--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even if not a single fossil has ever been…" description: "\"Even if not a single fossil has ever been found, the evidence from surviving animals would still overwhelmingly force the conclusion that Darwin was ri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg" --- # Even if not a single fossil has ever been found, the… ![“Even if not a single fossil has ever been found, the evidence from surviving animals would still overwhelmingly force the conclusion that Darwin was right.” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg) > “Even if not a single fossil has ever been found, the evidence from surviving animals would still overwhelmingly force the conclusion that Darwin was right.” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The abundance of living species provides overwhelming evidence supporting evolution, even if fossils are lacking. **In simple terms:** Living animals strongly support evolution. Key Takeaway Accept evolution despite missing fossils. Themes science evolution evidence Mood analytical confident Type scientific educational When to use this quote - education - debate - policy making - public outreach Key Concepts natural selection fossil record phylogeny Questions to Reflect On - How does current biodiversity inform evolutionary theory? - What other evidence complements fossils? A Different Perspective Fossils still valuable for detailed timelines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Conclusion Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion-darwin-5465791/) [Darwin Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darwin-right-1698178/) [Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence/) [Evidence Surviving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence-surviving-5465790/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Fossil Evidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fossil-evidence-844417/) [Fossils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fossils/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Single Fossil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-fossil-3316769/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Surviving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surviving/) ## Related quotes > [Evolution could so easily be disproved if just a single fossil turned up in the wrong date order. Evolution has passed this test with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/evolution-could-so-easily-be-disproved-if-just-a-single-fossil-turned/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [In contrast to creation, Darwinism does not have a single piece of evidence demonstrating the theory of evolution. Its proponents don't have any fossil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harun-yahya/in-contrast-to-creation-darwinism-does-not-have-a-single-piece-of/) [Harun Yahya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harun-yahya/) > [From the almost total absence of fossil evidence relative to the origin of the phyla, it follows that any explanation of the mechanism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/from-the-almost-total-absence-of-fossil-evidence-relative-to-the/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [Opponents say natural selection is not a theory supported by observation or experiment; that it is not based on fact; and that it cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/opponents-say-natural-selection-is-not-a-theory-supported-by/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Clausius and Darwin cannot both be right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-caillois/clausius-and-darwin-cannot-both-be-right/) [Roger Caillois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-caillois/) > [The absence of fossil evidence for intermediary stages between major transitions in organic design, indeed our inability, even in our imagination, to construct functional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-absence-of-fossil-evidence-for-intermediary-stages-between-major/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [All the fossils that we have ever found have always been found in the appropriate place in the time sequence. There are no fossils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/all-the-fossils-that-we-have-ever-found-have-always-been-found-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We don't need fossils - the case for evolution is watertight without them; so it is paradoxical to use gaps in the fossil record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-don-t-need-fossils-the-case-for-evolution-is-watertight-without/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [If it's really true, that the museum at Liberty University has dinosaur fossils which are labelled as being 3000 years old, then that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-it-s-really-true-that-the-museum-at-liberty-university-has/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The distribution of species on islands and continents throughout the world is exactly what you'd expect if evolution was a fact. The distribution of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-distribution-of-species-on-islands-and-continents-throughout-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [No matter what else happens, this is the century in which we must learn to live without fossil fuel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-goodstein/no-matter-what-else-happens-this-is-the-century-in-which-we-must/) [David Goodstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-goodstein/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I try not to be either optimistic or pessimistic. I try not to think about outcomes on that scale. My job, it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-try-not-to-be-either-optimistic-or-pessimistic-i-try-not-to-think/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [So many people are on the front lines of this fossil fuel frenzy. It is infused with a sense of urgency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-lewis/so-many-people-are-on-the-front-lines-of-this-fossil-fuel-frenzy-it/) [Avi Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-lewis/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. 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And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. 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If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? 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It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Even if not a single fossil has ever been found, the evidence from surviving animals would still overwhelmingly force the conclusion that Darwin was right.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Dawkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-been-found-the-evidence-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-been-found-the-evidence-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d3/richard-dawkins-115_animal_even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-bee_3118484.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Even if not a single fossil has ever been found, the evidence from surviving animals would still…” — Richard Dawkins", "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": "Richard Dawkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Even if not a single fossil...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-been-found-the-evidence-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/even-if-not-a-single-fossil-has-ever-been-found-the-evidence-from/#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 } } ] } ```