T.H. Huxley on Choosing One's Ancestors

If the question is put to me, would I rather have a miserable ape for a grandfather, or a man highly endowed by nature and possessing great means and influence and yet who employs those faculties and that influence for the mere purpose of introducing ridicule into a grave scientific discussion -- I unhesitatingly affirm my preference for the ape.

T.H. Huxley, as quoted in Janet Browne (2002). Charles Darwin: The Power of Place.