--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [Elephants] are less agile and physically…" description: "\"[Elephants] are less agile and physically less adaptable than ourselves - Nature having developed their bodies in one direction and their brains in ano..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg" --- # \[Elephants\] are less agile and physically less adaptable… ![“[Elephants] are less agile and physically less adaptable than ourselves - Nature having developed their bodies in one direction and their brains in another, while human beings, on the other hand, drew from Mr. Darwin's lottery of evolution both the winning ticket and the stub to match it. This, I…” quote by Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg) > “\[Elephants\] are less agile and physically less adaptable than ourselves - Nature having developed their bodies in one direction and their brains in another, while human beings, on the other hand, drew from Mr. Darwin's lottery of evolution both the winning ticket and the stub to match it. This, I suppose, is why we are so wonderful and can make movies and electric razors and wireless sets - and guns with which to shoot the elephant, the hare, clay pigeons, and each other.” [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She contrasts human adaptability and technological creativity with the specialized evolution of elephants, highlighting human ingenuity. **In simple terms:** Humans adapt broadly and create technology; elephants are specialized. Key Takeaway Leverage human flexibility to solve problems. Themes evolution technology adaptability creativity Mood inquisitive critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - wildlife research - technology design - education - policy making Key Concepts biological specialization human innovation Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities arise from our adaptability? - How can we balance technology with nature? A Different Perspective Human superiority can lead to hubris and environmental neglect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adaptable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptable/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Elephant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephant/) [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Gun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gun/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Lottery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lottery/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Pigeons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pigeons/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [“Elephant, beyond the fact that their size and conformation are aesthetically more suited to the treading of this earth than our angular informity, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/elephant-beyond-the-fact-that-their-size-and-conformation-are/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Will show ankle for five minutes of wireless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/will-show-ankle-for-five-minutes-of-wireless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The wireless telegraph is not difficult to understand. The ordinary telegraph is like a very long cat. You pull the tail in New York,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-wireless-telegraph-is-not-difficult-to-understand-the-ordinary/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It's all about sound. It's that simple. Wireless is wireless, and it's digital. Hopefully somewhere along the line somebody will add more ones to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-van-halen/it-s-all-about-sound-it-s-that-simple-wireless-is-wireless-and-it-s/) [Eddie Van Halen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-van-halen/) > [We're moving to this integration of biomedicine, information technology, wireless and mobile now - an era of digital medicine. Even my stethoscope is now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kraft/we-re-moving-to-this-integration-of-biomedicine-information/) Daniel Kraft > [The explosion of companies deploying wireless networks insecurely is creating vulnerabilities, as they think it's limited to the office - then they have Johnny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/the-explosion-of-companies-deploying-wireless-networks-insecurely-is/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [New security loopholes are constantly popping up because of wireless networking. The cat-and-mouse game between hackers and system administrators is still in full swing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/new-security-loopholes-are-constantly-popping-up-because-of-wireless/) [Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/) > [All of the people who are using their BlackBerries or their iPhones, Facebook, all of the people who are sitting in cafes and hotels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/all-of-the-people-who-are-using-their-blackberries-or-their-iphones/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [This is very positive for our community...The educational facilities in our area are enjoying advanced broadband services over a state-of-the-art 4G wireless network](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-gates/this-is-very-positive-for-our-community-the-educational-facilities-in/) Larry Gates > [“At the same time that we see a massive deployment of wireless radiation, we see the most violent attacks on modern society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/at-the-same-time-that-we-see-a-massive-deployment-of-wireless/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Does it have to be wireless? Oh, it has to be digital? I was going to say a toaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-jonas/does-it-have-to-be-wireless-oh-it-has-to-be-digital-i-was-going-to/) [Joe Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-jonas/) > [I do not think that the wireless waves I have discovered will have any practical application](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-rudolf-hertz/i-do-not-think-that-the-wireless-waves-i-have-discovered-will-have/) Heinrich Rudolf Hertz > [I like everything with a heaping dose of feminitity, including my cell phone. I created this phone for the classic woman, who like me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimora-lee-simmons/i-like-everything-with-a-heaping-dose-of-feminitity-including-my-cell/) [Kimora Lee Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimora-lee-simmons/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Beryl Markham > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“(Quoting her friend Tom Black on an amateur hunter's injury:) "Lion, rifles -- and stupidity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/quoting-her-friend-tom-black-on-an-amateur-hunter-s-injury-lion/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“The only disadvantage in surviving a dangerous experience lies in the fact that your story of it tends to be anticlimactic. You can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/the-only-disadvantage-in-surviving-a-dangerous-experience-lies-in-the/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“All this, and discontent too! Otherwise, why am I sitting here dreaming of England? Why am I gazing at this campfire like a lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/all-this-and-discontent-too-otherwise-why-am-i-sitting-here-dreaming/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [We swung over the hills and over the town and back again, and I saw how a man can be master of a craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/we-swung-over-the-hills-and-over-the-town-and-back-again-and-i-saw/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [there are many Africas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/there-are-many-africas/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Talk lives in a man’s head, but sometimes it is very lonely because in the heads of many men there is nothing to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/talk-lives-in-a-man-s-head-but-sometimes-it-is-very-lonely-because-in/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [There is a certain silence that can emanate from a lifeless object as from a chair lately used, or from a piano with old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/there-is-a-certain-silence-that-can-emanate-from-a-lifeless-object-as/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [ \[The lion\] began to contemplate me with a kind of quiet premeditation, like that of a slow-witted man fondling an unaccustomed thought. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/the-lion-began-to-contemplate-me-with-a-kind-of-quiet-premeditation/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“From the time I arrived in British East Africa at the indifferent age of four and went through the barefoot stage of early youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/from-the-time-i-arrived-in-british-east-africa-at-the-indifferent-age/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [But, for a little while, this is the place for us -- a good place too--a place of good omen, a place of beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/but-for-a-little-while-this-is-the-place-for-us-a-good-place-too-a/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [There are all kinds of silences and each of them means a different thing. There is the silence that comes with morning in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/there-are-all-kinds-of-silences-and-each-of-them-means-a-different/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [“There are as many Africas as there are books about Africa -- and as many books about it as you could read in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/there-are-as-many-africas-as-there-are-books-about-africa-and-as-many/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [There's an old adage," he said, "translated from the ancient Coptic, that contains all the wisdom of the ages -- "Life is life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/there-s-an-old-adage-he-said-translated-from-the-ancient-coptic-that/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [The way to find a needle in a haystack is to sit down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/the-way-to-find-a-needle-in-a-haystack-is-to-sit-down/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) [Explore all 98 Beryl Markham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) ## 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 > [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 > [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": "[Elephants] are less agile and physically less adaptable than ourselves - Nature having developed their bodies in one direction and their brains in another, while human beings, on the other hand, drew from Mr. Darwin's lottery of evolution both the winning ticket and the stub to match it. This, I suppose, is why we are so wonderful and can make movies and electric razors and wireless sets - and guns with which to shoot the elephant, the hare, clay pigeons, and each other.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beryl Markham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically-less-adaptable-than-ourselves/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adaptable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically-less-adaptable-than-ourselves/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/beryl-markham-6709_adaptable_elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically_1121802.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“[Elephants] are less agile and physically less adaptable than ourselves - Nature having developed their…” — Beryl Markham", "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": "Beryl Markham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "[Elephants] are less agile and physically...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically-less-adaptable-than-ourselves/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/elephants-are-less-agile-and-physically-less-adaptable-than-ourselves/#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 } } ] } ```