When I realized, in 1978, that Lucy did represent a new species of human ancestor, and that I had an opportunity to name this new species, I realized this was a revolutionary step in understanding human origins.
If we don't know where we are going, it can be helpful to know where we come from.
Here and elsewhere we shall not obtain the best insight into things until we actually see them growing from the beginning.
I like history because you can't really progress without knowing what comes before you, so I think it's super fascinating.
[Science is] the desire to know causes.
So what is true for life itself is no less true for the universe: knowing where you came from is no less important than knowing where you are going.
Those who would judge us merely by the heights we have achieved would do well to remember the depths from which we started.
