--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think from my experience in war and…" description: "\"I think from my experience in war and life and science, it all has made me believe that we have one life on this planet. We have one chance to live it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg" --- # I think from my experience in war and life and science, it… ![“I think from my experience in war and life and science, it all has made me believe that we have one life on this planet. We have one chance to live it and to contribute to the future of society and the future of life. The only "afterlife" is what other people remember of you.” quote by Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg) > “I think from my experience in war and life and science, it all has made me believe that we have one life on this planet. We have one chance to live it and to contribute to the future of society and the future of life. The only "afterlife" is what other people remember of you.” [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is singular; we have one chance to act responsibly and leave a positive legacy, which becomes our true afterlife. **In simple terms:** We have one life; our legacy is how we’re remembered. Key Takeaway Live responsibly, shape your legacy. Themes legacy responsibility mortality impact science Mood thoughtful inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - environmental activism - education - community service - personal relationships Key Concepts existential meaning social contribution ethical stewardship Questions to Reflect On - What actions define the legacy you want? - How do you balance personal goals with societal impact? A Different Perspective Legacy depends on others’ perceptions, which can be unpredictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afterlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) [Afterlife People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife-people-1605108/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-life/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Afterlife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-afterlife-2750122/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [One chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-chance/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“I want a life. Not an afterlife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tellulah-darling/i-want-a-life-not-an-afterlife/) [Tellulah Darling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tellulah-darling/) > [I promise to love you forever in this life and wherever we go in the afterlife, because I know I can't go on in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/i-promise-to-love-you-forever-in-this-life-and-wherever-we-go-in-the/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) > [What I question about the afterlife is how many people just accept it and don't question it, because I think living for an eternity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/what-i-question-about-the-afterlife-is-how-many-people-just-accept-it/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [“Salvation Is More About This Life than an Afterlife”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-j-borg/salvation-is-more-about-this-life-than-an-afterlife/) [Marcus J. Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-j-borg/) > [“I tend to believe in the traditional architecture of life and the afterlife. This world is a journey of discovery and purification. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-tend-to-believe-in-the-traditional-architecture-of-life-and-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I'm asked so often whether I believe in life after death. I do believe in the sanctity of life, the continuity of life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-graham/i-m-asked-so-often-whether-i-believe-in-life-after-death-i-do-believe/) [Martha Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-graham/) > [“Sydney did not believe in life after death, but in her experience, admitting this could lead to long and complicated discussions in which people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-f-mchugh/sydney-did-not-believe-in-life-after-death-but-in-her-experience/) [Maureen F. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-f-mchugh/) > [“It's all trivial-your grouse, my hermit, Bernard's Byron. Comparing what we're looking for misses the point. It's wanting to know that makes us matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/it-s-all-trivial-your-grouse-my-hermit-bernard-s-byron-comparing-what/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“When I wake up I go through an abbreviated process of mourning all over again. Plainly, there’s something within me that’s ready to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/when-i-wake-up-i-go-through-an-abbreviated-process-of-mourning-all/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Out of nowhere, Augustus asked, "do you believe in an after life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/out-of-nowhere-augustus-asked-do-you-believe-in-an-after-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Religion's greatest "sin" lies in displacing human endeavor, thought, time, resources and efforts from this world, our only world, in order to exalt a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-laurie-gaylor/religion-s-greatest-sin-lies-in-displacing-human-endeavor-thought/) [Annie Laurie Gaylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-laurie-gaylor/) > [You had only one chance for a signature in life, but most people left no impression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/you-had-only-one-chance-for-a-signature-in-life-but-most-people-left/) [Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/) > [Only one chance one bullet in the gun. This is my life and I only got one, yeah. The safety’s off and I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/only-one-chance-one-bullet-in-the-gun-this-is-my-life-and-i-only-got/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [You only get one chance of an England debut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/you-only-get-one-chance-of-an-england-debut/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More by Craig Venter > [Any virus that's been sequenced today - that genome can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/any-virus-that-s-been-sequenced-today-that-genome-can-be-made/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [You can't just live in a comfortable little suburban neighborhood and get your education from movies and television and have any perspective on life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/you-can-t-just-live-in-a-comfortable-little-suburban-neighborhood-and/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Privacy with medical information is a fallacy. If everyone's information is out there, it's part of the collective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/privacy-with-medical-information-is-a-fallacy-if-everyone-s/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [I have the modest goals of replacing the whole petrochemical industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-have-the-modest-goals-of-replacing-the-whole-petrochemical-industry/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Genome design is going to be a key part of the future. That's why we need fast, cheap, accurate DNA synthesis, so you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/genome-design-is-going-to-be-a-key-part-of-the-future-that-s-why-we/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Moving forward in science is as much unwinding the distorted thinking of the past as it is putting a clearer idea on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/moving-forward-in-science-is-as-much-unwinding-the-distorted-thinking/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [My complaint is that there are more books and news articles than there are primary scientific papers. I am probably the biggest critic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/my-complaint-is-that-there-are-more-books-and-news-articles-than/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [The environment has fallen to the wayside in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/the-environment-has-fallen-to-the-wayside-in-politics/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [I've gotten some pretty nice awards. I'm having trouble finding places to put them all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-ve-gotten-some-pretty-nice-awards-i-m-having-trouble-finding-places/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [I don't know if the optimists or the pessimists are right. But, the optimists are going to get something done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-don-t-know-if-the-optimists-or-the-pessimists-are-right-but-the/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [Most drugs work on only about a third of the population, they do no damage to another third, and the final third can have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/most-drugs-work-on-only-about-a-third-of-the-population-they-do-no/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) > [We have learned nothing from the genome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/we-have-learned-nothing-from-the-genome/) [Craig Venter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) [Explore all 13 Craig Venter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/) ## More Afterlife quotes > [I don't believe in an afterlife. I don't believe in a single or multiple godhead. I respect people who do, but I don't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/i-don-t-believe-in-an-afterlife-i-don-t-believe-in-a-single-or/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“There was no attack on religion because people were generally indifferent to religion. They were neither hot nor cold. They were the tepid, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/there-was-no-attack-on-religion-because-people-were-generally/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) > [“And what if there are only spiders there, or something of that sort”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-what-if-there-are-only-spiders-there-or-something-of-that-sort/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“The obsession with the afterlife is born of a panic at not having memories of a before-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cavanagh/the-obsession-with-the-afterlife-is-born-of-a-panic-at-not-having/) [Dean Cavanagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cavanagh/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [If critics and fanboys weren't suckers for simplistic nihilism and high-pressure marketing, Afterlife would be universally acclaimed as a visionary feat, superior to Inception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armond-white/if-critics-and-fanboys-weren-t-suckers-for-simplistic-nihilism-and/) [Armond White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armond-white/) > [“People, I thought, wanted security. They couldn’t bare the idea of death being a big black nothing, couldn’t bear the thought of their loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/people-i-thought-wanted-security-they-couldn-t-bare-the-idea-of-death/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Some people are so stiff and inhumane as the dogma's they believe in”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/some-people-are-so-stiff-and-inhumane-as-the-dogma-s-they-believe-in/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Sometimes I think the resurrection of the body, unless much improved in construction, a mistake!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/sometimes-i-think-the-resurrection-of-the-body-unless-much-improved/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [It's my firm conclusion that human meaning comes from humans, not from a supernatural source. After we die, our hopes for an afterlife reside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/it-s-my-firm-conclusion-that-human-meaning-comes-from-humans-not-from/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [“One's past can't be erased, it can only be learned from, the child taught her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-balcomb/one-s-past-can-t-be-erased-it-can-only-be-learned-from-the-child/) [H. L. Balcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-balcomb/) > [It was like I’d stepped out into an afterlife. Only there were no angels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/it-was-like-i-d-stepped-out-into-an-afterlife-only-there-were-no/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [“death is predestined for all mortals. Souls live forever, but the body does not. Unless you are immortal, both the soul and body are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yelle-hughes/death-is-predestined-for-all-mortals-souls-live-forever-but-the-body/) [Yelle Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yelle-hughes/) [Browse all 844 Afterlife quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afterlife/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think from my experience in war and life and science, it all has made me believe that we have one life on this planet. We have one chance to live it and to contribute to the future of society and the future of life. The only \"afterlife\" is what other people remember of you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Craig Venter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-life-and-science-it-all-has/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Afterlife" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-life-and-science-it-all-has/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7f/craig-venter-35054_afterlife_i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-li_1081865.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think from my experience in war and life and science, it all has made me believe that we have one life on…” — Craig Venter", "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": "Craig Venter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-venter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think from my experience in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-life-and-science-it-all-has/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-venter/i-think-from-my-experience-in-war-and-life-and-science-it-all-has/#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 } } ] } ```