--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will murder you by the billions to give…" description: "\"“I will murder you by the billions to give you immortality. I will set fire to your civilization to light your way forward. But know this: My species i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/daniel-h-wilson-3372_apocalypse_i-will-murder-you-by-the-billions-to-giv_2485714.jpg" --- # I will murder you by the billions to give you immortality… ![“I will murder you by the billions to give you immortality. I will set fire to your civilization to light your way forward. But know this: My species is not defined by your dying, but by your living.” quote by Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/daniel-h-wilson-3372_apocalypse_i-will-murder-you-by-the-billions-to-giv_2485714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/daniel-h-wilson-3372_apocalypse_i-will-murder-you-by-the-billions-to-giv_2485714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75e/daniel-h-wilson-3372_apocalypse_i-will-murder-you-by-the-billions-to-giv_2485714.jpg) > ““I will murder you by the billions to give you immortality. I will set fire to your civilization to light your way forward. But know this: My species is not defined by your dying, but by your living.”” [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A speculative voice warns that humanity’s survival may require extreme sacrifice, yet asserts that true identity lies in preserving life, not in destruction **In simple terms:** Immortality may demand harsh choices, but life itself defines us Key Takeaway Consider the cost of survival and the value of life Themes ethics survival technology philosophy Mood grim thought‑provoking Type philosophical speculative When to use this quote - war - pandemic - technological breakthrough - environmental crisis Key Concepts immortality civilizational collapse moral dilemma Questions to Reflect On - What ethical boundaries should limit survival strategies? - Can humanity achieve immortality without mass loss? A Different Perspective The claim of “murder by the billions” is hyperbolic and may overlook peaceful alternatives ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apocalypse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apocalypse/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Robot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robot/) [Way forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-forward/) ## Related quotes > [In the end, living is defined by dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-beckett/in-the-end-living-is-defined-by-dying/) [Bernard Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-beckett/) > [So much of adolescence is an ill-defined dying, An intolerable waiting, A longing for another place and time, Another condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/so-much-of-adolescence-is-an-ill-defined-dying-an-intolerable-waiting/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [In the end, living is defined by dying. Book- ended by oblivion, we are caught in the vice of terror, squeezed to bursting by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-beckett/in-the-end-living-is-defined-by-dying-book-ended-by-oblivion-we-are/) [Bernard Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-beckett/) > [In the future, when Microsoft leaves a security-flaw in their code it won't mean that somebody hacks your computer. It will mean that somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/in-the-future-when-microsoft-leaves-a-security-flaw-in-their-code-it/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [You want to know what a robot's designed for. And if it's doing something outside the scope of what it's made to do, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/you-want-to-know-what-a-robot-s-designed-for-and-if-it-s-doing/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > ['Robopocalypse' explores the intertwined fates of regular people who face a future filled with murderous machines. It follows them as humanity foments the robot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/robopocalypse-explores-the-intertwined-fates-of-regular-people-who/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [A robot-arm in a factory doesn't decide minute by minute whether to rivet or revolt - it just does the job is has literally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/a-robot-arm-in-a-factory-doesn-t-decide-minute-by-minute-whether-to/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [If popular culture has taught us anything, it is that someday mankind must face and destroy the growing robot menace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/if-popular-culture-has-taught-us-anything-it-is-that-someday-mankind/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [You don't want to stand too close to a robot arm; it can turn your head to mush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/you-don-t-want-to-stand-too-close-to-a-robot-arm-it-can-turn-your/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“We sent a robot to do a man’s job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/we-sent-a-robot-to-do-a-man-s-job/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [I wrote six nonfiction books before getting into narrative fiction with 'Robopocalypse,' including 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising.' My goal all along was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/i-wrote-six-nonfiction-books-before-getting-into-narrative-fiction/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [You probably found 'How to Survive a Robot Uprising' in the humor section. Let's just hope that is where it belongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/you-probably-found-how-to-survive-a-robot-uprising-in-the-humor/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [Personally, I'm not afraid of a robot uprising. The benefits far outweigh the threats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/personally-i-m-not-afraid-of-a-robot-uprising-the-benefits-far/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [I'm a fan of supersymmetry, largely because it seems to be the only route by which gravity can be brought into the scheme. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-higgs/i-m-a-fan-of-supersymmetry-largely-because-it-seems-to-be-the-only/) [Peter Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-higgs/) > [When you hang the 'bipartisan' tag on something, the perception is that differences have been worked out, and there's a broad agreement that that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/when-you-hang-the-bipartisan-tag-on-something-the-perception-is-that/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) ## More by Daniel H. Wilson > [“I don't think. I react. My action is divorced from all emotion and logic. It isn't human or inhuman-it just is. I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/i-don-t-think-i-react-my-action-is-divorced-from-all-emotion-and/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“See you in the funny pages...mate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/see-you-in-the-funny-pages-mate/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [To survive, humans will work together. Accept each other. For a moment, we are all equal. Backs against the wall, human beings are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/to-survive-humans-will-work-together-accept-each-other-for-a-moment/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [You don't pick your revolution. It picks you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/you-don-t-pick-your-revolution-it-picks-you/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“We search for the ordinary when we are surrounded by the extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/we-search-for-the-ordinary-when-we-are-surrounded-by-the-extraordinary/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [Johannes Cabal would kill me for saying this, but he's my favorite Zeppelin-hopping detective. The fellow has got all the charm of Bond and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/johannes-cabal-would-kill-me-for-saying-this-but-he-s-my-favorite/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [As a society, I think we express our cultural mores through our politics. We're trying constantly to figure out what's OK and what's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/as-a-society-i-think-we-express-our-cultural-mores-through-our/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“You know what you get when the mind and body act as one?...You get harmony...remember that. There is no you. There is no it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/you-know-what-you-get-when-the-mind-and-body-act-as-one-you-get/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“Science fiction inspires scientists, but it doesn't exist to dictate what our future should look like. Great science fiction is fun to read and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/science-fiction-inspires-scientists-but-it-doesn-t-exist-to-dictate/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [Personally, I'm not afraid of a robot uprising. The benefits far outweigh the threats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/personally-i-m-not-afraid-of-a-robot-uprising-the-benefits-far/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“I may be a simple man, but I am very good with an axe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/i-may-be-a-simple-man-but-i-am-very-good-with-an-axe/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [Looking ahead, future generations may learn their social skills from robots in the first place. The cute yellow Keepon robot from Carnegie Mellon University…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/looking-ahead-future-generations-may-learn-their-social-skills-from/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [Human reactions to robots varies by culture and changes over time. In the United States we are terrified by killer robots. In Japan people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/human-reactions-to-robots-varies-by-culture-and-changes-over-time-in/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“All those postage-stamp front yards we used to have were reminders that we like clear spaces to see predators coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/all-those-postage-stamp-front-yards-we-used-to-have-were-reminders/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [Robots are interesting because they exist as a real technology that you can really study - you can get a degree in robotics -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/robots-are-interesting-because-they-exist-as-a-real-technology-that/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) [Explore all 132 Daniel H. Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) ## More Apocalypse quotes > [People always wonder when the world is going to end. I believe that the world will end when everyone stops loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-fickes/people-always-wonder-when-the-world-is-going-to-end-i-believe-that/) [Nichole Fickes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-fickes/) > [A South Korean inventor has finally created the robot that mankind has been waiting for. Scientists who have been worried about the robot apocalypse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pesca/a-south-korean-inventor-has-finally-created-the-robot-that-mankind/) [Mike Pesca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pesca/) > [The end of the world begins the moment you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-end-of-the-world-begins-the-moment-you-die/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [If it makes you feel any better, this isn't my first apocalypse. There is hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/if-it-makes-you-feel-any-better-this-isn-t-my-first-apocalypse-there/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [“The world did not end with a bang, nor did it end with a whimper. It was more of a chomp. And a slurp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rudolph/the-world-did-not-end-with-a-bang-nor-did-it-end-with-a-whimper-it/) J. Rudolph > [Nuclear apocalypse-who do you need? Actors are probably not top of the list. What can I do for you? I can pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/nuclear-apocalypse-who-do-you-need-actors-are-probably-not-top-of-the/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [“It was a comfortable, familiar apocalypse,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-barnes/it-was-a-comfortable-familiar-apocalypse/) [Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-barnes/) > [In the New Testament alone there are Gospels, acts, epistles, and an apocalypse. Gospels contain literary forms like miracles, parables, pronouncements, proverbs, farewell discourses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-blomberg/in-the-new-testament-alone-there-are-gospels-acts-epistles-and-an/) [Craig Blomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-blomberg/) > [The day came. The wrath descended. Sin, guilt, and retribution? The manic psychoses of those entities we referred to as states, institutions, systems -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-day-came-the-wrath-descended-sin-guilt-and-retribution-the-manic/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [The awkward moment when you predict the end of the world and nothing happens :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-awkward-moment-when-you-predict-the-end-of-the-world-and-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I once fed a dog-fight operator to the dogs he had abused for so long, and do you want to know something? It felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-nye/i-once-fed-a-dog-fight-operator-to-the-dogs-he-had-abused-for-so-long/) [Cedric Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-nye/) > [“You and I are victims of the same disease. 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