--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s as if our species has evolved into…" description: "\"“It’s as if our species has evolved into one that flourishes in depth and wallows in shallowness, becoming what we might call Homo sapiens deepensis.”\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg" --- # It’s as if our species has evolved into one that… ![“It’s as if our species has evolved into one that flourishes in depth and wallows in shallowness, becoming what we might call Homo sapiens deepensis.” quote by Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg) > ““It’s as if our species has evolved into one that flourishes in depth and wallows in shallowness, becoming what we might call Homo sapiens deepensis.”” [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans increasingly prioritize superficial engagement over deep, meaningful thought, leading to a shallow cultural state. **In simple terms:** We favor shallow over deep thinking. Key Takeaway Seek depth in work and life. Themes focus depth culture technology mindfulness Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - academic research - personal productivity - education - media consumption - social media Key Concepts cognitive depth attention economy digital distraction Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate deeper focus daily? - What shallow habits hinder your growth? A Different Perspective Depth requires effort and may be socially undervalued. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flourishes Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flourishes-depth-5049948/) [Sapiens Deepensis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sapiens-deepensis-5049946/) [Shallowness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallowness/) [Shallowness Homo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallowness-homo-5049947/) [Species Evolved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species-evolved-490587/) ## Related quotes > [“Spend enough time in a state of frenetic shallowness and you permanently reduce your capacity to perform deep work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/spend-enough-time-in-a-state-of-frenetic-shallowness-and-you/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [The way to understand how different species evolved is to think about the niches that they fill in an ecosystem - basically, how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-way-to-understand-how-different-species-evolved-is-to-think-about/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Our own species evolved under the influence of group selection, as Darwin emphasized when he discussed the evolution of altruism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-sober/our-own-species-evolved-under-the-influence-of-group-selection-as/) [Elliott Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-sober/) > [In the beginning, according to fossil remains, the Homo Sapiens (humans) have been productively copulating for a minimum of 150,000 years or so. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-luckett/in-the-beginning-according-to-fossil-remains-the-homo-sapiens-humans/) [Johnny Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-luckett/) > [For a long time, science has gone in the direction of sort of putting people in their place. We learned that the sun doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kolbert/for-a-long-time-science-has-gone-in-the-direction-of-sort-of-putting/) [Elizabeth Kolbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kolbert/) > [From the point of view of the species, death is part of this whole process. You could say that species have evolved in such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/from-the-point-of-view-of-the-species-death-is-part-of-this-whole/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [“Every two species that evolved from a common ancestor, such as horses and donkeys, were at one time just two populations of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/every-two-species-that-evolved-from-a-common-ancestor-such-as-horses/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to belong to one that had developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong-to-a-species-that-had-evolved/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Mirrors on the ceiling, The pink champagne on ice And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device' And in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-eagles/mirrors-on-the-ceiling-the-pink-champagne-on-ice-and-she-said-we-are/) [The Eagles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-eagles/) > [The supreme vice is shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-supreme-vice-is-shallowness/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“A woman who holds her head up too high, is trying to breathe from her own pollution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/a-woman-who-holds-her-head-up-too-high-is-trying-to-breathe-from-her/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Most of the times that I think about my relationship to Judaism, I not only accuse myself of a shallowness, but I feel certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/most-of-the-times-that-i-think-about-my-relationship-to-judaism-i-not/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Remember that the fool in the eyes of the gods and the fool in the eyes of man are very different. One who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/remember-that-the-fool-in-the-eyes-of-the-gods-and-the-fool-in-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The fear of speculation, the ostensible rush from the theoretical to the practical, brings about the same shallowness in action that it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/the-fear-of-speculation-the-ostensible-rush-from-the-theoretical-to/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/sorrow-burns-up-a-great-amount-of-shallowness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) ## More by Cal Newport > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“many software companies now deploy the Scrum project management methodology, which replaces a lot of this ad hoc messaging with regular, highly structured, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/many-software-companies-now-deploy-the-scrum-project-management/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“when paying more than $1,000 a day to write the chapter in a suite of an old hotel down the street from a Hogwarts-style…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-paying-more-than-1-000-a-day-to-write-the-chapter-in-a-suite-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“When deciding whether to follow an appealing pursuit that will introduce more control into your work life, seek evidence of whether people are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/when-deciding-whether-to-follow-an-appealing-pursuit-that-will/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Let your mind become a lens, thanks to the converging rays of attention; let your soul be all intent on whatever it is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/let-your-mind-become-a-lens-thanks-to-the-converging-rays-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“study by Harvard Business School professor Leslie Perlow. In this study, a group of management consultants were asked to disconnect for a full day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/study-by-harvard-business-school-professor-leslie-perlow-in-this/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“if it’s rare and valuable, it’s not easy to get. This insight brought me into the world of performance science, where I encountered the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-it-s-rare-and-valuable-it-s-not-easy-to-get-this-insight-brought/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Here’s the routine: Once a week I require myself to summarize in my “bible” a paper I think might be relevant to my research.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/here-s-the-routine-once-a-week-i-require-myself-to-summarize-in-my/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“craftsman mindset is the foundation for creating work you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/craftsman-mindset-is-the-foundation-for-creating-work-you-love/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“the journalist philosophy. This name is a nod to the fact that journalists, like Walter Isaacson, are trained to shift into a writing mode…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-journalist-philosophy-this-name-is-a-nod-to-the-fact-that/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Not long into his 2010 TED talk on creativity and leadership, Derek Sivers plays a video clip of a crowd at an outdoor concert.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/not-long-into-his-2010-ted-talk-on-creativity-and-leadership-derek/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Kirk’s path to American Treasures was incremental. He didn’t decide out of nowhere that he wanted to host a television show and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/kirk-s-path-to-american-treasures-was-incremental-he-didn-t-decide/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“If you spend too much time focusing on whether or not you’ve found your true calling, the question will be rendered moot when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/if-you-spend-too-much-time-focusing-on-whether-or-not-you-ve-found/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Their plans were circumspect and small-time. They weren’t dreaming of taking over the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/their-plans-were-circumspect-and-small-time-they-weren-t-dreaming-of/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“This chain method (as some now call it) soon became a hit among writers and fitness enthusiasts—communities that thrive on the ability to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/this-chain-method-as-some-now-call-it-soon-became-a-hit-among-writers/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) [Explore all 257 Cal Newport quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) ## More Shallowness quotes > [Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/sorrow-burns-up-a-great-amount-of-shallowness/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [The fear of speculation, the ostensible rush from the theoretical to the practical, brings about the same shallowness in action that it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/the-fear-of-speculation-the-ostensible-rush-from-the-theoretical-to/) [Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-wilhelm-joseph-schelling/) > [“Remember that the fool in the eyes of the gods and the fool in the eyes of man are very different. One who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/remember-that-the-fool-in-the-eyes-of-the-gods-and-the-fool-in-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Most of the times that I think about my relationship to Judaism, I not only accuse myself of a shallowness, but I feel certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/most-of-the-times-that-i-think-about-my-relationship-to-judaism-i-not/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“A woman who holds her head up too high, is trying to breathe from her own pollution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/a-woman-who-holds-her-head-up-too-high-is-trying-to-breathe-from-her/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The supreme vice is shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-supreme-vice-is-shallowness/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Mirrors on the ceiling, The pink champagne on ice And she said 'We are all just prisoners here, of our own device' And in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-eagles/mirrors-on-the-ceiling-the-pink-champagne-on-ice-and-she-said-we-are/) [The Eagles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-eagles/) > [Childhood doesn't have to be perfect, and children don't have to be beautiful. From a bit of grit may grow a pearl, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-graham/childhood-doesn-t-have-to-be-perfect-and-children-don-t-have-to-be/) [Laurie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-graham/) > [“You fight your superficiality, your shallowness, so as to try to come at people without unreal expectations, without an overload of bias or hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-fight-your-superficiality-your-shallowness-so-as-to-try-to-come/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [“The world is falling down around our ears, and all these people care for is talking about fucking to women in short skirts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-world-is-falling-down-around-our-ears-and-all-these-people-care/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Curves, Clothes, Character (The Sonnet) Your abs won't last, your racks won't last, Eventually everything ends up in wrinkle. Polish the outside all you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/curves-clothes-character-the-sonnet-your-abs-won-t-last-your-racks/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“We've got so much in this life that all we know how to do is want more. So we concentrate on the wrong things--things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/we-ve-got-so-much-in-this-life-that-all-we-know-how-to-do-is-want/) [Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/) > [“Lower the animal, fancier the extravagance, Fancy car, fancy clothes, fancy mansion. Higher the human, simpler the existence, Simple life orchestrates mindful ascension.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/lower-the-animal-fancier-the-extravagance-fancy-car-fancy-clothes/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Society takes upon itself the right to inflict appalling punishment on the individual, but it also has the supreme vice of shallowness, and fails…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/society-takes-upon-itself-the-right-to-inflict-appalling-punishment-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If my prayers have devolved into being nothing more than reciting a list of things that I want, I might as well just go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/if-my-prayers-have-devolved-into-being-nothing-more-than-reciting-a/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) [Browse all 79 Shallowness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallowness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s as if our species has evolved into one that flourishes in depth and wallows in shallowness, becoming what we might call Homo sapiens deepensis.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cal Newport" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into-one-that-flourishes-in-depth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Shallowness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into-one-that-flourishes-in-depth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b08/cal-newport-1302_shallowness_it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into_625079.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It’s as if our species has evolved into one that flourishes in depth and wallows in shallowness, becoming…” — Cal Newport", "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": "Cal Newport", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It’s as if our species has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into-one-that-flourishes-in-depth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/it-s-as-if-our-species-has-evolved-into-one-that-flourishes-in-depth/#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 } } ] } ```