---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We need to take a leaf out of natures…"
description: "\"We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to an inevitable populati..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png"
---

#  We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species…

![“We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to an inevitable population crash.” quote by Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png)

> “We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to an inevitable population crash.”

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

## About This Quote

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

Cloning without genetic diversity makes a species vulnerable to parasites, causing eventual collapse.

**In simple terms:** Lack of diversity leads to collapse.

Key Takeaway

Diversity protects populations.

Themes

evolutionary biology population dynamics genetic diversity parasite-host interactions ecological resilience

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

observation warning

When to use this quote

- conservation planning
- agricultural breeding
- disease management
- biodiversity policy

Key Concepts

cloning parasite pressure population crash

Practical Applications

- designing resilient crops
- informing wildlife management

Questions to Reflect On

- How does genetic variation buffer against threats?
- What strategies can maintain diversity in engineered species?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Clones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clones/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Parasites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parasites/)

## Related quotes

> [We need to take a leaf out of nature's book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-nature-s-book-any-species-that-clones/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [Perfect replication is the enemy of any robust system... Lacking a central nervous system much less a brain the parasite is a simple system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/perfect-replication-is-the-enemy-of-any-robust-system-lacking-a/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [But if they're so successful, why haven't parasites taken over the world? The answer is simple: they have. We just haven't noticed. That's because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/but-if-they-re-so-successful-why-haven-t-parasites-taken-over-the/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [Sexual reproduction exists solely as a means to defeat parasites. By mixing male and female genes, sex produces offspring not exactly like either the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/sexual-reproduction-exists-solely-as-a-means-to-defeat-parasites-by/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“I could murder you with a poem, instead I’ll give birth to a galaxy of clones, and raise an army of poetic drones, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejuan-cuffee/i-could-murder-you-with-a-poem-instead-i-ll-give-birth-to-a-galaxy-of/)

DeJuan Cuffee

> [Love one person at a time, thats the motto Ill try to get my clones to live by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/love-one-person-at-a-time-thats-the-motto-ill-try-to-get-my-clones-to/)

[Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/)

> [“My clones just honored me with the 2012 Man of the Year Award. But I wasn’t fooled—I knew they were really honoring themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-clones-just-honored-me-with-the-2012-man-of-the-year-award-but-i/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“Sunday was a day when players could not dispatch their doubles. Instead, clones went to the garage, where they studied educational ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-k-walkow/sunday-was-a-day-when-players-could-not-dispatch-their-doubles/)

[J.M.K. Walkow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-k-walkow/)

> [“I can’t extrapolate a theory of what people would do based on the limited data set of what one person—myself—would do. That’s why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-can-t-extrapolate-a-theory-of-what-people-would-do-based-on-the/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“FRUITS AND NUTS Keep jumping around them like monkeys. The clones, Commercialized zombies, And the TV junkies. Keep throwing berries, Twigs, And nuts at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/fruits-and-nuts-keep-jumping-around-them-like-monkeys-the-clones/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [“Escape is very difficult to negotiate, underwater.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darion-d-anjou/escape-is-very-difficult-to-negotiate-underwater/)

Darion D'Anjou

> [“Shakespeare asked what’s in a name. Well, each of my clones won’t be named the same as me, but they’ll be me and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/shakespeare-asked-what-s-in-a-name-well-each-of-my-clones-won-t-be/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“I’m the best me I can be. I didn’t achieve this through hard work, but by murdering my over performing clones. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-the-best-me-i-can-be-i-didn-t-achieve-this-through-hard-work-but/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [No one can tell the difference between a clone and a human. That's because there isn't any difference. The idea of clones being inferior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-farmer/no-one-can-tell-the-difference-between-a-clone-and-a-human-that-s/)

[Nancy Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-farmer/)

> [You've got a lot of Tupac clones, but I don't think I'm one of them. I just think I give people a little piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/you-ve-got-a-lot-of-tupac-clones-but-i-don-t-think-i-m-one-of-them-i/)

[Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/)

## More by Daniel Suarez

> [I'm against unanswerable concentrations of power, whether that be government or private industry or religious figures - anybody who is not accountable to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-m-against-unanswerable-concentrations-of-power-whether-that-be/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“when privacy is criminalized, only criminals will have privacy.” Durand”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/when-privacy-is-criminalized-only-criminals-will-have-privacy-durand/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [I don't have a Facebook page. I don't use Twitter. I don't give anyone a lot to grab onto. Sometimes, I even take out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-don-t-have-a-facebook-page-i-don-t-use-twitter-i-don-t-give-anyone/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [When the survival strategy of a civilization is invalidated, in all of human history none have ever turned back from the brink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/when-the-survival-strategy-of-a-civilization-is-invalidated-in-all-of/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“A thing can't exist in people's minds until it has a name. But with a name, it can exist in people's minds without existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/a-thing-can-t-exist-in-people-s-minds-until-it-has-a-name-but-with-a/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“Now combine an application like that—a widely distributed entity that never dies—with tens of millions of dollars and the ability to purchase goods and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/now-combine-an-application-like-that-a-widely-distributed-entity-that/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“They’d had so much more luck investing in eccentric B and C students. The rationale was simple: Those heavily invested in the status quo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/they-d-had-so-much-more-luck-investing-in-eccentric-b-and-c-students/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“You never understood games. Maybe that's why the world was such a mystery to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/you-never-understood-games-maybe-that-s-why-the-world-was-such-a/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“Mankind was on the moon in the 1960s, Jon. That was half a century ago. Nuclear power. The transistor. The laser. All existed even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/mankind-was-on-the-moon-in-the-1960s-jon-that-was-half-a-century-ago/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [I think that for all of the dangers of technology spreading, I think it is more dangerous in some ways that it doesn't. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-think-that-for-all-of-the-dangers-of-technology-spreading-i-think/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [We need to build change in to our systems and let these systems evolve as circumstances change. Change is inevitable, but we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-build-change-in-to-our-systems-and-let-these-systems/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“One did not accidentally graduate from top-tier schools. One strove to get in and to maintain grades once there, and to do that, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/one-did-not-accidentally-graduate-from-top-tier-schools-one-strove-to/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [I've read one too many thrillers that had really horrible technology in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-ve-read-one-too-many-thrillers-that-had-really-horrible-technology/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [“How can you expect to handle the future if you can’t even handle the present?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/how-can-you-expect-to-handle-the-future-if-you-can-t-even-handle-the/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [My fiction is only just over the horizon. I present a world that's different but it's familiar enough that it freaks people out a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/my-fiction-is-only-just-over-the-horizon-i-present-a-world-that-s/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

[Explore all 79 Daniel Suarez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a parasite, leading to an inevitable population crash.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Daniel Suarez"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/167/daniel-suarez-8637_book_we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-bo_57241.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We need to take a leaf out of natures book. Any species that clones itself will eventually be attacked by a…” — Daniel Suarez",
                "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": "Daniel Suarez",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We need to take a leaf...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/we-need-to-take-a-leaf-out-of-natures-book-any-species-that-clones/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
