“I think that the leaf of a tree, the meanest insect on wh. we trample are in themselves arguments more conclusive than any which can be adduced that some vast intellect animates Infinity.”

Source: Isis Unveiled (1877), Volume I, Chapter XII

And the extent to which the human being has 'benefited' himself, we can all see.
Page 16

Podcast Series 3 Episode 3
On Biology

Travis McGee series, A Deadly Shade of Gold (1965)
Context: I think there is some kind of divine order in the universe. Every leaf on every tree in the world is unique. As far as we can see, there are other galaxies, all slowly spinning, numerous as the leaves in the forest. In an infinite number of planets, there has to be an infinite number with life forms on them. Maybe this planet is one of the discarded mistakes. Maybe it's one of the victories. We'll never know.

The Trouble With Being Born (1973)
Source: The Trouble with Being Born

Variant translations:
Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory.
As quoted in The Book of Unusual Quotations (1957) by Rudolf Flesch, p. 12
Any one who in discussion relies upon authority uses, not his understanding, but rather his memory.
The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (1883), I Prolegomena and General Introduction to the Book on Painting

Interviewed on Complex http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/10/your-name-makoto-shinkai-interview/2
About Your Name

Manuscript Found in Accra (2012), Uselessness