“I think the concept of symbiosis, of living together in physical contact, is a very important concept in evolution that has been neglected.”

“All of us are walking communities of bacteria. The world shimmers, a pointillist landscape made of …”

— Lynn Margulis, Microcosmos (1987)

“Independence is a political, not a scientific term.”

— Lynn Margulis, What Is Life? (1995)

“Life on Earth is an elaborate and intricate symbiotic phenomenon.”

— Lynn Margulis, Symbiosis in Cell Evolution (1981)

“The romantic vision of biotic nature as a cooperative venture is far more scientifically accurate …”

— Lynn Margulis, Acquiring Genomes: A Theory of the Origins of Species (2002)

“The view of evolution as chronic bloody competition among individuals and species, a popular …”

— Lynn Margulis, Microcosmos: Four Billion Years of Microbial Evolution (1986)

“We abide in a symbiotic world.”

— Lynn Margulis, Symbiotic Planet: A New Look at Evolution (1998)