---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve…"
description: "\"“Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars. But we aren’t rock stars. In the scheme of e..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg"
---

#  Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world…

![“Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars. But we aren’t rock stars. In the scheme of evolutionary forces, we are a weak, fragile species. Our genome is corruptible, and we so abused this planet that we ultimately corrupted that…” quote by Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg)

> ““Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars. But we aren’t rock stars. In the scheme of evolutionary forces, we are a weak, fragile species. Our genome is corruptible, and we so abused this planet that we ultimately corrupted that precious DNA blueprint that makes us human.””

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

## About This Quote

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

Humanity’s impact on Earth is fragile and self‑destructive, reflecting our vulnerable biological nature.

**In simple terms:** We are fragile and damaging.

Key Takeaway

Adopt sustainable practices to protect our planet.

Themes

environment fragility human nature

Mood

somber urgent

Type

cautionary philosophical

When to use this quote

- climate activism
- resource conservation
- policy advocacy

Key Concepts

Ecology evolutionary biology

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal habits contribute to environmental harm?
- How can societies shift to sustainable models?

A Different Perspective

Changing deep‑seated habits is difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evolutionary Forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolutionary-forces-5127989/) [Fragile Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile-species-5127987/) [Genome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome/) [Genome Corruptible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome-corruptible-5127986/) [Hotel room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hotel-room/) [Industrial revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industrial-revolution/) [Precious Dna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-dna-5127988/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/) [Rock stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock-stars/)

## Related quotes

> [I am a member of a fragile species, still new to the earth, the youngest creatures of any scale, here only a few moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/i-am-a-member-of-a-fragile-species-still-new-to-the-earth-the/)

[Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/)

> [It's our machines and our technologies that are now the major evolutionary forces acting upon us. It's not our political systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-s-our-machines-and-our-technologies-that-are-now-the-major/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [“Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-treated-our-world-like-it-was-a-2/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [I'm fascinated with genetic science, and I have been for a very long time. I always look at science and technology because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-rhodes/i-m-fascinated-with-genetic-science-and-i-have-been-for-a-very-long/)

[Nick Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-rhodes/)

> [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/)

> [I think there are people who's lives have been saved because of the study of the genome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-think-there-are-people-who-s-lives-have-been-saved-because-of-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [Recently, results of the Human Genome Project have shattered one of Science's fundamental core beliefs, the concept of genetic determinism. We have been led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/recently-results-of-the-human-genome-project-have-shattered-one-of/)

[Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/)

> [Though social eugenics was discredited long ago, we still often think of the genome in quasi-eugenic terms. When we read about the latest discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wolf/though-social-eugenics-was-discredited-long-ago-we-still-often-think/)

[Gary Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wolf/)

> [“In other words, the more genomically complex the organism, the larger the percentage of the genome devoted to gene regulation by the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-other-words-the-more-genomically-complex-the-organism-the-larger/)

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

> [While the Environmental Genome Project does not seek to assign allele frequencies, we are aware of the importance of accurate allele frequency estimates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/while-the-environmental-genome-project-does-not-seek-to-assign-allele/)

[Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/)

> [By being able to write a genome and plug it into an organism, the software, if you will, changes the hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schuler/by-being-able-to-write-a-genome-and-plug-it-into-an-organism-the/)

[Barry Schuler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schuler/)

> [“Every new discovery about the genome is consistent with evolution having happened. Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/every-new-discovery-about-the-genome-is-consistent-with-evolution/)

[Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/)

> [This is a whole new era where we're moving beyond little edits on single genes to being able to write whatever we want throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-church/this-is-a-whole-new-era-where-we-re-moving-beyond-little-edits-on/)

[George M. Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-church/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

## More by Blake Crouch

> [“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you. - Joseph Heller”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/just-because-you-re-paranoid-doesn-t-mean-they-aren-t-after-you/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“Eyes you can fall into and keep falling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/eyes-you-can-fall-into-and-keep-falling/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“It’s also the manifestation of everyone’s existential question: Am I who I was supposed to be? Is this the life I was meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/it-s-also-the-manifestation-of-everyone-s-existential-question-am-i/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“It will occur to him months from now that if this had been a movie, he wouldn’t have done it. Wouldn’t have sunk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/it-will-occur-to-him-months-from-now-that-if-this-had-been-a-movie-he/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“Daniela hasn’t worn perfume in years, but she’s wearing it tonight, and she smells like Daniela without me, like Daniela before our separate scents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/daniela-hasn-t-worn-perfume-in-years-but-she-s-wearing-it-tonight-and/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“a little comb to brush her luxurious red hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/a-little-comb-to-brush-her-luxurious-red-hair/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“Are you losing your mind? You tell me. I can’t. Why? Because I am you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/are-you-losing-your-mind-you-tell-me-i-can-t-why-because-i-am-you/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“And a second thank you to my genius editor, Julian Pavia, who pushed me as hard as I’ve ever been pushed and made this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/and-a-second-thank-you-to-my-genius-editor-julian-pavia-who-pushed-me/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“Good.” She smiles. “Then I’ll postpone freaking out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/good-she-smiles-then-i-ll-postpone-freaking-out/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [I love to read the kind of books I write. Genre-breaking. Fresh-concept. World-building. My all-time top three authors would have to be Cormac McCarthy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/i-love-to-read-the-kind-of-books-i-write-genre-breaking-fresh-concept/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [Love means home. It's where you're meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/love-means-home-it-s-where-you-re-meant-to-be/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“He worries she’s going to ask what happened. Why he isn’t dead. It’s a question he’s been dreading and preparing for all day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/he-worries-she-s-going-to-ask-what-happened-why-he-isn-t-dead-it-s-a/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“What a miracle it is to have people to come home to every day. To be loved. To be expected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/what-a-miracle-it-is-to-have-people-to-come-home-to-every-day-to-be/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know what I was walling in, or walling out.’ Robert Frost wrote that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/before-i-built-a-wall-i-d-ask-to-know-what-i-was-walling-in-or/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

> [“Most astrophysicists believe that the force holding stars and galaxies together—the thing that makes our whole universe work—comes from a theoretical substance we can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/most-astrophysicists-believe-that-the-force-holding-stars-and/)

[Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

[Explore all 177 Blake Crouch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/)

## More Genome quotes

> [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/)

[Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/)

> [This is a whole new era where we're moving beyond little edits on single genes to being able to write whatever we want throughout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-m-church/this-is-a-whole-new-era-where-we-re-moving-beyond-little-edits-on/)

[George M. Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-m-church/)

> [“Every new discovery about the genome is consistent with evolution having happened. Whether we find it appealing or not is another question, but personally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/every-new-discovery-about-the-genome-is-consistent-with-evolution/)

[Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/)

> [By being able to write a genome and plug it into an organism, the software, if you will, changes the hardware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schuler/by-being-able-to-write-a-genome-and-plug-it-into-an-organism-the/)

[Barry Schuler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schuler/)

> [While the Environmental Genome Project does not seek to assign allele frequencies, we are aware of the importance of accurate allele frequency estimates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/while-the-environmental-genome-project-does-not-seek-to-assign-allele/)

[Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/)

> [“In other words, the more genomically complex the organism, the larger the percentage of the genome devoted to gene regulation by the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/in-other-words-the-more-genomically-complex-the-organism-the-larger/)

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

> [Though social eugenics was discredited long ago, we still often think of the genome in quasi-eugenic terms. When we read about the latest discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-wolf/though-social-eugenics-was-discredited-long-ago-we-still-often-think/)

[Gary Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-wolf/)

> [Recently, results of the Human Genome Project have shattered one of Science's fundamental core beliefs, the concept of genetic determinism. We have been led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-h-lipton/recently-results-of-the-human-genome-project-have-shattered-one-of/)

[Bruce H. Lipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-h-lipton/)

> [I think there are people who's lives have been saved because of the study of the genome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/i-think-there-are-people-who-s-lives-have-been-saved-because-of-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [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/)

> [I'm fascinated with genetic science, and I have been for a very long time. I always look at science and technology because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-rhodes/i-m-fascinated-with-genetic-science-and-i-have-been-for-a-very-long/)

[Nick Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-rhodes/)

> [It is important to consider whether the sample size selected by the Environmental Genome Project will provide sufficient power to discover most alleles relevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/it-is-important-to-consider-whether-the-sample-size-selected-by-the/)

[Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/)

> [Some software is actually pretty good, by any standard. Think of the Mars Rovers, Google, and the Human Genome Project. Now, that's quality software!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjarne-stroustrup/some-software-is-actually-pretty-good-by-any-standard-think-of-the/)

[Bjarne Stroustrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjarne-stroustrup/)

> [It's terrifying the way molecular biology has become more and more jargon ridden. But I strongly believe that my book can be read by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/it-s-terrifying-the-way-molecular-biology-has-become-more-and-more/)

[Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/)

[Browse all 114 Genome quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars. But we aren’t rock stars. In the scheme of evolutionary forces, we are a weak, fragile species. Our genome is corruptible, and we so abused this planet that we ultimately corrupted that precious DNA blueprint that makes us human.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Blake Crouch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-treated-our-world-like-it-was-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Genome"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-treated-our-world-like-it-was-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/397/blake-crouch-2197_genome_since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-tr_1436306.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated our world like it was a hotel room and we were rock stars…” — Blake Crouch",
                "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": "Blake Crouch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve treated...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-treated-our-world-like-it-was-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/since-the-industrial-revolution-we-ve-treated-our-world-like-it-was-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
