"What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature!"

Charles Darwin's quote is a reflection on the cruelty of nature and the suffering it can cause. He recommends that if a devil's pastor were to compose a book, it would have to do with the ineffectiveness and ruthlessness of nature. He implies that nature is awkward, wasteful, and blundering, and that it can be exceptionally terrible. He is most likely describing the method which nature can trigger suffering and death, such as through natural disasters, illness, and predation. He is likewise likely describing the method which nature can be inefficient, such as through the procedure of advancement, which can take a very long time and involve lots of stopped working attempts before a successful adaptation is attained. Darwin's quote is a reminder of the cruelty of nature and the suffering it can cause.