---
title: "16 Genes Quotes By Steven Pinker"
description: "16 Genes quotes by Steven Pinker. Plus more from Steven Pinker and more Genes sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/steven-pinker-526_bag_the-brain-is-not-a-bag-of-traits-it-s-st_1143058.jpg"
---

> [The brain is not a bag of traits. It's startlingly complex. There are few or no single genes with a consistent effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-brain-is-not-a-bag-of-traits-it-s-startlingly-complex-there-are/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4d/steven-pinker-526_bag_the-brain-is-not-a-bag-of-traits-it-s-st_1143058.jpg)

> [Heritability pertains to the entirety of the genome, not to a single gene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/heritability-pertains-to-the-entirety-of-the-genome-not-to-a-single/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a1/steven-pinker-526_entirety_heritability-pertains-to-the-entirety-of_158985.jpg)

> [But in most cases even the possibility that the correlations reflect shared genes is taboo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/but-in-most-cases-even-the-possibility-that-the-correlations-reflect/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/139/steven-pinker-526_cases_but-in-most-cases-even-the-possibility-t_148927.jpg)

> [Genes are a play within a play, not the interior monologue of the players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/genes-are-a-play-within-a-play-not-the-interior-monologue-of-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/steven-pinker-526_genes_genes-are-a-play-within-a-play-not-the-i_1378572.jpg)

> [Just as blueprints don't necessarily specify blue buildings, selfish genes don't necessarily specify selfish organisms. As we shall see, sometimes the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/just-as-blueprints-don-t-necessarily-specify-blue-buildings-selfish/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/steven-pinker-526_biology_just-as-blueprints-don-t-necessarily-spe_2180861.jpg)

> [So no, it's not all in the genes, but what isn't in the genes isn't in the family environment either. It can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/so-no-it-s-not-all-in-the-genes-but-what-isn-t-in-the-genes-isn-t-in/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b54/steven-pinker-526_child-rearing_so-no-it-s-not-all-in-the-genes-but-what_159264.jpg)

> [The problem with the emotions is not that they are untamed forces or vestiges of our animal past; it is that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-problem-with-the-emotions-is-not-that-they-are-untamed-forces-or/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/steven-pinker-526_animal_the-problem-with-the-emotions-is-not-tha_2370697.jpg)

> [Genetically influenced behavior is not necessarily good and not necessarily unchangeable. Explanations of bad behavior that appeal to genes do not absolve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/genetically-influenced-behavior-is-not-necessarily-good-and-not/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eff/steven-pinker-526_appeals_genetically-influenced-behavior-is-not-n_643853.jpg)

> [Evolutionary psychologists seem to want to unmask our noblest motives as ultimately self-interested - to show that our love for children, compassion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/evolutionary-psychologists-seem-to-want-to-unmask-our-noblest-motives/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c10/steven-pinker-526_children_evolutionary-psychologists-seem-to-want_1645878.jpg)

> [No one knows what the nongenetic causes of individuality are. Perhaps people are shaped by modifications of genes that take place after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/no-one-knows-what-the-nongenetic-causes-of-individuality-are-perhaps/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/steven-pinker-526_brain_no-one-knows-what-the-nongenetic-causes_3206921.jpg)

> [Obviously no language is innate. Take any kid from any race, bring them up in any culture and they will learn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/obviously-no-language-is-innate-take-any-kid-from-any-race-bring-them/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/steven-pinker-526_ability_obviously-no-language-is-innate-take-any_1217854.jpg)

> [There's a common criticism of evolutionary psychology that it's fatalistic and it dooms us to eternal strife, 'Why even try to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/there-s-a-common-criticism-of-evolutionary-psychology-that-it-s/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b9/steven-pinker-526_apes_there-s-a-common-criticism-of-evolutiona_2355694.jpg)

> [Of course genes can’t pull the levers of our behavior directly. But they affect the wiring and workings of the brain, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/of-course-genes-can-t-pull-the-levers-of-our-behavior-directly-but-2/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa7/steven-pinker-526_abstract_of-course-genes-can-t-pull-the-levers-of_1832354.jpg)

> [But the 20th century suffered "two" ideologies that led to genocides. The other one, Marxism, had no use for race, didn't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/but-the-20th-century-suffered-two-ideologies-that-led-to-genocides/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/steven-pinker-526_20th-century_but-the-20th-century-suffered-two-ideolo_1027106.jpg)

> [Of course, genes can't pull the levers of our behavior directly. But they affect the wiring and workings of the brain, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/of-course-genes-can-t-pull-the-levers-of-our-behavior-directly-but/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/steven-pinker-526_affect_of-course-genes-can-t-pull-the-levers-of_1830703.jpg)

> [Parents provide their children with genes as well as an environment, so the fact that talkative parents have kids with good language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/parents-provide-their-children-with-genes-as-well-as-an-environment/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/960/steven-pinker-526_child_parents-provide-their-children-with-gene_263084.jpg)

## Other authors on Genes

## More by Steven Pinker

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

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                        "text": "Evolutionary psychologists seem to want to unmask our noblest motives as ultimately self-interested - to show that our love for children, compassion for the unfortunate and sense of justice are just tactics in a Darwinian struggle to perpetuate our genes.",
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                        "text": "Obviously no language is innate. Take any kid from any race, bring them up in any culture and they will learn the language equally quickly. So no particular language is in the genes. But what might be in the genes is the ability to acquire language.",
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                        "text": "There's a common criticism of evolutionary psychology that it's fatalistic and it dooms us to eternal strife, 'Why even try to work toward peace if we're just bloody killer apes and violence is in our genes?'",
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                        "text": "Of course genes can’t pull the levers of our behavior directly. But they affect the wiring and workings of the brain, and the brain is the seat of our drives, temperaments and patterns of thought. Each of us is dealt a unique hand of tastes and aptitudes, like curiosity, ambition, empathy, a thirst for novelty or for security, a comfort level with the social or the mechanical or the abstract. Some opportunities we come across click with our constitutions and set us along a path in life.",
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                        "text": "But the 20th century suffered \"two\" ideologies that led to genocides. The other one, Marxism, had no use for race, didn't believe in genes and denied that human nature was a meaningful concept. Clearly, it's not an emphasis on genes or evolution that is dangerous. It's the desire to remake humanity by coercive means (eugenics or social engineering) and the belief that humanity advances through a struggle in which superior groups (race or classes) triumph over inferior ones.",
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                        "text": "Parents provide their children with genes as well as an environment, so the fact that talkative parents have kids with good language skills could simply mean that and that the same genes that make parents talkative make children articulate.",
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