--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At a time when we can split the atom…" description: "\"“At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon, and decode the human genome, why do 2 billion people live on less than $2 a day?”\" — Charles W..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg" --- # At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon… ![“At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon, and decode the human genome, why do 2 billion people live on less than $2 a day?” quote by Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg) > ““At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon, and decode the human genome, why do 2 billion people live on less than $2 a day?”” [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despite scientific advances, billions still live in extreme poverty, highlighting global inequality. **In simple terms:** Science has advanced, yet many still lack basic resources. Key Takeaway Address systemic inequality to lift billions out of poverty. Themes poverty inequality science Mood urgent somber Type call‑to‑action analytical When to use this quote - NGO work - government aid - education reform - technology deployment Key Concepts global development economic policy Questions to Reflect On - What policies could reduce extreme poverty? - How can technology be used ethically to help the poor? A Different Perspective Solutions require coordinated political will and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atom Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atom-land-2707704/) [Billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billion/) [Billion People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billion-people/) [Genome Billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genome-billion-2707703/) [Moon Decode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-decode-2707706/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Seven billion people in the world... But!! My heart choose you. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udigwe-vinsnt/seven-billion-people-in-the-world-but-my-heart-choose-you/) [Udigwe Vinsnt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udigwe-vinsnt/) > [To have six billion people on Earth, two billion of whom are carrying around a warped view of you? That has to register.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-toback/to-have-six-billion-people-on-earth-two-billion-of-whom-are-carrying/) [James Toback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-toback/) > [There are over 7,000,000,000 or 7 billion people on this planet called Earth with each person saying millions of things for 3 billion seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrawesome/there-are-over-7-000-000-000-or-7-billion-people-on-this-planet/) [MrAwesome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrawesome/) > [Your mission is to find a product or service that can positively impact the lives of 1 billion people because that's the game we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/your-mission-is-to-find-a-product-or-service-that-can-positively/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [The billion people who wake up every day trying to figure out if they have enough food to eat won't be at Davos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-billion-people-who-wake-up-every-day-trying-to-figure-out-if-they/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“There will be a billion people out there, who will say you can't do it, Just make sure that you are not in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiten-bhatt/there-will-be-a-billion-people-out-there-who-will-say-you-can-t-do-it/) [Jiten Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiten-bhatt/) > [7 Billion people on this earth and my mind and heart is stuck on you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/7-billion-people-on-this-earth-and-my-mind-and-heart-is-stuck-on-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Another way to think of this is there are now 6.8 billion people on this planet, and half of them weren't even born when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/another-way-to-think-of-this-is-there-are-now-6-8-billion-people-on/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [1 universe, 8 planets, 204 countries, 804 islands, 7 seas, 7 billion people and my heart still tells me it's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/1-universe-8-planets-204-countries-804-islands-7-seas-7-billion/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [There are 6 billion people in the world. 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I'm just one of six billion people, right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-corrigan/how-seriously-can-i-take-myself-i-m-just-one-of-six-billion-people/) [Kelly Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-corrigan/) ## More by Charles Wheelan > [“Several studies of thousands of British civil servants (the Whitehall studies) have found that workers who have little control over their jobs—meaning they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/several-studies-of-thousands-of-british-civil-servants-the-whitehall/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“We’ve built a society that values civil liberties even at the expense of social order.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/we-ve-built-a-society-that-values-civil-liberties-even-at-the-expense/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Is the journey still worthwhile if the mountain turns out to be enshrouded in fog at the top?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/is-the-journey-still-worthwhile-if-the-mountain-turns-out-to-be/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Here is one of the most important things to remember when doing research that involves regression analysis: Try not to kill anyone. 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The GPA does not reflect the difficulty of the courses that different students may have taken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/but-it-s-not-perfect-the-gpa-does-not-reflect-the-difficulty-of-the/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [Economics is like gravity: Ignore it and you will be in for some rude surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/economics-is-like-gravity-ignore-it-and-you-will-be-in-for-some-rude/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“Recognize that your own motivation, ambition, and talents will determine your success more than the college name on your diploma.”8”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/recognize-that-your-own-motivation-ambition-and-talents-will/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“When I applied to graduate school many years ago, I wrote an essay expressing my puzzlement at how a country that could put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/when-i-applied-to-graduate-school-many-years-ago-i-wrote-an-essay/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“(Remember, human capital embodies not only classroom training but also perseverance, honesty, creativity—virtues that lend themselves to finding work.) Some”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/remember-human-capital-embodies-not-only-classroom-training-but-also/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [Change is inevitable; but progress depends on what we do with that change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/change-is-inevitable-but-progress-depends-on-what-we-do-with-that/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) > [“According to the American Lung Association, the average smoker dies seven years earlier than the average nonsmoker, which means that smokers pay into Social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/according-to-the-american-lung-association-the-average-smoker-dies/) [Charles Wheelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) [Explore all 25 Charles Wheelan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/) ## More Billion quotes > [Seven billion people in the world... But!! My heart choose you. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udigwe-vinsnt/seven-billion-people-in-the-world-but-my-heart-choose-you/) [Udigwe Vinsnt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/udigwe-vinsnt/) > [“We are fornicating in the sight of six billion people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/we-are-fornicating-in-the-sight-of-six-billion-people/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [The world isn't fast-paced, it's frenetic. People have to be managers of themselves. Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [Again, a franchise to me doesn't have to be a billion dollar title.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/again-a-franchise-to-me-doesn-t-have-to-be-a-billion-dollar-title/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [I’m neither ‘pro-women’ nor ‘anti-men’. I’m just ‘Thumbs up for the six billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/i-m-neither-pro-women-nor-anti-men-i-m-just-thumbs-up-for-the-six/) [Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/) > [Malaria is a disease that kills one to three million people a year. 300 to 500 million cases are reported. It's estimated that Africa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/malaria-is-a-disease-that-kills-one-to-three-million-people-a-year/) [Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/) > [1 Universe, 9 Planets, 204 Countries, 809 Islands, 7 Seas and 7 Billion people, But My Heart Wants Only You.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/1-universe-9-planets-204-countries-809-islands-7-seas-and-7-billion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know why, but I'm continually amazed to think that two and a half billion of us around the world are connected to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kovacs/i-don-t-know-why-but-i-m-continually-amazed-to-think-that-two-and-a/) [Gary Kovacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kovacs/) > [Give consideration to the fact that alien astronomers could have scrutinized Earth for more than 4 billion years without detecting any radio signals, despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/give-consideration-to-the-fact-that-alien-astronomers-could-have/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [I am proud of the fact that I have co-produced the film 'A Billion Colour Story.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satish-kaushik/i-am-proud-of-the-fact-that-i-have-co-produced-the-film-a-billion/) [Satish Kaushik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satish-kaushik/) > [I think TARP was the most defining vote since I've been in Congress. 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Some tell lies to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-this-moment-there-are-6-470-818-671-people-in-the-world-some-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 423 Billion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon, and decode the human genome, why do 2 billion people live on less than $2 a day?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Wheelan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-land-on-the-moon-and-decode-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Billion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-land-on-the-moon-and-decode-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57f/charles-wheelan-23089_time_at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-lan_1887758.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“At a time when we can split the atom, land on the moon, and decode the human genome, why do 2 billion people…” — Charles Wheelan", "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": "Charles Wheelan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wheelan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“At a time when we can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-land-on-the-moon-and-decode-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wheelan/at-a-time-when-we-can-split-the-atom-land-on-the-moon-and-decode-the/#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 } } ] } ```