Mark Twain, "Was The World Made For Man?" (1903), critique of Wallce's book Man's Place in the Universe.
“
If the Eiffel tower were now representing the world’s age, the skin of paint on the pinnacle-knob at its summit would represent man’s share of that age; and anybody would perceive that that skin was what the tower was built for.
— Mark Twain
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "If the Eiffel tower were now representing the world’s age, the skin of paint on the pinnacle-knob at its summit would represent man’s share of that age; and anybody would perceive that that skin was what the tower was built for." in the context of "Mark Twain, "Was The World Made For Man?" (1903), critique of Wallce's book Man's Place in the Universe." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Alfred Russel Wallace" (Quotes about Alfred Russel Wallace)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS (January 8 1823 – November 7 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist. He independently proposed a theory of natural selection ("On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely From the Original Type") which prompted Charles Darwin to publish his own more developed and researched theory sooner than he had intended. Wallace is sometimes called the "father of biogeography".
About Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS (January 8 1823 – November 7 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist. He independently proposed a theory of natural selection ("On the Tendency of Varieties to Depart Indefinitely From the Original Type") which prompted Charles Darwin to publish his own more developed and researched theory sooner than he had intended. Wallace is sometimes called the "father of biogeography".
View all quotes →