Who said “What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and…”?

Verified

Charles Darwin. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter to J.D. Hooker, 13 July 1856

Evidence: Wikiquote · How we check

Source checked · Something wrong? Report a correction

Authors A–Z
“What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature!”
— Charles Darwin
VerifiedLetter to J.D. Hooker, 13 July 1856 · evidenceNature
Report

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to J.D. Hooker, 13 July 1856.

APA

Darwin, C. (n.d.). What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature! [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/25797-what-a-book-a-devils-chaplain-might-write/

MLA

Darwin, Charles. “What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature!” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/25797-what-a-book-a-devils-chaplain-might-write/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Darwin, Charles. “What a book a devil's chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low, and horribly cruel work of nature!” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/25797-what-a-book-a-devils-chaplain-might-write/.

Related quotes

More quotes by Charles Darwin

“I love fools experiments. I am always making them.”
Verifiedrecollection by E. Ray Lankester, from his essay "Charles Robert Darwin" in C.D. Warner, editor, Library of the World's Best Literature: Ancient and Modern (R.S. Peale & J.A. Hill, New York, 1896) volume 2, pages 4835-4393, at page 4391 · evidenceDetails & citeMistakes
Report
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.”
VerifiedThe Life and Letters of Charles Darwin (1887), volume I, chapter VI: "The Voyage", page 266; letter to sister Susan Elizabeth Darwin (4 August 1836) · evidenceDetails & citeTime and Time Management
Report
“It is a cursed evil to any man to become as absorbed in any subject as I am in mine.”
Evil
Report
“The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.”
Self-control
Report
All 8 Charles Darwin quotes →