---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The number of people on whose cooperative…"
description: "\"The number of people on whose cooperative efforts your eventual existence depends has risen to approximately 1,000,000,000,000,000,000, which is severa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png"
---

#  The number of people on whose cooperative efforts your…

![“The number of people on whose cooperative efforts your eventual existence depends has risen to approximately 1,000,000,000,000,000,000, which is several thousand times the total number of people who have ever lived.” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png)

> “The number of people on whose cooperative efforts your eventual existence depends has risen to approximately 1,000,000,000,000,000,000, which is several thousand times the total number of people who have ever lived.”

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human cooperation has grown to unimaginable scale, far exceeding past populations

**In simple terms:** Bill of people now cooperate globally

Key Takeaway

Recognize interdependence of modern society

Themes

population cooperation scale

Mood

thoughtful aware

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- building international teams
- addressing climate change
- global health initiatives

Key Concepts

network theory globalization anthropology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does scale affect responsibility?
- What role do you play in this network?

A Different Perspective

Complex systems can be fragile

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[000 Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/000-thousand-6084564/) [Approximately 000](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approximately-000-6084563/) [Cooperative Efforts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooperative-efforts-6084565/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-depends-356211/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Cooperative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-cooperative-3008419/) [Sand Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sand-time/) [Thousand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“call the game the “Wall Street Game,” and people become less cooperative. Calling it the “Community Game” does the opposite. Similarly,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/call-the-game-the-wall-street-game-and-people-become-less-cooperative/)

[Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/)

> [“Our eternal existence depends not on how much we have, or the network and power structure we have attained, and definitely not on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pooja-ruprell/our-eternal-existence-depends-not-on-how-much-we-have-or-the-network/)

[Pooja Ruprell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pooja-ruprell/)

> [“Run the race as if everything in existence depends upon it, because everything in your existence does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/run-the-race-as-if-everything-in-existence-depends-upon-it-because/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [“Our lives are made up of time, and the quality of our existence depends on our wise use of the moments we are given.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stoddard/our-lives-are-made-up-of-time-and-the-quality-of-our-existence/)

[Alexandra Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stoddard/)

> [The universe is not indifferent to our existence - it depends on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-universe-is-not-indifferent-to-our-existence-it-depends-on-it/)

[Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/)

> [“you say you don’t want pity, but your very existence depends upon it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-say-you-don-t-want-pity-but-your-very-existence-depends-upon-it/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“That’s not how it works around here, and our whole existence depends on things working.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/that-s-not-how-it-works-around-here-and-our-whole-existence-depends/)

[James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/)

> [“existence depends on order.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/existence-depends-on-order/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [“All you want is love and belonging, and your very existence depends on it. But when you get it, you have no existence except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-van-gelder/all-you-want-is-love-and-belonging-and-your-very-existence-depends-on/)

[Kiera Van Gelder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-van-gelder/)

> [Nothing that can be known has existence in itself. It depends on a knower. The knower is consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-klein/nothing-that-can-be-known-has-existence-in-itself-it-depends-on-a/)

[Jean Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-klein/)

> [“To explore and affiliate with life is a deep and complicated process in mental development. To an extent still undervalued in philosophy and religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-o-wilson/to-explore-and-affiliate-with-life-is-a-deep-and-complicated-process/)

[Edward O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-o-wilson/)

> [“This is why you are told “Let the weak man say, ‘I am strong’.” (Joel 3:10), for by his assumption, the cause-substance — ‘I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/this-is-why-you-are-told-let-the-weak-man-say-i-am-strong-joel-3-10/)

[Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/)

> [“Your existence depends on what you have, not what you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinita-kinra/your-existence-depends-on-what-you-have-not-what-you-are/)

[Vinita Kinra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinita-kinra/)

> [“There can be no sense of security in your existence when it depends upon outside factors, for the unpredictable changes of reality can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/there-can-be-no-sense-of-security-in-your-existence-when-it-depends/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [ “The tremendous world I have inside my head. But how \[to\] free myself and free it without being torn to pieces. And a thousand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-tremendous-world-i-have-inside-my-head-but-how-to-free-myself-and/)

[Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/)

## More by Bill Bryson

> [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“But Welsh spellings are as nothing compared with Irish Gaelic, a language in which spelling and pronunciation give the impression of having been devised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/but-welsh-spellings-are-as-nothing-compared-with-irish-gaelic-a/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“Pantaloons were often worn tight as paint and were not a great deal less revealing, particularly as they were worn without underwear. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/pantaloons-were-often-worn-tight-as-paint-and-were-not-a-great-deal/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“The dining table was a plain board called by that name. It was hung on the wall when not in use, and was perched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-dining-table-was-a-plain-board-called-by-that-name-it-was-hung-on/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“From almost nothing, France in four years built up an aircraft industry that employed nearly 200,000 people and produced some 70,000 planes. Britain built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/from-almost-nothing-france-in-four-years-built-up-an-aircraft/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“A diarist named George Templeton Strong recorded in the winter of 1866 that even with two furnaces alight and all the fireplaces blazing, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-diarist-named-george-templeton-strong-recorded-in-the-winter-of/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [Nobody gets excited about the future at all, ever. The future is something we find depressing and worrisome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/nobody-gets-excited-about-the-future-at-all-ever-the-future-is/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“What made this particularly interesting is that John Howard is by far the dullest man in Australia. Imagine a very committed funeral home director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-made-this-particularly-interesting-is-that-john-howard-is-by-far/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [“In the mystifying world that was Victorian parenthood, obedience took precedence over all considerations of affection and happiness, and that odd, painful conviction remained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-mystifying-world-that-was-victorian-parenthood-obedience-took/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-this-book-has-a-lesson-it-is-that-we-are-awfully-lucky-to-be-here/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

[Explore all 656 Bill Bryson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

## More Effort quotes

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/)

[Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/)

> [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/)

[Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/)

> [Reading counts as partying, even if you're not enjoying it! Even if someone's forcing you to read, you can find a way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-w-k/reading-counts-as-partying-even-if-you-re-not-enjoying-it-even-if/)

[Andrew W.K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-w-k/)

> [ Bernie \[Ecclestone\] is the commercial rights holder so the more outgoing the champion is, the better. Of course. I also do think about our… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-ecclestone/bernie-ecclestone-is-the-commercial-rights-holder-so-the-more/)

[Bernie Ecclestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-ecclestone/)

> [All efforts to render politics aesthetic culminate in one thing: war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/all-efforts-to-render-politics-aesthetic-culminate-in-one-thing-war/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is for the superfluous we sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-is-for-the-superfluous-we-sweat/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I love a pocket. I'm about helping women look as good as possible on the least amount of effort. I want versatility and comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-mccartney/i-love-a-pocket-i-m-about-helping-women-look-as-good-as-possible-on/)

[Stella McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-mccartney/)

> [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/)

[Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/)

> [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [“Dreams will come true as long as you give some effort towards your goal”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayana/dreams-will-come-true-as-long-as-you-give-some-effort-towards-your/)

[Dayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dayana/)

> [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/)

[Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/)

[Browse all 8,602 Effort quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The number of people on whose cooperative efforts your eventual existence depends has risen to approximately 1,000,000,000,000,000,000, which is several thousand times the total number of people who have ever lived.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bill Bryson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperative-efforts-your-eventual/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Effort"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperative-efforts-your-eventual/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/bill-bryson-340_effort_the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperativ_1600407.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The number of people on whose cooperative efforts your eventual existence depends has risen to approximately…” — Bill Bryson",
                "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": "Bill Bryson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The number of people on whose...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperative-efforts-your-eventual/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-number-of-people-on-whose-cooperative-efforts-your-eventual/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
