--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: …imagine that the earth—four thousand six…" description: "\"“…imagine that the earth—four thousand six hundred million years old—[were] a forty-six-year-old woman…. It had taken the whole of the Earth Woman’s li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png" --- # …imagine that the earth—four thousand six hundred million… ![“…imagine that the earth—four thousand six hundred million years old—[were] a forty-six-year-old woman…. It had taken the whole of the Earth Woman’s life for the earth to become what it was. For the oceans to part. For the mountains to rise. The Earth Woman was eleven years old…when the first…” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png) > ““…imagine that the earth—four thousand six hundred million years old—\[were\] a forty-six-year-old woman…. It had taken the whole of the Earth Woman’s life for the earth to become what it was. For the oceans to part. For the mountains to rise. The Earth Woman was eleven years old…when the first single-celled organisms appeared. The first animals, creatures like worms and jellyfish, appeared only when she was forty. She was over forty-five—just eight months ago—when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The whole of human civilization as we know it began only two hours ago in the Earth Woman’s life…. It was an awe-inspiring and humbling thought…that the whole of contemporary history, the World Wars, the War of Dreams, the Man on the Moon, science, literature, philosophy, the pursuit of knowledge—was no more than a blink of the Earth Woman’s eye.”” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human history is a fleeting moment in Earth's vast timeline, highlighting humility and urgency. **In simple terms:** Human life is a blink compared to Earth's age. Key Takeaway Recognize our brief impact and act responsibly. Themes humility time environment Mood reflective humbling Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - climate activism - education - policy - artistic expression Key Concepts deep time anthropocentrism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing Earth’s age change your priorities? - What responsibilities arise from this perspective? A Different Perspective Focusing on brevity may ignore long‑term planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ago Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ago-earth-466485/) [Earth Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-human-300324/) [Earth Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-woman-466487/) [Human civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-civilization/) [Million years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-years/) [Woman Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-years-466488/) ## Related quotes > [“Then to give the kids a historical perspective, Chacko told them about the earth woman. He made them imagine that the earth - 4600…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/then-to-give-the-kids-a-historical-perspective-chacko-told-them-about/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The Earth has been lawned with life for something over 3.5 billion years. That's a span of time great enough to encompass some honest-to-goodness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-earth-has-been-lawned-with-life-for-something-over-3-5-billion/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Some 3 million years ago, when the earth was a little more than 3°C warmer than preindustrial levels (about 2.2°C warmer than today), Antarctica…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/some-3-million-years-ago-when-the-earth-was-a-little-more-than-3-c/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [O how long ago the earth would have been destroyed, if Mary had not interposed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulgentius-of-cartagena/o-how-long-ago-the-earth-would-have-been-destroyed-if-mary-had-not/) [Fulgentius of Cartagena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulgentius-of-cartagena/) > [“In God's scheme what is a few billion years here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/in-god-s-scheme-what-is-a-few-billion-years-here-and-there-perhaps/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“...the closest thing to god on this earth is a woman's body...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/the-closest-thing-to-god-on-this-earth-is-a-woman-s-body/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“The closest thing to god on this earth is a woman's body it's where life comes from”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/the-closest-thing-to-god-on-this-earth-is-a-woman-s-body-it-s-where/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“said the closest thing to god on this earth is a woman’s body it’s where life comes from and to have a grown man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/said-the-closest-thing-to-god-on-this-earth-is-a-woman-s-body-it-s/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“How many of us have a love so true it spans eternity? A purity of need so clear it can remain strong in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/how-many-of-us-have-a-love-so-true-it-spans-eternity-a-purity-of-need/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“could search to the ends of the earth and never find another woman like you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-grover-swank/could-search-to-the-ends-of-the-earth-and-never-find-another-woman/) [Denise Grover Swank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-grover-swank/) > [Why on earth have I, because I'm a woman, got to be nice to everyone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/why-on-earth-have-i-because-i-m-a-woman-got-to-be-nice-to-everyone/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [“For man was created of the dust of the earth, but woman was made of a part of man, after that he was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-speght/for-man-was-created-of-the-dust-of-the-earth-but-woman-was-made-of-a/) [Rachel Speght](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-speght/) > [If you're not religious, then look at it this way. This world of ours is four thousand, six hundred million years old. It could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/if-you-re-not-religious-then-look-at-it-this-way-this-world-of-ours/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Now that we have learned to fly the air like birds, swim under water like fish, we lack one thing - to learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/now-that-we-have-learned-to-fly-the-air-like-birds-swim-under-water/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“perhaps our purpose is, for the time being, to be human, to live on this earth and in this human community, to receive something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/perhaps-our-purpose-is-for-the-time-being-to-be-human-to-live-on-this/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. It’s a good idea in this car-maddened city,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/stilts-the-ground-floors-given-over-to-parking-it-s-a-good-idea-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) [Explore all 628 Arundhati Roy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More Human civilization quotes > [“It’s the microscopic parasite that causes malaria. Nearly half of all human deaths in recorded history have been caused by this invisible assassin. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/it-s-the-microscopic-parasite-that-causes-malaria-nearly-half-of-all/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [“the highest monuments of human civilization accept its ironies and lend their eternity to its mischievous pranks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-highest-monuments-of-human-civilization-accept-its-ironies-and/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Radicals, on the other hand, want to advance from the jungle of laissez-faire capitalism to a world worthy of the name of human civilization.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/radicals-on-the-other-hand-want-to-advance-from-the-jungle-of-laissez/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [If we don't change, if the egoic consciousness continues, I don't believe that humanity as a species can survive, or at least human civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/if-we-don-t-change-if-the-egoic-consciousness-continues-i-don-t/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“In God's scheme what is a few billion years here and there. Perhaps there have come and gone a dozen human civilizations in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-uris/in-god-s-scheme-what-is-a-few-billion-years-here-and-there-perhaps/) [Leon Uris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-uris/) > [“Should continual economic growth be the predominant model, the highest purpose of human civilization? Continual growth is one characteristic of cancer that eventually destroys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gerber-jr/should-continual-economic-growth-be-the-predominant-model-the-highest/) [Alex Gerber Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gerber-jr/) > [“Suppose two thousand years ago, or even earlier, humanity learned that an alien invasion fleet would arrive a few thousand years later. What would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/suppose-two-thousand-years-ago-or-even-earlier-humanity-learned-that/) [Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/) > [Our carbon emissions have to eventually go to zero. We have to. Otherwise we're never going to have a stable climate and that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hayhoe/our-carbon-emissions-have-to-eventually-go-to-zero-we-have-to/) [Katharine Hayhoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hayhoe/) > [“The world was in truth made of jackstraws. The world was very combustible, the human body was partible in ways heretofore unimagined. What held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/the-world-was-in-truth-made-of-jackstraws-the-world-was-very/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“The vastness of possibilities in space reminded me that while my life felt important, it was tiny in the scheme of things. Human civilization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-madow/the-vastness-of-possibilities-in-space-reminded-me-that-while-my-life/) [Michelle Madow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-madow/) > [The challenge for America is: can we become a multicultural, multiracial democracy? It would be historic. It would be America's greatest contribution to human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ro-khanna/the-challenge-for-america-is-can-we-become-a-multicultural/) [Ro Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ro-khanna/) > [“All of human civilization, he says, is basically a result of immortality projects: the cities and governments and structures and authorities in place today…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/all-of-human-civilization-he-says-is-basically-a-result-of/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [Please, never despise the translator. He's the mailman of human civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/please-never-despise-the-translator-he-s-the-mailman-of-human/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [I think almost everything about humans and human civilization is explained better by evolution than anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naval-ravikant/i-think-almost-everything-about-humans-and-human-civilization-is/) [Naval Ravikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naval-ravikant/) > [Government has never increased the standard of living of one single human being in civilization's history. For some reason that simple truth has evaded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wynn/government-has-never-increased-the-standard-of-living-of-one-single/) [Steve Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wynn/) [Browse all 146 Human civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“…imagine that the earth—four thousand six hundred million years old—[were] a forty-six-year-old woman…. It had taken the whole of the Earth Woman’s life for the earth to become what it was. For the oceans to part. For the mountains to rise. The Earth Woman was eleven years old…when the first single-celled organisms appeared. The first animals, creatures like worms and jellyfish, appeared only when she was forty. She was over forty-five—just eight months ago—when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The whole of human civilization as we know it began only two hours ago in the Earth Woman’s life…. It was an awe-inspiring and humbling thought…that the whole of contemporary history, the World Wars, the War of Dreams, the Man on the Moon, science, literature, philosophy, the pursuit of knowledge—was no more than a blink of the Earth Woman’s eye.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arundhati Roy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six-hundred-million-years-old/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human civilization" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six-hundred-million-years-old/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/arundhati-roy-346_human-civilization_imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six_2438626.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“…imagine that the earth—four thousand six hundred million years old—[were] a forty-six-year-old woman…. It…” — Arundhati Roy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Arundhati Roy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“…imagine that the earth—four thousand six...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six-hundred-million-years-old/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/imagine-that-the-earth-four-thousand-six-hundred-million-years-old/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```