--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes…" description: "\"Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as primitive, dull and dimwitted. In fact, of course, they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautif..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/david-attenborough-2396_affectionate_reptiles-and-amphibians-are-sometimes-th_1501276.jpg" --- # Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as… ![“Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as primitive, dull and dimwitted. In fact, of course, they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate and very sophisticated.” quote by David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/david-attenborough-2396_affectionate_reptiles-and-amphibians-are-sometimes-th_1501276.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/david-attenborough-2396_affectionate_reptiles-and-amphibians-are-sometimes-th_1501276.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3b/david-attenborough-2396_affectionate_reptiles-and-amphibians-are-sometimes-th_1501276.jpg) > “Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as primitive, dull and dimwitted. In fact, of course, they can be lethally fast, spectacularly beautiful, surprisingly affectionate and very sophisticated.” [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reptiles and amphibians possess unexpected speed, beauty, affection, and complexity. **In simple terms:** These creatures are more sophisticated than assumed. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden depths in all life. Themes biodiversity misconception complexity Mood wonder curious Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - wildlife education - conservation campaigns - science curricula Key Concepts ecology evolutionary adaptation Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions about nature do you hold? - How can you promote deeper appreciation of overlooked species? A Different Perspective People may resist changing entrenched views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affectionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affectionate/) [Amphibians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amphibians/) [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Reptiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reptiles/) ## Related quotes > [This is a unique aquarium in that a large portion of its collection features freshwater species, and it specializes in fish, amphibians and reptiles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/this-is-a-unique-aquarium-in-that-a-large-portion-of-its-collection/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [The Loch Ness monster doesn't exist either. Loch Ness is just not big enough to hide a thirty foot amphibian or reptile for hundreds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jones/the-loch-ness-monster-doesn-t-exist-either-loch-ness-is-just-not-big/) [Brian Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jones/) > [One of the best gifts you can give a poet is to present them with field guides - to rocks, to stars, to birds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/one-of-the-best-gifts-you-can-give-a-poet-is-to-present-them-with/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [Society's only real 'progressives' are the deviants and mutants. Look at evolution - fish who didn't deviate never became amphibians; frogs who didn't mutate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-goad/society-s-only-real-progressives-are-the-deviants-and-mutants-look-at/) [Jim Goad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-goad/) > [Moving forward, investigative journalists need to train themselves to be media amphibians - just as comfortable with the classic verities of great journalism as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/moving-forward-investigative-journalists-need-to-train-themselves-to/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [Since the first human eye saw a leaf in Devonian sandstone and a puzzled finger reached to touch it, sadness has lain over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/since-the-first-human-eye-saw-a-leaf-in-devonian-sandstone-and-a/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [We are part of nature, a product of a long evolutionary journey. To some degree, we carry the ancient oceans in our blood. ……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/we-are-part-of-nature-a-product-of-a-long-evolutionary-journey-to/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [Man is an amphibian who lives simultaneously in two worlds-the given and the home-made, the world of matter, life and consciousness and the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-is-an-amphibian-who-lives-simultaneously-in-two-worlds-the-given/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [ \[Alternate translation:\] The Divine Spirit found a sublime outlet in that wonder of analysis, that portent of the ideal world, that amphibian between being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/alternate-translation-the-divine-spirit-found-a-sublime-outlet-in/) [Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/) > [The pineal gland of evolutionarily older animals, such as lizards and amphibians, is also called the 'third' eye. Just like the two seeing eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-strassman/the-pineal-gland-of-evolutionarily-older-animals-such-as-lizards-and/) [Rick Strassman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-strassman/) > [Imaginary numbers are a fine and wonderful refuge of the divine spirit almost an amphibian between being and non-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/imaginary-numbers-are-a-fine-and-wonderful-refuge-of-the-divine/) [Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/) > [“We don’t sleep to sleep, dammit, any more than we eat to eat . We sleep to dream. We’re amphibians. We live in two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-clarke/we-don-t-sleep-to-sleep-dammit-any-more-than-we-eat-to-eat-we-sleep/) Lindsay Clarke > [Humans are amphibians - half spirit and half animal. As spirits they belong to the eternal world, but as animals they inhabit time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/humans-are-amphibians-half-spirit-and-half-animal-as-spirits-they/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Many of the medicines we use today, to fight everything from AIDS to cancer, originate as a toxin in an amphibian skin. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-corwin/many-of-the-medicines-we-use-today-to-fight-everything-from-aids-to/) [Jeff Corwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-corwin/) > [Amphibians are dying out like crazy, and frogs and salamanders may be largely extinct by the end of the twenty-first century. Imagine an animal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalee-newitz/amphibians-are-dying-out-like-crazy-and-frogs-and-salamanders-may-be/) [Annalee Newitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalee-newitz/) ## More by David Attenborough > [I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-just-wish-the-world-was-twice-as-big-and-half-of-it-was-still/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I'm against this huge globalisation on the basis of economic advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-m-against-this-huge-globalisation-on-the-basis-of-economic-advantage/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Bringing nature into the classroom can kindle a fascination and passion for the diversity of life on earth and can motivate a sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/bringing-nature-into-the-classroom-can-kindle-a-fascination-and/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I don't approve of sunbathing, and it's bad for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-don-t-approve-of-sunbathing-and-it-s-bad-for-you/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I suspect that happiness is not a state but rather a transition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-suspect-that-happiness-is-not-a-state-but-rather-a-transition/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I don't like rats, but there's not much else I don't like. The problem with rats is they have no fear of human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-don-t-like-rats-but-there-s-not-much-else-i-don-t-like-the-problem/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [“We only know a tiny proportion about the complexity of the natural world. Wherever you look, there are still things we don’t know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/we-only-know-a-tiny-proportion-about-the-complexity-of-the-natural/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [At a time when it's possible for thirty people to stand on the top of Everest in one day, Antarctica still remains a remote,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/at-a-time-when-it-s-possible-for-thirty-people-to-stand-on-the-top-of/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I suffer much less than many of my colleagues. I am perfectly able to go to Australia and film within three hours of arrival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-suffer-much-less-than-many-of-my-colleagues-i-am-perfectly-able-to/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [I'm not over-fond of animals. I am merely astounded by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/i-m-not-over-fond-of-animals-i-am-merely-astounded-by-them/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [Television of course actually started in Britain in 1936, and it was a monopoly, and there was only one broadcaster and it operated on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/television-of-course-actually-started-in-britain-in-1936-and-it-was-a/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [It's extraordinary how self-obsessed human beings are. The things that people always go on about is, 'tell us about us', 'tell us about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/it-s-extraordinary-how-self-obsessed-human-beings-are-the-things-that/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [This last chapter .. may have given the impression that somehow man is the ultimate triumph of evolution, that all these millions of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/this-last-chapter-may-have-given-the-impression-that-somehow-man-is/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [To suggest that God specifically created a worm to torture small African children is blasphemy as far as I can see. The Archbishop of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/to-suggest-that-god-specifically-created-a-worm-to-torture-small/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) > [In the Baboon community, it is not how strong you are that is important, but who you know that counts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/in-the-baboon-community-it-is-not-how-strong-you-are-that-is/) [David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) [Explore all 168 David Attenborough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/) ## More Affectionate quotes > [“Emira realized that Briar probably didn't know how to say good-bye because she never had to do it before. But whether she said good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiley-reid/emira-realized-that-briar-probably-didn-t-know-how-to-say-good-bye/) Kiley Reid > [“She scanned the room, and her grin broadened when she saw Christian. She then sought me out. Her smile for him had been affectionate;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/she-scanned-the-room-and-her-grin-broadened-when-she-saw-christian/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [We must understand that God does not "love" us without liking us - through gritted teeth - as "Christian" love is sometimes thought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/we-must-understand-that-god-does-not-love-us-without-liking-us/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [There never was a tonic that would cure more social ailments than a healthy, happy home. There never was a greater source of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-l-evans/there-never-was-a-tonic-that-would-cure-more-social-ailments-than-a/) [Richard L. Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-l-evans/) > [I am convinced that human nature is basically affectionate and good. If our behavior follows our kind and loving nature, immense benefits will result,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-convinced-that-human-nature-is-basically-affectionate-and-good/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [I can be affectionate about a lot of things without watching them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-can-be-affectionate-about-a-lot-of-things-without-watching-them/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [ If I do manage to come up with a scheme \[to naming\], however, I stick to it, which is why my cats are named… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/if-i-do-manage-to-come-up-with-a-scheme-to-naming-however-i-stick-to/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [Josh Radnor is that rare thing: a writer-director who thinks like an actor but still knows how to create a comedy with shape and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-gleiberman/josh-radnor-is-that-rare-thing-a-writer-director-who-thinks-like-an/) Owen Gleiberman > [Always when I see a man fond of praise I always think it is because he is an affectionate man craving for affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-butler-yeats/always-when-i-see-a-man-fond-of-praise-i-always-think-it-is-because/) Jack Butler Yeats > [I feel that a genuine, affectionate smile is very important in our day-to-day lives. How one creates that smile largely depends on one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-feel-that-a-genuine-affectionate-smile-is-very-important-in-our-day/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Shyama was very good looking and a good human being. She was warm and affectionate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waheeda-rehman/shyama-was-very-good-looking-and-a-good-human-being-she-was-warm-and/) [Waheeda Rehman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waheeda-rehman/) > [I simply contend that the middle-class ideal which demands that people be affectionate, respectable, honest and content, that they avoid excitements and cultivate serenity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-simply-contend-that-the-middle-class-ideal-which-demands-that/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“I would trust you with my life. I'm betting that something evil would appear pleasing but feel foul." Gregori's glittering silver eyes settled on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/i-would-trust-you-with-my-life-i-m-betting-that-something-evil-would/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) [Browse all 282 Affectionate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affectionate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reptiles and amphibians are sometimes thought of as primitive, dull and dimwitted. 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