--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps we should not be too surprised…" description: "\"“Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature sometimes appears counterintuitive to a tribe of observant, carbon-based ape descendants roaming ar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg" --- # Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature… ![“Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature sometimes appears counterintuitive to a tribe of observant, carbon-based ape descendants roaming around on the surface of a rocky world orbiting an unremarkable middle-aged star at the outer edge of the Milky Way galaxy.” quote by Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg) > ““Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature sometimes appears counterintuitive to a tribe of observant, carbon-based ape descendants roaming around on the surface of a rocky world orbiting an unremarkable middle-aged star at the outer edge of the Milky Way galaxy.”” [Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker marvels at the paradox of Earth’s familiar life amidst a vast, indifferent cosmos. **In simple terms:** Life on Earth feels odd in a huge, indifferent universe. Key Takeaway Contemplate humanity’s place in the cosmic scale. Themes cosmos existential humility Mood wonderful humbling Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - space exploration - education - public outreach Key Concepts astrobiology philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - What does this perspective change about daily life? - How can we find meaning in a large universe? A Different Perspective The vastness can cause existential dread. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ape Descendants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ape-descendants-5215196/) [Based Ape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/based-ape-5215199/) [Counterintuitive Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterintuitive-tribe-5215197/) [Edge Milky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edge-milky-5215198/) [Milky way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milky-way/) [Milky Way Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milky-way-galaxy/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Roaming around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roaming-around/) ## Related quotes > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“True. I like the idea of there being a big party, though.” He chewed his eggs. “Or it could be the fact we now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/true-i-like-the-idea-of-there-being-a-big-party-though-he-chewed-his/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [Girls-they shop ,they laugh,make boyfriends,loves roaming around boys.-they just think about girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/girls-they-shop-they-laugh-make-boyfriends-loves-roaming-around-boys/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have some really nice memories of Delhi. Going swimming, roaming around in Defence Colony, cycling in its beautiful, wide lanes, and enjoying good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/i-have-some-really-nice-memories-of-delhi-going-swimming-roaming/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [Ozzie Smith is out there roaming around like glass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-coleman/ozzie-smith-is-out-there-roaming-around-like-glass/) [Jerry Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-coleman/) > [“Oh, God, who does not exist, you hate women, otherwise you'd have made them different. 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I suppose that's what most writers discover if they write long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/writing-has-certainly-helped-me-explore-about-20-000-versions-of-my/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“It’s odd how a dog roaming around is a health code violation but serving fried death on a stick isn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/it-s-odd-how-a-dog-roaming-around-is-a-health-code-violation-but/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [I miss roaming around the Basant Lok market, eating out, the Capital's wide roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshu-chatterjee/i-miss-roaming-around-the-basant-lok-market-eating-out-the-capital-s/) [Priyanshu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanshu-chatterjee/) > [“Now there’s something you don’t see everyday. Gah, I hope there’s no human roaming around with a video recorder or cell phone. Be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/now-there-s-something-you-don-t-see-everyday-gah-i-hope-there-s-no/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [There are things roaming around inside my head as clever as Theseus in the Labyrinth. It's just that nobody ever gave them the necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/there-are-things-roaming-around-inside-my-head-as-clever-as-theseus/) [Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/) > [Every day you wake up is an opportunity to go beyond, and that 's why I let my band go right now. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-santana/every-day-you-wake-up-is-an-opportunity-to-go-beyond-and-that-s-why-i/) [Carlos Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-santana/) > [You expect me to believe that you're being held against your will?" I raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You're roaming around the castle freely." "As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/you-expect-me-to-believe-that-you-re-being-held-against-your-will-i/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) ## More by Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw > [“That dizzying feeling of confusion, if (hopefully) followed by an epiphany of clarity, is the joy of science. If the reader is feeling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/that-dizzying-feeling-of-confusion-if-hopefully-followed-by-an/) [Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/) > [“If there is one thing we try to teach our students when they first arrive at the University of Manchester, ready to learn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/if-there-is-one-thing-we-try-to-teach-our-students-when-they-first/) [Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/) > [“Imagine that light is shining out from a flashlight. 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A cluster of vapor, the cream of the milky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/it-shows-you-exactly-how-a-star-is-formed-nothing-else-can-be-so/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“When a person dies, they cross over from the realm of freedom to the realm of slavery. Life is freedom, and dying is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/when-a-person-dies-they-cross-over-from-the-realm-of-freedom-to-the/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [We live on a hunk of rock and metal that circles a humdrum star that is one of 400 billion other stars that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-live-on-a-hunk-of-rock-and-metal-that-circles-a-humdrum-star-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Your brain… weighs three pounds and has one hundred thousand miles of blood vessels. contains more connections than there are stars in the Milky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/your-brain-weighs-three-pounds-and-has-one-hundred-thousand-miles-of/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [Now, almost one hundred years later, it is difficult to fully appreciate how much our picture of the universe has changed in the span…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/now-almost-one-hundred-years-later-it-is-difficult-to-fully/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“And the Milky Way, like a great aurora, flowed through his body to stand at the edges of the earth. There was a quiet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasunari-kawabata/and-the-milky-way-like-a-great-aurora-flowed-through-his-body-to/) [Yasunari Kawabata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasunari-kawabata/) > [All of Japan once a year will get up on their rooftops, because that's the night that the shepherd boy from one side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/all-of-japan-once-a-year-will-get-up-on-their-rooftops-because-that-s/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Filled with rapture, his soul yearned for freedom, space, vastness. Over him the heavenly dome, full of quiet, shining stars, hung boundlessly. From the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/filled-with-rapture-his-soul-yearned-for-freedom-space-vastness-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It isn't for us that cows' milk comes forth, but we drink it. Flowers weren't made for us to look at or for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarice-lispector/it-isn-t-for-us-that-cows-milk-comes-forth-but-we-drink-it-flowers/) [Clarice Lispector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarice-lispector/) > [“If you were a hapless cosmic hitchhiker stranded between the stars of the Milky Way, your body would represent a concentration of matter a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-scharf/if-you-were-a-hapless-cosmic-hitchhiker-stranded-between-the-stars-of/) [Caleb Scharf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-scharf/) > [“This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/this-voyager-spacecraft-was-constructed-by-the-united-states-of/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Why should I feel lonely? is not our planet in the Milky Way?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/why-should-i-feel-lonely-is-not-our-planet-in-the-milky-way/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 261 Milky way quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/milky-way/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature sometimes appears counterintuitive to a tribe of observant, carbon-based ape descendants roaming around on the surface of a rocky world orbiting an unremarkable middle-aged star at the outer edge of the Milky Way galaxy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-that-nature-sometimes-appears/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Milky way" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-that-nature-sometimes-appears/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw-56881_milky-way_perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-t_652436.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perhaps we should not be too surprised that nature sometimes appears counterintuitive to a tribe of…” — Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw", "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": "Brian Cox Jeff Forshaw", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Perhaps we should not be too...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-that-nature-sometimes-appears/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-cox-jeff-forshaw/perhaps-we-should-not-be-too-surprised-that-nature-sometimes-appears/#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 } } ] } ```