It should ever be borne in mind that the primary object of every study ought to be an inward one that of enlarging and elevating the intellect; and the direct aim of science should be the discovery of the principles of unity, order, and connexion, which are everywhere manifest in the universal life of nature.

The Wonders of Geology; or, A Familiar Exposition of Geological, Phenomena, Address to the Reader (p. xxiii)