Carl Linnaeus, ''Nemesis Divina (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996, orig. 1734), ed. M. J. Petry.
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All of these are finally transformed back into their primary substances, the Earth feeding the Plant, the Plant the Worm, the Worm the Bird, and often the Bird the Beast of Prey; Then finally the Beast of Prey is consumed the Bird of Prey, the Bird of Prey by the Worm, the Worm by the Herb, the Herb by the Earth: Man indeed, who turns everything to his needs, is often consumed by the Beast, the Bird, or the Fish which preys on him, by the Worm or the Earth.  It is thus that everything circulates.

— Carl Linnaeus on Worms

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "All of these are finally transformed back into their primary substances, the Earth feeding the Plant, the Plant the Worm, the Worm the Bird, and often the Bird the Beast of Prey; Then finally the Beast of Prey is consumed the Bird of Prey, the Bird of Prey by the Worm, the Worm by the Herb, the Herb by the Earth: Man indeed, who turns everything to his needs, is often consumed by the Beast, the Bird, or the Fish which preys on him, by the Worm or the Earth.  It is thus that everything circulates." in the context of "Carl Linnaeus, ''Nemesis Divina (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1996, orig. 1734), ed. M. J. Petry." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

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Source: Wikiquote: "Worms" (Quotes, Quotes from prose) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Carl Linnaeus

About Carl Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus (23 May, 1707– 10 January, 1778) was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern biological naming scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology.