--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mary Anning [is] probably the most…" description: "\"Mary Anning [is] probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology.\" — Stephen Jay Gould" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png" --- # Mary Anning \[is\] probably the most important unsung (or… ![“Mary Anning [is] probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png) > “Mary Anning \[is\] probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Anning’s crucial contributions to paleontology are largely unrecognized, highlighting gender bias in scientific history. **In simple terms:** Mary Anning was vital to paleontology but often ignored. Key Takeaway Recognize and celebrate overlooked contributors. Themes science gender bias history recognition paleontology Mood thoughtful inspirational Type historical motivational When to use this quote - museum exhibits - science curricula - public lectures - media profiles Key Concepts feminist theory historical revisionism Questions to Reflect On - Why do we forget women’s scientific work? - How can we correct historical narratives? A Different Perspective Some may argue her discoveries were collaborative, not solo. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Paleontology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paleontology/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Unsung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsung/) ## Related quotes > [Carers are important. They are the unsung heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-pedersen/carers-are-important-they-are-the-unsung-heroes/) [Aaron Pedersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-pedersen/) > [“Yes, Mary Anning, you are different from all the rocks on the beach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/yes-mary-anning-you-are-different-from-all-the-rocks-on-the-beach/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [“I have always admired most those who lead with their eyes, like Mary Anning, for they seem more aware of the world and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/i-have-always-admired-most-those-who-lead-with-their-eyes-like-mary/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [“marry. Fanny was having all the time what I experienced only the once with Colonel Birch in the orchard. I had my fame to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/marry-fanny-was-having-all-the-time-what-i-experienced-only-the-once/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [Since we proposed punctuated equilibria to explain trends, it is infuriating to be quoted again and again by creationists-whether through design or stupidity, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/since-we-proposed-punctuated-equilibria-to-explain-trends-it-is/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I am not, personally, a believer or a religious man in any sense of institutional commitment or practice. But I have a great respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-am-not-personally-a-believer-or-a-religious-man-in-any-sense-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The extreme rarity of transitional forms in the fossil record persists as a trade secret of Paleontology. Evolutionary trees that adorn our textbooks have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-extreme-rarity-of-transitional-forms-in-the-fossil-record/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Transitional forms are generally lacking at the species level, but they are abundant between larger groups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/transitional-forms-are-generally-lacking-at-the-species-level-but/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [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/) > [My own field of paleontology has strongly challenged the Darwinian premise that life's major transformations can be explained by adding up, through the immensity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/my-own-field-of-paleontology-has-strongly-challenged-the-darwinian/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [As soon as someone is identified as an unsung hero, he no longer is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/as-soon-as-someone-is-identified-as-an-unsung-hero-he-no-longer-is/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [I have lots of heroes and heroines, mostly unsung and including my husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-have-lots-of-heroes-and-heroines-mostly-unsung-and-including-my/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [There are so many unsung heroes in communities across America who demonstrate unconditional love and support by taking on the responsibility of fostering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-anne-tuohy/there-are-so-many-unsung-heroes-in-communities-across-america-who/) [Leigh Anne Tuohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-anne-tuohy/) > [The best picture has not yet been painted; the greatest poem is still unsung; the mightiest novel remains to be written; the divinest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lincoln-steffens/the-best-picture-has-not-yet-been-painted-the-greatest-poem-is-still/) [Lincoln Steffens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lincoln-steffens/) > [Since about 1980 Kenny Werner has been one of jazz’s unsung heroes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-pekar/since-about-1980-kenny-werner-has-been-one-of-jazz-s-unsung-heroes/) [Harvey Pekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-pekar/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [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/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Collecting quotes > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [Taking photos is a form of collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-parr/taking-photos-is-a-form-of-collecting/) [Martin Parr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-parr/) > [If you're feeling fancy free, come wander through the world with me, and any place we chance to be, will be a rendezvous. Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/if-you-re-feeling-fancy-free-come-wander-through-the-world-with-me/) [Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/) > [I found so-called great art too pompous, too stiff. What at this time was called minor art was freer, more imaginative, more open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lipchitz/i-found-so-called-great-art-too-pompous-too-stiff-what-at-this-time/) [Jacques Lipchitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lipchitz/) > [My real first job was delivering newspapers with I was 15. I would ride my bike around and chuck papers at people's houses. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/my-real-first-job-was-delivering-newspapers-with-i-was-15-i-would/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [I didn't really grow up a comic book fanatic. I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didn-t-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic-i-was-a-big-baseball/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) > [I don't know who had the training of you," he continued doggedly, "but your morals are shocking. You spent a night in my bed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/i-don-t-know-who-had-the-training-of-you-he-continued-doggedly-but/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) > [...You can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-can-go-your-whole-life-collecting-days-and-none-will-outweigh-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Instead of collecting things and staying in one space, I want to collect experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesh/instead-of-collecting-things-and-staying-in-one-space-i-want-to/) [Kesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesh/) > [I started collecting couture when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and the very first piece I bought was a Balenciaga suit from 1962.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamish-bowles/i-started-collecting-couture-when-i-was-about-10-or-11-years-old-and/) [Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/) > [I imagine the wave of water colliding with the rock and spilling over the tile floor, collecting around my shoes. Doing a little at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-imagine-the-wave-of-water-colliding-with-the-rock-and-spilling-over/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I needed more knowledge in rigging and knotting. I started collecting books on knots and really learning more and more. That's how it started.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/i-needed-more-knowledge-in-rigging-and-knotting-i-started-collecting/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [Physics is the only real science. The rest are just stamp collecting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-rutherford/physics-is-the-only-real-science-the-rest-are-just-stamp-collecting/) [Ernest Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-rutherford/) > [Some prescient American collectors, including Vicki and Kent Logan and Mera and Donald Rubell, began collecting Chinese art before 2000 with a genuine passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arne-glimcher/some-prescient-american-collectors-including-vicki-and-kent-logan-and/) [Arne Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arne-glimcher/) > [If I collected all the diamonds in the world, I'd have no 'income' but I'd have a lot of 'assets'. Would my company be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/if-i-collected-all-the-diamonds-in-the-world-i-d-have-no-income-but-i/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) Browse all 493 Collecting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mary Anning [is] probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history of paleontology.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-important-unsung-or-inadequately/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Collecting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-important-unsung-or-inadequately/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eac/stephen-jay-gould-885_collecting_mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-importa_786033.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mary Anning [is] probably the most important unsung (or inadequately sung) collecting force in the history…” — Stephen Jay Gould", "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": "Stephen Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Mary Anning [is] probably the most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-important-unsung-or-inadequately/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/mary-anning-is-probably-the-most-important-unsung-or-inadequately/#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 } } ] } ```