--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To me it was plain silly. It is so…" description: "\"“To me it was plain silly. It is so obvious that life works in terms of species rather than individuals. The individual just has to be born, to develop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/diana-athill-33371_death_to-me-it-was-plain-silly-it-is-so-obviou_1210291.jpg" --- # To me it was plain silly. It is so obvious that life works… ![“To me it was plain silly. It is so obvious that life works in terms of species rather than individuals. The individual just has to be born, to develop to the point at which it can procreate, and then to fall away into death to make way for its successors, and humans are no exception whatever they…” quote by Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/diana-athill-33371_death_to-me-it-was-plain-silly-it-is-so-obviou_1210291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/diana-athill-33371_death_to-me-it-was-plain-silly-it-is-so-obviou_1210291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/130/diana-athill-33371_death_to-me-it-was-plain-silly-it-is-so-obviou_1210291.jpg) > ““To me it was plain silly. It is so obvious that life works in terms of species rather than individuals. The individual just has to be born, to develop to the point at which it can procreate, and then to fall away into death to make way for its successors, and humans are no exception whatever they may fancy.”” [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life operates on a species level; individuals are born, reproduce, then die, making way for successors. **In simple terms:** Life follows biological cycles, not individual plans. Key Takeaway Accept the natural cycle of life. Themes biology existence continuity Mood contemplative neutral Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - education - personal growth - environmental policy Key Concepts evolution life cycle philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does this perspective affect personal ambition? - Can society reconcile individual desires with species imperatives? A Different Perspective Human narratives can conflict with biological realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-work/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Social science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-science/) ## Related quotes > [To pretend that there is no such thing as the Muslim world is specious, self-deluding, and - frankly - plain silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/to-pretend-that-there-is-no-such-thing-as-the-muslim-world-is/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [I don't like zombie movies, they're just plain silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/i-don-t-like-zombie-movies-they-re-just-plain-silly/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [...our species is one, and each of the individuals who compose it are entitled to equal moral consideration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/our-species-is-one-and-each-of-the-individuals-who-compose-it-are/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [I think that this misses out on some of the interesting narrative realities, which is that it actually doesn't work very well, that eliminating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-think-that-this-misses-out-on-some-of-the-interesting-narrative/) [Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/) > [I think it is in the nature of individuals and individual entities not to self-correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-think-it-is-in-the-nature-of-individuals-and-individual-entities/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [We get our rights from our Creator as individuals. So every individual should be treated the same way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/we-get-our-rights-from-our-creator-as-individuals-so-every-individual/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Humans have to realise they're not individuals but individual parts of the same organism, with responsibility to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genesis-p-orridge/humans-have-to-realise-they-re-not-individuals-but-individual-parts/) [Genesis P-Orridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genesis-p-orridge/) > [It is the preservation of the species, not of individuals, which appears to be the design of Deity throughout the whole of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/it-is-the-preservation-of-the-species-not-of-individuals-which/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [It is hardly an exaggeration to say that a chimpanzee kept in solitude is not a real chimpanzee at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-kohler/it-is-hardly-an-exaggeration-to-say-that-a-chimpanzee-kept-in/) [Wolfgang Kohler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-kohler/) > [“Perception without judgment is spineless; judgment with no perception is blind. 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Santrock > [In the humanities and social sciences, and in fields like journalism and economics and so on, people have to be trained to be managers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-the-humanities-and-social-sciences-and-in-fields-like-journalism/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [While much of modern behavioral and social science treats individuals as autonomous agents, it is absolutely clear that the way we think and act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-r-nelson/while-much-of-modern-behavioral-and-social-science-treats-individuals/) Richard R. Nelson ## More by Diana Athill > [An important aspect of the ebbing of sex was that other things became interesting. Sex obliterates the individuality of young women more often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/an-important-aspect-of-the-ebbing-of-sex-was-that-other-things-became/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“I am not sure that digging in our past guilts is a useful occupation for the very old, given that one can do so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/i-am-not-sure-that-digging-in-our-past-guilts-is-a-useful-occupation/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“We must always remember that we are only midwives—if we want praise for progeny we must give birth to our own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/we-must-always-remember-that-we-are-only-midwives-if-we-want-praise/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“She was an object lesson on the essential luck, whatever hardships may come their way, of those born able to make things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/she-was-an-object-lesson-on-the-essential-luck-whatever-hardships-may/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“Dwindling energy is one of the most boring things about being old. From time to time you get a day when it seems to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/dwindling-energy-is-one-of-the-most-boring-things-about-being-old/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [The extension of power offered by a pony, the ease and speed of movement, the tapping of unsuspected courage, the satisfaction of collaboration with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/the-extension-of-power-offered-by-a-pony-the-ease-and-speed-of/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“All through my sixties I felt I was still within hailing distance of middle age, not safe on its shores, perhaps, but navigating its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/all-through-my-sixties-i-felt-i-was-still-within-hailing-distance-of/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“Generally office and home were far apart, and home was much more important than office. I was not ashamed of valuing my private life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/generally-office-and-home-were-far-apart-and-home-was-much-more/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [You don't always have to go so far as to murder your darlings – those turns of phrase or images of which you felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/you-don-t-always-have-to-go-so-far-as-to-murder-your-darlings-those/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“I have heard people bewailing man's landing on the moon, as though before it was touched by an astronaut's foot it was made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/i-have-heard-people-bewailing-man-s-landing-on-the-moon-as-though/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“How, then, does the written word work? What part of a reader absorbs it - or should that be a double question: what part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/how-then-does-the-written-word-work-what-part-of-a-reader-absorbs-it/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [Writing shouldn't come between the reader and what's being described. It should be as transparent as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/writing-shouldn-t-come-between-the-reader-and-what-s-being-described/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [Read it aloud to yourself because that's the only way to be sure the rhythms of the sentences are OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/read-it-aloud-to-yourself-because-that-s-the-only-way-to-be-sure-the/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) > [“It was like removing layers of crumpled brown paper from an awkwardly shaped parcel, and revealing the attractive present which it contained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-athill/it-was-like-removing-layers-of-crumpled-brown-paper-from-an-awkwardly/) [Diana Athill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) [Explore all 15 Diana Athill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-athill/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. 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Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To me it was plain silly. It is so obvious that life works in terms of species rather than individuals. 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