“If This Were True, Adios Theory”

by Zoë Pollock

That's what Darwin scribbled in the margins of Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology Vol. 2., a book advancing a view of evolution that differed from Darwin's. Robert Krulwich remarks:

I see a brave smile in that phrase. Darwin knew what he wanted to see, but he knew there are many ways to weigh the evidence. And so for the next few decades he would look at his Big Idea from every possible angle, supportive, contrarian — every way possible. Just to make sure he wasn't missing a point of view. Just to test his guess against all the other guesses. There's a stubborn, happy bravery in that.