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For my part, I hold it equally impossible for a small shellfish to be produced without generation as for a whale to have its origin from the mud.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

In rain water, I observed a small red worm and two other kinds of very minute insects; of those of the larger size, I judged that 30,000 together would not equal a coarse sand.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Equality Judgement Kind Myself Rain Togetherness Water Worm
In the year 1657 I discovered very small living creatures in rain water.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Creature Discover Live Rain Water
There was discover’d by me a fifth sort, which had near the thickness of the former, but they were almost twice as long. The first time bacteria were observed.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Bacteria Discover Fifth First Former Long Observe Sort Thickness Time Twice
I’ve never taught one, because if I taught one, I’d have to teach others. I would give myself over to a slavery, whereas I want to stay a free man.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Freedom Man Myself Slave Stay Teaching
I make the proportion of one of these small Water-creatures to a Cheese-mite, to be like that of a Bee to a Horse:
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Bee Cheese Creature Horse Make Mite One Proportion Small Water
How little do we discover in comparison of those things which now are and forever will be hidden from our sight? The whole of which I am fully persuaded no one will ever be able to dive into, and to explain their causes and effects.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Comparison Discover Explanation Forever Hide Myself Ourselves Sight
I have divers times endeavoured to see and to know, what parts the Blood consists of; and at length I have observ’d, taking some Blood out of my own hand, that it consists of small round globuls driven through a Crystalline humidity or water.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Blood Drive Humidity See Talk Time Water
For my part, I hold it equally impossible for a small shellfish to be produced without generation as for a whale to have its origin from the mud.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Equality Hold Myself Origin Production Small
And therewithal, whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that all ingenious people might be informed thereof.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Anything Discovery Down Inform might People Put Remarkable
Whenever I found something remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that all ingenious people be informed thereof.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Discover Information People Remark Responsibility Thinking
The 4th sort of creatures… which moved through the 3 former sorts, were incredibly small, and so small in my eye that I judged, that if 100 of them lay [stretched out] one by another, they would not equal the length of a grain of course Sand; and according to this estimate.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Creature Equal Eye Grain Hope Incredibly Judge Length Move Sand Small Sort Through
I’ve spent more time than many will believe [making microscopic observations], but I’ve done them with joy, and I’ve taken no notice those who have said why take so much trouble and what good is it?
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Believe Goodness Myself Observation Time Trouble
I have often endeavoured to view the circulation of the blood in terrestrial animals, but without success, by reason that no parts of their bodies were sufficiently transparent.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Animal Blood Body Enough Success View
And I judge that some of these little creatures were above a thousand times smaller than the smallest ones I have ever yet seen, upon the rind of cheese, in wheaten flour, mould, and the like.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Cheese Creature Ever Judge Mould Seen Smaller Some Thousand Upon
I have oft-times been besought, by divers gentlemen, to set down on paper what I have beheld through my newly invented microscopia, but I have generally declined.
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Decline Invention Myself Paper Time
And I imagine, that [ten hundred thousand] of these little Creatures do not equal an ordinary grain of Sand in bigness: And comparing them with a Cheese-mite (which may be seen to move with the naked eye)
ANTONIE VAN LEEUWENHOEK

Biggest Cheese Eye Grain Hundred Imagine Move Naked Ordinary Sand Thousand