Charles Frédéric Dubois


Charles Frédéric Dubois was a Belgian naturalist.
He was the author of Planches colorées des oiseaux de l’Europe and Catalogue systématique des Lépidoptères de la Belgique, which was completed by his son, Alphonse Joseph Charles Dubois, after his death.
The following quote has been widely attributed to Charles Dubois, as on the blog: "The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become." However, its correct attribution appears to be to Charles Du Bos, the French critic of French and English literature.
The quote comes from his book Approximations : "...premier tressaillement vital; surtout il s'agit à tout moment de sacrifier ce que nous sommes à ce que nous pouvons devenir."
Dubois is commemorated in the scientific name of a species of venomous sea snake, Aipysurus duboisii.