"We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin"
About this Quote
The intent is scientific, but the target is cultural. Darwin is addressing an audience trained to see the human as a spiritual category rather than a biological one. By conceding nobility while emphasizing anatomy, he disarms theological vanity without sounding like a zealot for materialism. The “however” is doing diplomatic work: it grants the reader dignity so he can take it away, gently, with facts.
The subtext is a direct challenge to the era’s hierarchy thinking. “Lowly origin” doesn’t just point to animals; it undercuts the social reflex to treat rank as natural and destiny as fixed. If the human body carries ancestry like a watermark, then superiority becomes less a birthright and more a story we tell ourselves.
Context matters: this is Darwin writing in the shadow of fierce religious backlash, when evolution wasn’t just a theory but an insult. He chooses restraint, but the implication is radical: nature, not providence, is the author - and the body is its signature.
Quote Details
| Topic | Science |
|---|---|
| Source | Verified source: The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex (Charles Darwin, 1871)
Evidence: We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities, with sympathy which feels for the most debased, with benevolence which extends not only to other men but to the humblest living creature, with his god-like intellect which has penetrated into the movements and constitution of the solar system, with all these exalted powers, Man still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin. (Chapter XXI , “General Summary and Conclusion” (closing paragraph)). This is Darwin’s own text and is widely cited as the closing sentence(s) of Chapter XXI (“General Summary and Conclusion”) in The Descent of Man (first published 1871). The wording you provided matches the primary-source text (aside from ellipsis/punctuation/capitalization differences introduced by secondary quote sites). For a scan of the 1871 John Murray edition (a true first-edition digitization), see the Biodiversity Heritage Library record for “The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex” (London: John Murray, 1871). Other candidates (1) Chronology of the Evolution-Creationism Controversy (Randy Moore, Mark Decker, Sehoya H. C..., 2009) compilation98.3% ... Darwin knew that his conclusions would “be highly distasteful to ... We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems t... |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Darwin, Charles. (2026, February 8). We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-must-however-acknowledge-as-it-seems-to-me-5482/
Chicago Style
Darwin, Charles. "We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." FixQuotes. February 8, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-must-however-acknowledge-as-it-seems-to-me-5482/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"We must, however, acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities... still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin." FixQuotes, 8 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/we-must-however-acknowledge-as-it-seems-to-me-5482/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
