---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as the human race is able to…"
description: "\"As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.\" — Desmond Morris"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg"
---

#  As long as the human race is able to concern itself with…

![“As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.” quote by Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg)

> “As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.”

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

## About This Quote

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

When humanity transcends basic survival, it creates space for cultural pursuits like sports, reflecting our need for play and community.

**In simple terms:** Sports persist beyond survival needs.

Key Takeaway

Culture thrives when basic needs are met.

Themes

culture leisure human nature societal development play

Mood

optimistic reflective

Type

aphor cultural commentary

When to use this quote

- post‑war reconstruction
- economic prosperity
- urban community building
- educational settings

Key Concepts

sports human motivation social cohesion

Practical Applications

- designing community sports programs
- promoting physical education in schools

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this say about the role of leisure in civilization?
- How might this view change in times of crisis?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Analysis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/analysis/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Soccer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soccer/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/)

## Related quotes

> [International friendly games are not worth the lives of the silk worms who perish to make the pennants. They do not even have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/international-friendly-games-are-not-worth-the-lives-of-the-silk/)

[Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/)

> [Football is a thinly disguised re-enactment of hunting; we played it before we were human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/football-is-a-thinly-disguised-re-enactment-of-hunting-we-played-it/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [I hope Stoke stay up this season, and stay up for long enough so that they can get enough money and buy some footballers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-dennis/i-hope-stoke-stay-up-this-season-and-stay-up-for-long-enough-so-that/)

Mick Dennis

> [In football, hate can be a beautiful thing; sustaining and nourishing, quite unlike other manifestations of an otherwise destructive emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-campbell/in-football-hate-can-be-a-beautiful-thing-sustaining-and-nourishing/)

Nicky Campbell

> [Manchester United have risen to the pinnacle of the English game at a time when the rewards are so high - thanks to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cornwell/manchester-united-have-risen-to-the-pinnacle-of-the-english-game-at-a/)

[Phil Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cornwell/)

> [Professionally, it would be a logical choice, but my personal view is that he is the most insincere man I know in football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-cascarino/professionally-it-would-be-a-logical-choice-but-my-personal-view-is/)

[Tony Cascarino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-cascarino/)

> [In a bygone era, penalty-takers would put their laces through the ball and threaten to put a permanent bulge in the netting. For reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-gill/in-a-bygone-era-penalty-takers-would-put-their-laces-through-the-ball/)

[Pete Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-gill/)

> [The poor Geordies are in the process of being rebuffed by every sentient human being whose ambition in life is more than simply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-liddle/the-poor-geordies-are-in-the-process-of-being-rebuffed-by-every/)

[Rod Liddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-liddle/)

> [Greece won the 2004 European Championship with the oldest trick in the book: man-for-man marking. Why? Because nobody expected it - and by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-samuel/greece-won-the-2004-european-championship-with-the-oldest-trick-in/)

[Martin Samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-samuel/)

> [When I throw the perfect ball, it's impossible to defend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-delap/when-i-throw-the-perfect-ball-it-s-impossible-to-defend/)

Rory Delap

> [Football is based on desperation. All clubs are desperate in one form or another - desperate to succeed, desperate to survive, desperate to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-barnes/football-is-based-on-desperation-all-clubs-are-desperate-in-one-form/)

[Simon Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-barnes/)

> [There are those who condemn five in midfield as a negative tactic, but when a side's centre-backs are as hapless as Chris Perry and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-engel/there-are-those-who-condemn-five-in-midfield-as-a-negative-tactic-but/)

[Matthew Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-engel/)

> [Even before 2007, this half of a small island was the richest football country on earth. In 2005-2006 the Premiership's total revenue was about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kuper/even-before-2007-this-half-of-a-small-island-was-the-richest-football/)

[Simon Kuper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kuper/)

> [In a manner akin to the influence of Tiger Woods on the other side of the Atlantic, Thierry Henry has helped kick down a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-gill/in-a-manner-akin-to-the-influence-of-tiger-woods-on-the-other-side-of/)

[Pete Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-gill/)

> [Liverpool's grand opera also gave us some light comedy - on hearing the news that the house of goalkeeper Pepe Reina was burgled, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-lynch/liverpool-s-grand-opera-also-gave-us-some-light-comedy-on-hearing-the/)

[Declan Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-lynch/)

## More by Desmond Morris

> [Clearly, then, the city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/clearly-then-the-city-is-not-a-concrete-jungle-it-is-a-human-zoo/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [People who keep dogs live longer on average than those who do not. This is not some kind of pro-canine campaigning fantasy. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/people-who-keep-dogs-live-longer-on-average-than-those-who-do-not/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Life is like a very short visit to a toy shop between birth and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/life-is-like-a-very-short-visit-to-a-toy-shop-between-birth-and-death/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful beasts reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-idea-that-it-is-funny-to-see-wild-animals-coerced-into-acting/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The roots of our Soccer Tribe lie deep in our primeval past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-roots-of-our-soccer-tribe-lie-deep-in-our-primeval-past/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The response of teenagers to their idols is relevant. As an audience, they enjoy themselves, not by screaming with laughter, but screaming with screams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-response-of-teenagers-to-their-idols-is-relevant-as-an-audience/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [“A belief in the validity of the acquisition of knowledge and a scientific understanding of the world we live in, the creation and appreciation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/a-belief-in-the-validity-of-the-acquisition-of-knowledge-and-a/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between people of roughly equal status. This equality is demonstrated in many indirect ways, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/a-true-bond-of-friendship-is-usually-only-possible-between-people-of/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [“My writing, on the other hand, is always done with my readers in mind. I never write for my own amusement. I always try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/my-writing-on-the-other-hand-is-always-done-with-my-readers-in-mind-i/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-city-is-not-a-concrete-jungle-it-is-a-human-zoo/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Life is like a very short visit to a toyshop between birth and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/life-is-like-a-very-short-visit-to-a-toyshop-between-birth-and-death/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [...In little more than a single century from 1820 to 19450, no less than fifty-nine million human animals were killed in inter-group clashes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/in-little-more-than-a-single-century-from-1820-to-19450-no-less-than/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Monks, nuns, long-term spinsters and bachelors and permanent homosexuals are all, in a reproductive sense, aberrant. Society has bred them, but they have failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/monks-nuns-long-term-spinsters-and-bachelors-and-permanent/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Looking back now on the whole sexual scene we can see that our species has remained much more loyal to its basic biological urges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/looking-back-now-on-the-whole-sexual-scene-we-can-see-that-our/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

> [Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs/)

[Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

[Explore all 37 Desmond Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Desmond Morris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0da/desmond-morris-17347_able_as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-con_16845.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.” — Desmond Morris",
                "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": "Desmond Morris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As long as the human race...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
