---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory…"
description: "\"We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for our nucleic acids. This does not deny our humanity; it does not prevent us from pursuing the go..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg"
---

#  We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for…

![“We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for our nucleic acids. This does not deny our humanity; it does not prevent us from pursuing the good, the true and the beautiful. But it would be a great mistake to ignore where we have come from in our attempt to determine where we are going.” quote by Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg)

> “We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for our nucleic acids. This does not deny our humanity; it does not prevent us from pursuing the good, the true and the beautiful. But it would be a great mistake to ignore where we have come from in our attempt to determine where we are going.”

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

## About This Quote

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

Human beings are temporary vessels of DNA, yet we must remember our origins to guide moral progress.

**In simple terms:** Remember origins to shape future good.

Key Takeaway

Learn from past to guide future.

Themes

philosophy science ethics

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- education
- cultural preservation
- ethical decision making

Key Concepts

identity continuity purpose

Questions to Reflect On

- How does ancestry influence moral choices?
- What future goals should guide humanity?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on origins may limit innovative thinking.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Acid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acid/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny/) [Deny Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny-humanity-328642/) [Determine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determine/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Great mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-mistakes/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Does](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-does-848643/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Nucleic Acids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nucleic-acids-1988677/) [Repositories Nucleic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repositories-nucleic-4496402/) [Temporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temporary/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [We are now witnessing, after the slow fermentation of fifty years, a concentration of technical power aimed at the essential determinants of heredity, development…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-darlington/we-are-now-witnessing-after-the-slow-fermentation-of-fifty-years-a/)

[C. D. Darlington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-darlington/)

> [The results serve to disprove the tetranucleotide hypothesis. It is, however, noteworthy-whether this is more than accidental, cannot yet be said-that in all desoxypentose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-chargaff/the-results-serve-to-disprove-the-tetranucleotide-hypothesis-it-is/)

[Erwin Chargaff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-chargaff/)

> [If the results of the present study on the chemical nature of the transforming principle are confirmed, then nucleic acids must be regarded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-results-of-the-present-study-on-the-chemical-nature-of-the/)

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

> [The nucleic acids, as constituents of living organisms, are comparable In importance to proteins. There is evidence that they are Involved In the processes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-pauling/the-nucleic-acids-as-constituents-of-living-organisms-are-comparable/)

[Linus Pauling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-pauling/)

> [One cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one's own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-baldwin/one-cannot-deny-the-humanity-of-another-without-diminishing-one-s-own/)

[James A. Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-baldwin/)

> [“Asking men to cut away their “feminine” traits asks them to cut away half their humanity, just as asking women to suppress their “masculine”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/asking-men-to-cut-away-their-feminine-traits-asks-them-to-cut-away/)

[Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/)

> [The problem with generalizations and judgments, the words we hurl as insults, is that they deny our humanity and our stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marti-noxon/the-problem-with-generalizations-and-judgments-the-words-we-hurl-as/)

[Marti Noxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marti-noxon/)

> [“This is the threat to our lives that we all face today. Is the system going to flatten you out and deny you your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/this-is-the-threat-to-our-lives-that-we-all-face-today-is-the-system/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Is the system going to flatten you out and deny you your humanity, or are you going to be able to make use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/is-the-system-going-to-flatten-you-out-and-deny-you-your-humanity-or/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [It is a terrible, an inexorable law that one cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one's own: in the face of one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-terrible-an-inexorable-law-that-one-cannot-deny-the-humanity/)

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

> [On some level, you are going to like being with or working with one person more than another. To deny any favoritism within you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whipple/on-some-level-you-are-going-to-like-being-with-or-working-with-one/)

[Robert Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whipple/)

> [Each of us is leading a difficult life, and when we meet people we are seeing only a tiny part of the thinnest veneer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derren-brown/each-of-us-is-leading-a-difficult-life-and-when-we-meet-people-we-are/)

[Derren Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derren-brown/)

> [“To deny the full humanity of others is to deny it within ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-smith/to-deny-the-full-humanity-of-others-is-to-deny-it-within-ourselves/)

[Clint Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-smith/)

> [The nucleic acids have considerable biological importance because of their role in cell growth and in the transmission of hereditary characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/severo-ochoa/the-nucleic-acids-have-considerable-biological-importance-because-of/)

[Severo Ochoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/severo-ochoa/)

> [“the transforming principle could not be made of DNA because nucleic acids were all alike. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-cobb/the-transforming-principle-could-not-be-made-of-dna-because-nucleic/)

[Matthew Cobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-cobb/)

## More by Carl Sagan

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [The prediction of nuclear winter is drawn not, of course, from any direct experience with the consequences of global nuclear war, but rather from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-prediction-of-nuclear-winter-is-drawn-not-of-course-from-any/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“Telepathy’ literally means to feel at a distance, just as ‘telephone’ is to hear at a distance and ‘television’ is to see at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/telepathy-literally-means-to-feel-at-a-distance-just-as-telephone-is/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“On the scale of worlds—to say nothing of stars or galaxies—humans are inconsequential, a thin film of life on an obscure and solitary lump…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/on-the-scale-of-worlds-to-say-nothing-of-stars-or-galaxies-humans-are/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-one-of-us-is-in-the-cosmic-perspective-precious-if-a-human/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, we have established a presence there, we have fulfilled a century of dreams!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/in-our-time-we-have-sifted-the-sands-of-mars-we-have-established-a/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ “\[ When a religious couple wrote to Sagan about fulfilled prophecies, he wrote back in May 1996 :\] If ‘fulfilled prophecy’ is your criterion,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-a-religious-couple-wrote-to-sagan-about-fulfilled-prophecies-he/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [“Books permit us to voyage through time, to tap the wisdom of our ancestors. The library connects us with the insight and knowledge, painfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/books-permit-us-to-voyage-through-time-to-tap-the-wisdom-of-our/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [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/)

> [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Any sufficiently crisp question can be answered by a single binary digit-0 or 1, yes or no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/any-sufficiently-crisp-question-can-be-answered-by-a-single-binary/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Humans — who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals — have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/humans-who-enslave-castrate-experiment-on-and-fillet-other-animals/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [Every star may be a sun to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/every-star-may-be-a-sun-to-someone/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

[Explore all 1,043 Carl Sagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

## More Acid quotes

> [Grew up in a small town where there was only one crazy guy. He didn't even go insane doing anything good, like going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-posehn/grew-up-in-a-small-town-where-there-was-only-one-crazy-guy-he-didn-t/)

[Brian Posehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-posehn/)

> [Under Thatcher, who ruled us with an iron rod, great art was made. Amazing designers and musicians. Acid house was born. Very colourful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-gallagher/under-thatcher-who-ruled-us-with-an-iron-rod-great-art-was-made/)

[Noel Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-gallagher/)

> [Balance is key in cooking - you want a little acid, a little sweet, a little savory - the flavors should be harmonious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-simmons/balance-is-key-in-cooking-you-want-a-little-acid-a-little-sweet-a/)

[Gail Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-simmons/)

> [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/)

[Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/)

> [If you've never seen an elephant ski, then you've never been on acid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/if-you-ve-never-seen-an-elephant-ski-then-you-ve-never-been-on-acid/)

[Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/)

> [In my case I've never not been political, though religion tended to overshadow it in my acid days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/in-my-case-i-ve-never-not-been-political-though-religion-tended-to/)

[John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/)

> [Envy may justly be called "the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity;" it is the most acid fruit that grows on the stock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hosea-ballou/envy-may-justly-be-called-the-gall-of-bitterness-and-bond-of-iniquity/)

[Hosea Ballou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hosea-ballou/)

> [“They threw rotten fruit at me and told me next time it would be acid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/they-threw-rotten-fruit-at-me-and-told-me-next-time-it-would-be-acid/)

[Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/)

> [“We were left with nothing because of a love like acid that ate its way through our entire family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-ronald/we-were-left-with-nothing-because-of-a-love-like-acid-that-ate-its/)

[R.D. Ronald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-ronald/)

> [The acid test of our love for God is obedience to His Word. The greatest ability is dependability. The test of your character is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-jones-sr/the-acid-test-of-our-love-for-god-is-obedience-to-his-word-the/)

[Bob Jones, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-jones-sr/)

> [You must have had such a great childhood with a man like that for your father. (Delphine) Yeah. All puppy dogs and rainbows and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-must-have-had-such-a-great-childhood-with-a-man-like-that-for/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Since I was gay and loved disco music, it was kinda pre-programmed that my first experiences with house music and acid - which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justus-kohncke/since-i-was-gay-and-loved-disco-music-it-was-kinda-pre-programmed/)

[Justus Kohncke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justus-kohncke/)

> [We open the halves of a miracle, and a clotting of acids brims into the starry divisions: creation's original juices, irreducible, changeless, alive: so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/we-open-the-halves-of-a-miracle-and-a-clotting-of-acids-brims-into/)

[Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/)

> [I was standing in the street with people walking past me and I could feel my face evaporating. I thought I was on fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-piper/i-was-standing-in-the-street-with-people-walking-past-me-and-i-could/)

[Katie Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-piper/)

> [Once I slapped a rapper with mace, Then I spit acid in his face, after he rinsed his eyes, no wait... I actually grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pharoahe-monch/once-i-slapped-a-rapper-with-mace-then-i-spit-acid-in-his-face-after/)

[Pharoahe Monch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pharoahe-monch/)

[Browse all 448 Acid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acid/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for our nucleic acids. This does not deny our humanity; it does not prevent us from pursuing the good, the true and the beautiful. But it would be a great mistake to ignore where we have come from in our attempt to determine where we are going.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Sagan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-repositories-for-our-nucleic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Acid"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-repositories-for-our-nucleic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f93/carl-sagan-160_acid_we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-rep_1335680.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are, in a way, temporary ambulatory repositories for our nucleic acids. This does not deny our humanity…” — Carl Sagan",
                "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": "Carl Sagan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are, in a way, temporary...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-repositories-for-our-nucleic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/we-are-in-a-way-temporary-ambulatory-repositories-for-our-nucleic/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
