Louis Leakey quotes

Louis Leakey was a British paleoanthropologist and archaeologist famous for his work on human evolution in Africa. His discoveries provided crucial evidence supporting the African origin of humankind. He inspired and mentored a generation of scientists, shaping the field of paleoanthropology. Here are 24 of his quotes:

Most Kikuyu marriages were arranged on the basis of what is described by anthropologists as the bride price. (Louis Leakey)
Sometime during the many millions of years that have elapsed since mammalian faunas came into existence, some sort of island crossed from West Africa to South America. View quote
Louis Leakey
Far too often animals are put to sleep when they could be saved through proper care and nursing. View quote
Louis Leakey
When my father arrived in Kenya, he had found the Kikuyu way of life similar to that of the British at the time the Romans invaded England 2,000 years ago. View quote
Louis Leakey
The trip I made to Angola to study the prehistoric contents of the gravel beds as a means of deciding the age of the deposits and their economic potential was the first time prehistory had ever been used for such a purpose. View quote
Louis Leakey
The Dalmatian breed of dog has many primitive characteristics. View quote
Louis Leakey
There is tragic evidence to show that the paintings at the French prehistoric art sites are deteriorating. View quote
Louis Leakey
Sometimes string figures were used to illustrate stories, as in the case of an Eskimo example that depicts a man catching a salmon. Sometimes they had magic or religious significance. View quote
Louis Leakey
The author knows just what he wants to illustrate and how he would like it to be done. View quote
Louis Leakey
I saw what looked like another fallen tree in front of me and put my foot on it to cross over. At that moment it reared up in front of me-the biggest python I had ever seen! View quote
Louis Leakey
South Africa had a long record of studies in prehistory, going back to the end of the last century. (Louis Leakey)
Colonial governors and senior civil servants are not easy people to argue with, and I was not popular because of my criticism of the colonial service in Kenya. View quote
Louis Leakey
Raising funds for my fourth expedition proved to be very difficult. View quote
Louis Leakey
We set up the promised clinic for the sick and wounded Masai. View quote
Louis Leakey
The Foxhall jaw has now been missing for many years. View quote
Louis Leakey
Although we followed that hyena for the best part of half an hour, we never caught up with it. View quote
Louis Leakey
I have examined the stomach contents of seven aardvarks. View quote
Louis Leakey
The majority of people in Angola were not provided with any kind of schooling and were completely illiterate, very badly paid, and treated almost as slaves. View quote
Louis Leakey
To save an animal's life in order that it may suffer indefinitely is something I would never condone. View quote
Louis Leakey
I put a bullet into the back of the crocodile's neck just behind the head, thus killing it. If a crocodile is hit in any other part of its anatomy it disappears into the water and is irrecoverable. View quote
Louis Leakey
Eloquent testimony to the recovery powers of wild animals frequently becomes apparent from the study of skeletons housed in museums. (Louis Leakey)
I kept an open mind on the question of whether a hominid had been present in Europe in the early Pleistocene. View quote
Louis Leakey
I felt that in time simple stone tools would be found in early Pleistocene in England. View quote
Louis Leakey
At Olduvai, for 20 years, Mary and I had investigated and made a general survey of the overall geology. View quote
Louis Leakey

Louis Leakey

Louis Leakey - Image
Occupation: British Scientist
Born: August 7, 1903
Died: October 1, 1972
Quotes count: 24