René Dubos

human destiny gamble nature strike back

"Human destiny is bound to remain a gamble, because at some unpredictable time and in some unforeseeable manner nature will strike back."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

think globally act locally salvation religion nature

"Think globally, act locally: Our salvation depends upon our ability to create a religion of nature."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

human diversity tolerance virtue requirement survival

“Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival.”

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

human being trend destiny

“Wherever human beings are concerned, trend is not destiny.”

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

illness inadequate response environment

“A very large percentage of illnesses are the expressions of inadequate responses to the environment.”

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

disease health healer wise living

"To ward off disease or recover health, people as a rule find it easier to depend on healers than to attempt the more difficult task of living wisely."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

earth mother human species womb evolution

" The earth is literally our mother, not only because we depend on her for nurture and shelter but even more because the human sepcies has been shaped by her in the womb of evolution. Our salvation depends upon our ability to create a religion of nature."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

mind reflect disease body

"What happens in the mind of man is always reflected in the disease of his body."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

mankind individual free will social status quo urge problem

"As long as mankind is made up of independent individuals with free will, there cannot be any social status quo. Men will develop new urges, and these will give rise to new problems, which will require ever new solutions. Human life implies adventure, and there is no adventure without struggles and dangers."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

man survive adapt power technology dirt pollution tragedy

"Man will survive as a species for one reason: He can adapt to the destructive effects of our power-intoxicated technology and of our ungoverned population growth, to the dirt, pollution and noise of a New York or Tokyo. And that is the tragedy. It is not man the ecological crisis threatens to destroy but the quality of human life."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

measurable drives out important

"Sometimes the more measurable drives out the most important."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

vis medicatrix naturae effective disease self-terminating

"The mechanisms of vis medicatrix naturae—the most healing power of nature—are so effective that most diseases are self-terminating."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

search cause hopeless disease indirect outcome constellation

"...Search for the cause may be a hopeless pursuit because most disease states are the indirect outcome of a constellation of circumstances."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

continuum wisdom body mind individual race

"There is an unbroken continuum from the wisdom of the body to the wisdom of the mind, from the wisdom of the individual to the wisdom of the race."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)

superior health mental aberration

" One may wonder indeed whether the pretense of superior health is not itself rapidly becoming a mental aberration."

—René Dubos (1901-1982)