I had in mind a message, although I hope it doesn't intrude too badly, persuading Americans, and especially Southerners, of the critical importance of land and our vanishing natural environment and wildlife.

— E. O. Wilson

Individual versus group selection results in a mix of altruism and selfishness, of virtue and sin, among the members of a society.

— E. O. Wilson

I see no way out of the problems that organized religion and tribalism create other than humans just becoming more honest and fully aware of themselves.

— E. O. Wilson

Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.

— E. O. Wilson

Political ideology can corrupt the mind, and science.

— E. O. Wilson

Religious beliefs evolved by group-selection, tribe competing against tribe, and the illogic of religions is not a weakness but their essential strength.

— E. O. Wilson

Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds... is not productive.

— E. O. Wilson

The essence of humanity's spiritual dilemma is that we evolved genetically to accept one truth and discovered another. Is there a way to erase the dilemma, to resolve the contradictions between the transcendentalist and the empiricist world views?

— E. O. Wilson

We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely.

— E. O. Wilson

When you have seen one ant, one bird, one tree, you have not seen them all.

— E. O. Wilson