--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed far more reasonable to belong…" description: "\"“It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to belong to one that had developed the dental pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg" --- # It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that… ![“It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to belong to one that had developed the dental profession.” quote by Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg) > ““It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to belong to one that had developed the dental profession.”” [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Natural evolution provides built‑in tooth replacement, unlike human dental interventions. **In simple terms:** Nature replaces teeth; humans need dentists. Key Takeaway Respect natural adaptations over artificial fixes. Themes biology evolution human health Mood thoughtful curious Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - dentistry - evolutionary biology - personal health decisions Key Concepts tooth regeneration medical ethics Questions to Reflect On - Why do we replace natural processes with technology? - What are the limits of medical intervention? A Different Perspective Human interventions can be costly and unnecessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dentistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dentistry/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Snails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snails/) ## Related quotes > [There is no other species on Earth that does science. It is, so far, entirely a human invention, evolved by natural selection in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-no-other-species-on-earth-that-does-science-it-is-so-far/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Darwin abolished special creations, contributed the Origin of Species and hitched all life together in one unbroken procession of Siamese Twins, the whole evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/darwin-abolished-special-creations-contributed-the-origin-of-species/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“In terms of size, mammals are an anomaly, as the vast majority of the world's existing species are snail-sized or smaller. It's almost as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/in-terms-of-size-mammals-are-an-anomaly-as-the-vast-majority-of-the/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [Sight and touch, being thus increased in capacity, might belong to some species far superior to man; or rather the human species would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/sight-and-touch-being-thus-increased-in-capacity-might-belong-to-some/) [Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-anthelme-brillat-savarin/) > [Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare, it is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/single-mindedness-is-all-very-well-in-cows-or-baboons-in-an-animal/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Most people today think they belong to a species that can be master of its destiny. This is faith, not science. We do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/most-people-today-think-they-belong-to-a-species-that-can-be-master/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [“If populations can interbreed with each other in their natural habitat, they belong to the same species. Of course, with fossil animals, that’s not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-r-berger/if-populations-can-interbreed-with-each-other-in-their-natural/) Lee R Berger > [For a long time, science has gone in the direction of sort of putting people in their place. We learned that the sun doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kolbert/for-a-long-time-science-has-gone-in-the-direction-of-sort-of-putting/) [Elizabeth Kolbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kolbert/) > [Our own species evolved under the influence of group selection, as Darwin emphasized when he discussed the evolution of altruism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-sober/our-own-species-evolved-under-the-influence-of-group-selection-as/) [Elliott Sober](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-sober/) > [From the point of view of the species, death is part of this whole process. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-luckett/in-the-beginning-according-to-fossil-remains-the-homo-sapiens-humans/) [Johnny Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-luckett/) > [“The intriguing placidity from the slothful pace of a snail is truly very peaceful. Our world is in need of this calmness to pacify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/the-intriguing-placidity-from-the-slothful-pace-of-a-snail-is-truly/) [Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/) ## More by Elisabeth Tova Bailey > [“The snail had been a true mentor; its tiny existence had sustained me. Late one winter night I wrote in my journal: A last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-snail-had-been-a-true-mentor-its-tiny-existence-had-sustained-me/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Those of us with illnesses are the holders of the silent fears of those with good health.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/those-of-us-with-illnesses-are-the-holders-of-the-silent-fears-of/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“The life of a snail is as full of tasty food, comfortable beds of sorts, and a mix of pleasant and not-so-pleasant adventures as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-life-of-a-snail-is-as-full-of-tasty-food-comfortable-beds-of/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“There was no woodsy fragrance blowing through my room, and the snail, especially while it lived in the pot of violets, must have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/there-was-no-woodsy-fragrance-blowing-through-my-room-and-the-snail/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“There is a certain depth of illness that is piercing in its isolation: the only rule of existence is uncertainty, and the only movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/there-is-a-certain-depth-of-illness-that-is-piercing-in-its-isolation/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Given the ease with which health infuses life with meaning and purpose, it is shocking how swiftly illness steals away those certainties.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/given-the-ease-with-which-health-infuses-life-with-meaning-and/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“The crucial first step to survival in all organisms is habitat selection. If you get to the right place, everything else is likely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/the-crucial-first-step-to-survival-in-all-organisms-is-habitat/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“I liked the sound of the word 'snail' every time I said it; the word was as small and simple as the creature itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/i-liked-the-sound-of-the-word-snail-every-time-i-said-it-the-word-was/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Survival often depends on a specific focus: A relationship, a belief, or a hope balanced on the edge of possibility. Or something more ephemeral:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/survival-often-depends-on-a-specific-focus-a-relationship-a-belief-or/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“Millions of centuries of voyaging via animals, water, and wind brought my snail's family to colonize the woods near where I was staying. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/millions-of-centuries-of-voyaging-via-animals-water-and-wind-brought/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“I find that nothing is quite as I remember; in my absence, the world has changed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/i-find-that-nothing-is-quite-as-i-remember-in-my-absence-the-world/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“My bed was an island within the desolate sea of my room. Yet I knew that there were other people homebound from illness or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/my-bed-was-an-island-within-the-desolate-sea-of-my-room-yet-i-knew/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“THERE IS A CERTAIN depth of illness that is piercing in its isolation; the only rule of existence is uncertainty, and the only movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/there-is-a-certain-depth-of-illness-that-is-piercing-in-its-isolation-2/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“We are all hostages of time. We each have the same number of minutes and hours to live within a day, yet to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/we-are-all-hostages-of-time-we-each-have-the-same-number-of-minutes/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) > [“As the snail's world grew more familiar, my own human world became less so; my species was so large, so rushed, and so confusing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/as-the-snail-s-world-grew-more-familiar-my-own-human-world-became/) [Elisabeth Tova Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) [Explore all 25 Elisabeth Tova Bailey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/) ## More Dentist quotes > [The higher animals get their teeth without pain or inconvenience. Man gets his through months and months of cruel torture; he will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-higher-animals-get-their-teeth-without-pain-or-inconvenience-man/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [At first I thought, if I were Superman, a perfect secret identity would be "Clark Kent, Dentist," because you could save money on tooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/at-first-i-thought-if-i-were-superman-a-perfect-secret-identity-would/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“Are your kids afraid of the Dentist?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-patton/are-your-kids-afraid-of-the-dentist/) Rhonda Patton > [Gauguin flew into a frenzy! He held my head under the X-ray machine for ten straight minutes and for several hours after I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/gauguin-flew-into-a-frenzy-he-held-my-head-under-the-x-ray-machine/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. Then you sit in their chair and the first thing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/dentists-tell-you-not-to-pick-your-teeth-with-any-sharp-metal-object/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Trips to the dentist - I like to postpone that kind of thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/trips-to-the-dentist-i-like-to-postpone-that-kind-of-thing/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [I'm like the guy who prepares your taxes or a dentist. I'm very conservative and boring in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-m-like-the-guy-who-prepares-your-taxes-or-a-dentist-i-m-very/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [My therapist was like, 'What brings joy to your heart?' And I was like, 'I like to see teeth. I guess maybe I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-haddish/my-therapist-was-like-what-brings-joy-to-your-heart-and-i-was-like-i/) [Tiffany Haddish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-haddish/) > [You can't escape history, or the needs and neuroses you've picked up like layers and layers of tartar on your teeth… Your every past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-t-escape-history-or-the-needs-and-neuroses-you-ve-picked-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/men-hang-out-their-signs-indicative-of-their-respective-trades-shoe/) [Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/) > [Dentistry was an ego trip, and acting is a personal need. Usually it's the reverse, and I honestly don't think I had the talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilcox/dentistry-was-an-ego-trip-and-acting-is-a-personal-need-usually-it-s/) [Larry Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilcox/) > [So I went to the dentist. He said Say Aaah. I said Why? He said My dog's died.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-i-went-to-the-dentist-he-said-say-aaah-i-said-why-he-said-my-dog-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man loses his illusions first, his teeth second, and his follies last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/a-man-loses-his-illusions-first-his-teeth-second-and-his-follies-last/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [There are three proven rules for good teeth: brush after every meal; see your dentist twice a year; and mind your own business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-boyd/there-are-three-proven-rules-for-good-teeth-brush-after-every-meal/) Henry Boyd > [I wonder if there's such a thing as a spiritual dentist? I think my whole personality is full of cavities!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-schulz/i-wonder-if-there-s-such-a-thing-as-a-spiritual-dentist-i-think-my/) [Charles M. Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-schulz/) Browse all 271 Dentist quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to belong to one that had developed the dental profession.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elisabeth Tova Bailey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong-to-a-species-that-had-evolved/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dentist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong-to-a-species-that-had-evolved/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/elisabeth-tova-bailey-23990_dentist_it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong_242945.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seemed far more reasonable to belong to a species that had evolved natural tooth replacement than to…” — Elisabeth Tova Bailey", "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": "Elisabeth Tova Bailey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-tova-bailey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It seemed far more reasonable to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong-to-a-species-that-had-evolved/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-tova-bailey/it-seemed-far-more-reasonable-to-belong-to-a-species-that-had-evolved/#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 } } ] } ```