---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Longevity, like intelligence and good…"
description: "\"Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and strength of character, is largely a matter of genetic heritage. Choose your parents with car..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png"
---

#  Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and…

![“Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and strength of character, is largely a matter of genetic heritage. Choose your parents with care.” quote by Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png)

> “Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and strength of character, is largely a matter of genetic heritage. Choose your parents with care.”

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

## About This Quote

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

Longevity, intelligence, looks, health, and character are largely inherited; choose parents wisely.

**In simple terms:** Genes affect many traits.

Key Takeaway

Consider genetic influences.

Themes

heritage health longevity

Mood

thoughtful pragmatic

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- family planning
- health decisions
- career planning

Key Concepts

genetics family planning environment

Questions to Reflect On

- How much control do you have over these traits?
- What lifestyle choices can offset genetics?

A Different Perspective

Genetics are not destiny; lifestyle matters too.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health and strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-and-strength/) [Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage/) [Longevity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longevity/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Strength of character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-of-character/)

## Related quotes

> [Love is a privilege it has no heritage and only you can choose who to share it with](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britney/love-is-a-privilege-it-has-no-heritage-and-only-you-can-choose-who-to/)

Britney

> [I prefer to have longevity. I like as great a variety as possible, hopefully to avoid getting stuck in one kind of character, having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradford-dillman/i-prefer-to-have-longevity-i-like-as-great-a-variety-as-possible/)

Bradford Dillman

> [In brief, our genetic heritage is at odds with our genetic future. For the first time in human history, the qualities it takes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-brief-our-genetic-heritage-is-at-odds-with-our-genetic-future-for/)

[Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/)

> [For mankind as a whole, a possession infinitely more valuable than individual life is our genetic heritage, our link with past and future... Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/for-mankind-as-a-whole-a-possession-infinitely-more-valuable-than/)

[Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/)

> [It is absolutely imperative that we protect, preserve and pass on this genetic heritage for man and every other living thing in as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/it-is-absolutely-imperative-that-we-protect-preserve-and-pass-on-this/)

[David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/)

> [It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have, it is not a straitjacket that traps us forever in the "beastly" ways of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-heritage-we-have-it-is-not-a/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [To improve short-term memory significantly, reduce the stress in your life. And choose your parents wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-medina/to-improve-short-term-memory-significantly-reduce-the-stress-in-your/)

[John Medina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-medina/)

> [“We don’t get to choose our parents,” Sunny said. “If we did, some of us might choose never to be born at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-ford/we-don-t-get-to-choose-our-parents-sunny-said-if-we-did-some-of-us/)

[Jamie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-ford/)

> [Ask me what makes a champion runner, and I will tell you it helps to have the great good sense to choose your parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/ask-me-what-makes-a-champion-runner-and-i-will-tell-you-it-helps-to/)

[Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/)

> [I choose not to see my parents because I value myself - and they didn't value me or my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-choose-not-to-see-my-parents-because-i-value-myself-and-they-didn-t/)

[Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/)

> [A flower can't choose the place where it blooms, and a child can't choose the parents she's born to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-flower-can-t-choose-the-place-where-it-blooms-and-a-child-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just as the Supreme Court has said that women have the right to choose whether or not to be parents, men should also have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/just-as-the-supreme-court-has-said-that-women-have-the-right-to/)

[Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/)

> [I've seen my whole family struggle, with money, with relationships, with alcohol, and I thought there must be a better way. As you mature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/i-ve-seen-my-whole-family-struggle-with-money-with-relationships-with/)

[Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/)

> [You know, in Russia we say there are three things you can't choose: your parents, your gender and your president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-know-in-russia-we-say-there-are-three-things-you-can-t-choose/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Maturity Is Knowing Who You Choose Matters Most. We don’t choose our parents. We don’t choose our children. But we do choose the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matheesha-prathapa/maturity-is-knowing-who-you-choose-matters-most-we-don-t-choose-our/)

[Matheesha Prathapa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matheesha-prathapa/)

## More by Edward Abbey

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Except for the scale of the operation, there was nothing unusual about Hitler's massacre of the Jews. Genocide's an old tradition, as human as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/except-for-the-scale-of-the-operation-there-was-nothing-unusual-about/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/by-the-age-of-eighteen-a-human-has-acquired-enough-joy-and-heartache/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“Our institutions are too big; they represent not the best but the worst characteristics of human beings. By submitting to huge hierarchies of power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/our-institutions-are-too-big-they-represent-not-the-best-but-the/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [No man-made structure in all of American history has been hated so much, by so many, for so long, with such good reason, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/no-man-made-structure-in-all-of-american-history-has-been-hated-so/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Where all pretend to be thinking alike, it's likely that no one is thinking at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/where-all-pretend-to-be-thinking-alike-it-s-likely-that-no-one-is/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Nobody has so many friends that he can afford to lose one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/nobody-has-so-many-friends-that-he-can-afford-to-lose-one/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“But why, the questioner insists, why do people like you pretend to love uninhabited country so much? Why this cult of wilderness? Why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/but-why-the-questioner-insists-why-do-people-like-you-pretend-to-love/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Civilization is a youth with a molotov cocktail in his hand. Culture is the Soviet tank or L.A. cop that guns him down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/civilization-is-a-youth-with-a-molotov-cocktail-in-his-hand-culture/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [All revolutions have failed? Perhaps. But rebellion for good cause is self- justifying -- a good in itself. Rebellion transforms slaves into human beings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/all-revolutions-have-failed-perhaps-but-rebellion-for-good-cause-is/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“Me, I'm living under a sword too, as Jack may have told you. An old wino's disease, which could lay me in the grave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/me-i-m-living-under-a-sword-too-as-jack-may-have-told-you-an-old-wino/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“Look here, I want to say, for godsake folks get out of them there machines, take off those fucking sunglasses and unpeel both eyeballs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/look-here-i-want-to-say-for-godsake-folks-get-out-of-them-there/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [Reason has seldom failed us because it has seldom been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/reason-has-seldom-failed-us-because-it-has-seldom-been-tried/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [“What is the essence of the art of writing? Part One: Have something to say. Part Two: Say it well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/what-is-the-essence-of-the-art-of-writing-part-one-have-something-to/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

[Explore all 807 Edward Abbey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

## More Care quotes

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [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/)

> [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/)

[James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and strength of character, is largely a matter of genetic heritage. Choose your parents with care.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Abbey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-looks-and-health-and-strength-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Care"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-looks-and-health-and-strength-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a9/edward-abbey-254_care_longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-loo_2683250.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and strength of character, is largely a matter of…” — Edward Abbey",
                "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": "Edward Abbey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Longevity, like intelligence and good looks...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-looks-and-health-and-strength-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-looks-and-health-and-strength-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
