in numerous small details of habits, tastes and dispositions between two or more domestic races, or between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/now-when-naturalists-observe-a-close-agreement-in-numerous-small/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It is really laughable to see what different ideas are prominent in various naturalists' minds, when they speak of 'species'; in some, resemblance is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-is-really-laughable-to-see-what-different-ideas-are-prominent-in/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Although I am fully convinced of the truth of Evolution, I by no means expect to convince experienced naturalists. 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Most of the great early English naturalists were also ministers;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/up-until-the-middle-of-the-nineteenth-century-men-of-science-were-all/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [In short, it is not that evolutionary naturalists have been less brazen than the scientific creationists in holding science hostage, but rather that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-e-johnson/in-short-it-is-not-that-evolutionary-naturalists-have-been-less/) [Phillip E. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-e-johnson/) ## More by Charles Darwin > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [The main conclusion here arrived at ... is that man is descended from some less highly organized form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-main-conclusion-here-arrived-at-is-that-man-is-descended-from/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [So great is the economy of nature, that most flowers which are fertilised by crepuscular or nocturnal insects emit their odour chiefly or exclusively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/so-great-is-the-economy-of-nature-that-most-flowers-which-are/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious views of anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-see-no-good-reasons-why-the-views-given-in-this-volume-should-shock/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [If worms have the power of acquiring some notion, however rude, of the shape of an object and over their burrows, as seems the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/if-worms-have-the-power-of-acquiring-some-notion-however-rude-of-the/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [We can allow satellites, planets, suns, universe, nay whole systems of universes, to be governed by laws, but the smallest insect, we wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/we-can-allow-satellites-planets-suns-universe-nay-whole-systems-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [Formerly Milton's Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/formerly-milton-s-paradise-lost-had-been-my-chief-favourite-and-in-my/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [May we not suspect that the vague but very real fears of children, which are quite independent of experience, are the inherited effects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/may-we-not-suspect-that-the-vague-but-very-real-fears-of-children/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-may-be-said-that-natural-selection-is-daily-and-hourly/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [“Darwin, landing in Brazil in 1832, had a similar reaction, colored by his reading of his predecessor." 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