--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One reason that we're so adaptable is…" description: "\"One reason that we're so adaptable is that humans are excellent tool users and homebuilders. When our environment doesn't provide us with something tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/annalee-newitz-8659_adaptable_one-reason-that-we-re-so-adaptable-is-th_2759016.jpg" --- # One reason that we're so adaptable is that humans are… ![“One reason that we're so adaptable is that humans are excellent tool users and homebuilders. When our environment doesn't provide us with something that we need, we try to make it ourselves out of whatever is available, whether that's rock or wood or ore or DNA.” quote by Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/annalee-newitz-8659_adaptable_one-reason-that-we-re-so-adaptable-is-th_2759016.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/annalee-newitz-8659_adaptable_one-reason-that-we-re-so-adaptable-is-th_2759016.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/annalee-newitz-8659_adaptable_one-reason-that-we-re-so-adaptable-is-th_2759016.jpg) > “One reason that we're so adaptable is that humans are excellent tool users and homebuilders. When our environment doesn't provide us with something that we need, we try to make it ourselves out of whatever is available, whether that's rock or wood or ore or DNA.” [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans adapt by creating tools and building habitats from available materials when nature lacks what they need. **In simple terms:** People innovate to meet needs. Key Takeaway Embrace creative problem solving. Themes adaptability innovation tool use resourcefulness Mood curious optimistic Type observational inspirational When to use this quote - survival scenarios - urban planning - DIY projects - emergency response Key Concepts anthropology human nature engineering Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn constraints into opportunities? - What tools could you build today? A Different Perspective Innovation can be limited by resource scarcity or lack of knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptable/) [Adaptable Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptable-humans-3155970/) [Available](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/) [Dna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dna/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Excellent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellent/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Humans Excellent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans-excellent-3155972/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Our environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-environment/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Adaptable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-adaptable-3155971/) [Rocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rocks/) [Tool Users](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tool-users-3155973/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Users](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/users/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [There are definitely recurring themes in humanity's relationship with our environment. The biggest is probably adaptation, because humans are incredibly good at adapting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/there-are-definitely-recurring-themes-in-humanity-s-relationship-with/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Some time ago we discovered the carbon cycle - a long-term set of chemical reactions that govern climates based on how much carbon is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/some-time-ago-we-discovered-the-carbon-cycle-a-long-term-set-of/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [The fact that we have been able to perturb the carbon cycle with our industrial revolution is evidence of how vulnerable we are -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-that-we-have-been-able-to-perturb-the-carbon-cycle-with-our/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Humans are a great survivor species but our survival will be pretty grim if all of the plants and animals we depend on die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/humans-are-a-great-survivor-species-but-our-survival-will-be-pretty/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/do-you-have-a-kinder-more-adaptable-friend-in-the-food-world-than/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [The making of adaptable, curious, open, questioning people has nothing to do with vocational training and everything to do with humanistic and scientific studies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-making-of-adaptable-curious-open-questioning-people-has-nothing/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [I'm a third-culture child. It's an interesting concept. Having an American father, a South American mother, born in England, grew up in Hong Kong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-chantal-claire/i-m-a-third-culture-child-it-s-an-interesting-concept-having-an/) [Marie-Chantal Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-chantal-claire/) > [Of course, Minneapolis, we think, 'Oh well, it's cold there, lethally cold.' But the reality is you adapt to weather... Humans are consummately adaptable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/of-course-minneapolis-we-think-oh-well-it-s-cold-there-lethally-cold/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [I'm very adaptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-beal/i-m-very-adaptable/) [Bradley Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-beal/) > [An adaptable company is one that captures more than its fair share of new opportunities. It's always redefining its 'core business' in ways that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/an-adaptable-company-is-one-that-captures-more-than-its-fair-share-of/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [“It is not the strongest animal that survives, nor the fastest, but the one most adaptable to change. —Leon C. Megginson, paraphrasing Charles Darwin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-falk/it-is-not-the-strongest-animal-that-survives-nor-the-fastest-but-the/) [Ben Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-falk/) > [We can never be certain about the future and therefore we must continue to be flexible and adaptable so that we can react quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-abu-ghazaleh/we-can-never-be-certain-about-the-future-and-therefore-we-must/) [Talal Abu-Ghazaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-abu-ghazaleh/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Individuals, too, who cultivate a variety of skills seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to do one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/individuals-too-who-cultivate-a-variety-of-skills-seem-brighter-more/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) ## More by Annalee Newitz > [“She wasn’t sure which motivation made better fuel for innovation: naïve but ethical beliefs, or the need to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/she-wasn-t-sure-which-motivation-made-better-fuel-for-innovation-na/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Humans are a great survivor species but our survival will be pretty grim if all of the plants and animals we depend on die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/humans-are-a-great-survivor-species-but-our-survival-will-be-pretty/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Amphibians are dying out like crazy, and frogs and salamanders may be largely extinct by the end of the twenty-first century. Imagine an animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/amphibians-are-dying-out-like-crazy-and-frogs-and-salamanders-may-be/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“It didn’t just boost your concentration. It made you enjoy work. You couldn’t wait to get back to the keyboard, the breadboard, the gesture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/it-didn-t-just-boost-your-concentration-it-made-you-enjoy-work-you/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Survivor species tend to have huge populations, so they can afford to lose many individuals and still survive as a species. They also tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/survivor-species-tend-to-have-huge-populations-so-they-can-afford-to/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [In fact, the early demographer Thomas Malthus believes that the only way the human population would ever check itself was by running headlong into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/in-fact-the-early-demographer-thomas-malthus-believes-that-the-only/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“ For all the robots who question their programming. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/for-all-the-robots-who-question-their-programming/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [Obviously it depends on how you define a word like "evolution," because of course we have been evolving - both biologically and culturally -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/obviously-it-depends-on-how-you-define-a-word-like-evolution-because/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [I try to be realistic and pragmatic. I have a lot of hope for humanity as a species, but obviously as individuals we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/i-try-to-be-realistic-and-pragmatic-i-have-a-lot-of-hope-for-humanity/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [The fact is that humans have been shaping the genetics of what they eat for thousands of years. Genetic engineering simply speeds up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/the-fact-is-that-humans-have-been-shaping-the-genetics-of-what-they/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [In terms of fiction, there are a number of writers who are thinking about the future of the environment whose work complements mine. Kim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/in-terms-of-fiction-there-are-a-number-of-writers-who-are-thinking/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“As UC Berkeley economics professor Brad DeLong put it to me: You get famine if the price of food spikes far beyond that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/as-uc-berkeley-economics-professor-brad-delong-put-it-to-me-you-get/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“Plus, it was made by Zaxy, the company behind Smartifex, Brillicent, and other popular work enhancement drugs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/plus-it-was-made-by-zaxy-the-company-behind-smartifex-brillicent-and/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [That said, a lot of people buy products with "green" in the brand name, but make no attempt to understand what it would really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/that-said-a-lot-of-people-buy-products-with-green-in-the-brand-name/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) > [“Every master loves to fuck a slave. It is a law of nature, or maybe culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/every-master-loves-to-fuck-a-slave-it-is-a-law-of-nature-or-maybe/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) [Explore all 78 Annalee Newitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) ## More Adaptable quotes > [There have been low moments before, but Christianity is an incredibly adaptable organism, using different parts of its repertoire to mutate into new ecological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-spufford/there-have-been-low-moments-before-but-christianity-is-an-incredibly/) [Francis Spufford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-spufford/) > [Individuals, too, who cultivate a variety of skills seem brighter, more energetic and more adaptable than those who know how to do one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shea/individuals-too-who-cultivate-a-variety-of-skills-seem-brighter-more/) [Robert Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shea/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We can never be certain about the future and therefore we must continue to be flexible and adaptable so that we can react quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talal-abu-ghazaleh/we-can-never-be-certain-about-the-future-and-therefore-we-must/) [Talal Abu-Ghazaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talal-abu-ghazaleh/) > [“It is not the strongest animal that survives, nor the fastest, but the one most adaptable to change. —Leon C. Megginson, paraphrasing Charles Darwin”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-falk/it-is-not-the-strongest-animal-that-survives-nor-the-fastest-but-the/) [Ben Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-falk/) > [An adaptable company is one that captures more than its fair share of new opportunities. It's always redefining its 'core business' in ways that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/an-adaptable-company-is-one-that-captures-more-than-its-fair-share-of/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [I'm very adaptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-beal/i-m-very-adaptable/) [Bradley Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-beal/) > [Of course, Minneapolis, we think, 'Oh well, it's cold there, lethally cold.' But the reality is you adapt to weather... Humans are consummately adaptable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/of-course-minneapolis-we-think-oh-well-it-s-cold-there-lethally-cold/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [I'm a third-culture child. It's an interesting concept. Having an American father, a South American mother, born in England, grew up in Hong Kong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-chantal-claire/i-m-a-third-culture-child-it-s-an-interesting-concept-having-an/) [Marie-Chantal Claire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-chantal-claire/) > [The making of adaptable, curious, open, questioning people has nothing to do with vocational training and everything to do with humanistic and scientific studies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-postman/the-making-of-adaptable-curious-open-questioning-people-has-nothing/) [Neil Postman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-postman/) > [Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup? Who soothes you when you are ill? Who refuses to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/do-you-have-a-kinder-more-adaptable-friend-in-the-food-world-than/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Flow. Be adaptable. Be sensitive like water, feel the other so you can attune and harmonize with your partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-friend/flow-be-adaptable-be-sensitive-like-water-feel-the-other-so-you-can/) [John Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-friend/) > [Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear. Integral awareness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/do-you-think-that-you-can-clear-your-mind-by-sitting-constantly-in/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [To survive, to avert what we have termed future shock, the individual must become infinitely more adaptable and capable than ever before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-toffler/to-survive-to-avert-what-we-have-termed-future-shock-the-individual/) [Alvin Toffler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-toffler/) > [The brain is a dynamic system that constantly processes and creates your reality. It works best if you balance all the things that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-brain-is-a-dynamic-system-that-constantly-processes-and-creates/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) [Browse all 112 Adaptable quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptable/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One reason that we're so adaptable is that humans are excellent tool users and homebuilders. 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