---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If life really depends on each gene being…"
description: "\"If life really depends on each gene being as unique as it appears to be, then it is too unique to come into being by chance mutations.\" — Frank B. Sali..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg"
---

#  If life really depends on each gene being as unique as it…

![“If life really depends on each gene being as unique as it appears to be, then it is too unique to come into being by chance mutations.” quote by Frank B. Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg)

> “If life really depends on each gene being as unique as it appears to be, then it is too unique to come into being by chance mutations.”

[Frank B. Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-salisbury/)

## About This Quote

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

Argues that genetic uniqueness is too precise to arise solely by random mutation.

**In simple terms:** Genetic uniqueness seems purposeful.

Key Takeaway

Consider design in biology.

Themes

science genetics philosophy

Mood

analytical curious

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- evolutionary studies
- bioethics debates
- education
- policy making

Key Concepts

probability design theory

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports random mutation?
- How does this view affect ethical decisions?

A Different Perspective

Controversial to evolutionary consensus.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Chance Mutations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-mutations-4946345/) [Depends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends/) [Depends Gene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depends-gene-4946347/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Gene Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gene-unique-4946346/) [Genes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genes/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mutation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutation/) [Mutations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutations/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Unique Appears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique-appears-4946348/)

## Related quotes

> [Choose your mutations carefully...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mothersbaugh/choose-your-mutations-carefully/)

[Mark Mothersbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mothersbaugh/)

> [“Right. Mutation is the trigger that moves evolution forward. So, how do mutations happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/right-mutation-is-the-trigger-that-moves-evolution-forward-so-how-do/)

[Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/)

> [First of all, many human diseases are influenced by, if not caused by mutations in genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-nathans/first-of-all-many-human-diseases-are-influenced-by-if-not-caused-by/)

[Daniel Nathans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-nathans/)

> [Every batch of sperm represents an opportunity for genetic typos - called de novo mutations - to be passed on. A 20-year-old man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/every-batch-of-sperm-represents-an-opportunity-for-genetic-typos/)

[Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/)

> [Mutations are exciting. They try to fix 'em when they come out. Did you see the two-headed baby they killed last month when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/mutations-are-exciting-they-try-to-fix-em-when-they-come-out-did-you/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [D.N.A. sequences change by mutations, and the idea behind the molecular clock is that those changes occur at, more or less, a constant rate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-stoneking/d-n-a-sequences-change-by-mutations-and-the-idea-behind-the-molecular/)

[Mark Stoneking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-stoneking/)

> [Mutations are exciting, there aren't nearly enough of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanhope/mutations-are-exciting-there-aren-t-nearly-enough-of-them/)

[Doug Stanhope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanhope/)

> [How comes it to pass, if they be only moved by chance and accident, that such regular mutations and generations should be begotten by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-smith/how-comes-it-to-pass-if-they-be-only-moved-by-chance-and-accident/)

[John Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-smith/)

> [I was taught over and over again that the accumulation of random mutations led to evolutionary change - led to new species. I believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-margulis/i-was-taught-over-and-over-again-that-the-accumulation-of-random/)

[Lynn Margulis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-margulis/)

> [“The bradys must hold that, on the average, cumulative selection has to add a little information to the genome at each step. But of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-spetner/the-bradys-must-hold-that-on-the-average-cumulative-selection-has-to/)

[Lee Spetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-spetner/)

> [I think, with every kind of creature and every kind of human, there is no better. We're all just mutations, and I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/i-think-with-every-kind-of-creature-and-every-kind-of-human-there-is/)

[Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/)

> [ After observing mutations in fruit flies for many years, Professes Goldschmidt fell into despair. The changes, he lamented, were so hopelessly micro \[insignificant\] that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-macbeth/after-observing-mutations-in-fruit-flies-for-many-years-professes/)

[Norman Macbeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-macbeth/)

> [We find in the history of ideas mutations which do not seem to correspond to any obvious need, and at first sight appear as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/we-find-in-the-history-of-ideas-mutations-which-do-not-seem-to/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [The secrets of evolution are death and time-the deaths of enormous numbers of lifeforms that were imperfectly adapted to the environment; and time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-secrets-of-evolution-are-death-and-time-the-deaths-of-enormous/)

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

> [I know that the human condition will be radically changed through technical means. Much of this change will be painful, monstrous and horrible. Most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/i-know-that-the-human-condition-will-be-radically-changed-through/)

[Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/)

## More by Frank B. Salisbury

> [Even something as complex as the eye has appeared several times; for example, in the squid, the vertebrates, and the arthropods. It's bad enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-salisbury/even-something-as-complex-as-the-eye-has-appeared-several-times-for/)

[Frank B. Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-salisbury/)

> [I must admit that any favorable mention of the flying saucers by a scientist amounts to extreme heresy and places the one making the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-salisbury/i-must-admit-that-any-favorable-mention-of-the-flying-saucers-by-a/)

[Frank B. Salisbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-salisbury/)

[Explore all 3 Frank B. Salisbury quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-salisbury/)

## More Chance quotes

> [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/)

[Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/)

> [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/)

[Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/)

> [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/)

[Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/)

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/)

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

> [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/)

[Alejandro Taubas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-taubas/)

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/)

[Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/)

> [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/)

[Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/)

> [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/)

[Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/)

[Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If life really depends on each gene being as unique as it appears to be, then it is too unique to come into being by chance mutations.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank B. Salisbury"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-salisbury/if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-being-as-unique-as-it-appears-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-salisbury/if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-being-as-unique-as-it-appears-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b62/frank-b-salisbury-82003_chance_if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-bein_2219328.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If life really depends on each gene being as unique as it appears to be, then it is too unique to come into…” — Frank B. Salisbury",
                "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": "Frank B. Salisbury",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-salisbury/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If life really depends on each...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-salisbury/if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-being-as-unique-as-it-appears-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-salisbury/if-life-really-depends-on-each-gene-being-as-unique-as-it-appears-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
