--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We—humanity—didn’t come this far by being…" description: "\"“We—humanity—didn’t come this far by being afraid. Explorers and visionaries have willingly headed off to certain death for thousands of years and by d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/g-s-jennsen-10400_adventure_we-humanity-didn-t-come-this-far-by-bein_821270.jpg" --- # We—humanity—didn’t come this far by being afraid… ![“We—humanity—didn’t come this far by being afraid. Explorers and visionaries have willingly headed off to certain death for thousands of years and by doing so brought us to where we are today. No one has ever told us ‘no’ and succeeded in making it stick for long. We accede to these aliens’ demands…” quote by G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/g-s-jennsen-10400_adventure_we-humanity-didn-t-come-this-far-by-bein_821270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/g-s-jennsen-10400_adventure_we-humanity-didn-t-come-this-far-by-bein_821270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/g-s-jennsen-10400_adventure_we-humanity-didn-t-come-this-far-by-bein_821270.jpg) > ““We—humanity—didn’t come this far by being afraid. Explorers and visionaries have willingly headed off to certain death for thousands of years and by doing so brought us to where we are today. No one has ever told us ‘no’ and succeeded in making it stick for long. We accede to these aliens’ demands and we’ll wither away. It may take centuries or even millennia, but we’ll be so busy cowering in fear we’ll forget to move forward. I say we fight.”” [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Progress requires confronting fear; humanity advances when we pursue daring visions despite risk, refusing to submit to oppressive demands. **In simple terms:** Fear blocks progress; bravery drives innovation. Key Takeaway Challenge fear, pursue bold ideas. Themes courage innovation freedom human spirit Mood inspirational urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - startup ventures - social movements - personal growth - policy advocacy Key Concepts risk‑taking exploration collective action Questions to Reflect On - What fear holds you back? - How can you act despite uncertainty? A Different Perspective Bold actions can cause backlash or failure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid/) [Afraid Explorers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-explorers-475433/) [Aliens Demands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens-demands-475432/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-didn-475434/) [Move forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move-forward/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Space-opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-opera/) ## Related quotes > [“The brain represented the most complex organism ever to exist, and impossible to tame. Morality could not be spawned by tweaking a few genes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/the-brain-represented-the-most-complex-organism-ever-to-exist-and/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“Deep in the recesses of her mind, she knew they were probably watching. They watched everything, after all. Let them watch. Let them see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/deep-in-the-recesses-of-her-mind-she-knew-they-were-probably-watching/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“The progeny will be lost and adrift. Without the integrals reinforcing their focus and purpose, they will begin to question both.” “Sator, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/the-progeny-will-be-lost-and-adrift-without-the-integrals-reinforcing/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“In the corner of her eye she caught her daughter’s shoulders drop as Alex exhaled with uncommon soberness. “So you trust me, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/in-the-corner-of-her-eye-she-caught-her-daughter-s-shoulders-drop-as/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“He had seen many criminals in his years in Division. Dangerous men and even more dangerous women. Small-time hucksters and savvy crime lords. Spies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/he-had-seen-many-criminals-in-his-years-in-division-dangerous-men-and/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“Nisi flashed his charismatic, mysterious smile. “Now, with this in mind, are you ready to take the next step?” Despite Caleb’s attempts at caution—at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/nisi-flashed-his-charismatic-mysterious-smile-now-with-this-in-mind/) [G.S. 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Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“He steadied himself by resting one palm on her thigh and the other on the armrest, and rose to his knees. “I’ll be damned.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/he-steadied-himself-by-resting-one-palm-on-her-thigh-and-the-other-on/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“She burst into her hotel room pulling her blouse over her head with one hand while she yanked her shoes off with the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/she-burst-into-her-hotel-room-pulling-her-blouse-over-her-head-with/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“You have business and pleasure to attend to. As an expert in both, allow me to advise you to put them aside for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/you-have-business-and-pleasure-to-attend-to-as-an-expert-in-both/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“But I wasn't like most of humanity. I didn't like being helped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-center/but-i-wasn-t-like-most-of-humanity-i-didn-t-like-being-helped/) [Katherine Center](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-center/) > [You can't leave humanity out. If you didn't have humanity, you wouldn't have anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-neel/you-can-t-leave-humanity-out-if-you-didn-t-have-humanity-you-wouldn-t/) [Alice Neel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-neel/) > [“The revelation that there was nothing "special" about humanity didn't shock her. Not specifically. She'd always been cynical about that sort of thing. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-lee-martinez/the-revelation-that-there-was-nothing-special-about-humanity-didn-t/) [A. Lee Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-lee-martinez/) ## More by G.S. Jennsen > [“The brain represented the most complex organism ever to exist, and impossible to tame. Morality could not be spawned by tweaking a few genes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/the-brain-represented-the-most-complex-organism-ever-to-exist-and/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“You have business and pleasure to attend to. As an expert in both, allow me to advise you to put them aside for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/you-have-business-and-pleasure-to-attend-to-as-an-expert-in-both/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“She burst into her hotel room pulling her blouse over her head with one hand while she yanked her shoes off with the other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/she-burst-into-her-hotel-room-pulling-her-blouse-over-her-head-with/) [G.S. 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Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“No…you can ask for a beautiful, witty, intelligent yet minxy woman in your arms every night, a mansion on a hill—or better yet in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/no-you-can-ask-for-a-beautiful-witty-intelligent-yet-minxy-woman-in/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“Nisi flashed his charismatic, mysterious smile. “Now, with this in mind, are you ready to take the next step?” Despite Caleb’s attempts at caution—at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/nisi-flashed-his-charismatic-mysterious-smile-now-with-this-in-mind/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“He had seen many criminals in his years in Division. Dangerous men and even more dangerous women. Small-time hucksters and savvy crime lords. Spies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/he-had-seen-many-criminals-in-his-years-in-division-dangerous-men-and/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“In the corner of her eye she caught her daughter’s shoulders drop as Alex exhaled with uncommon soberness. “So you trust me, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/in-the-corner-of-her-eye-she-caught-her-daughter-s-shoulders-drop-as/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“The progeny will be lost and adrift. Without the integrals reinforcing their focus and purpose, they will begin to question both.” “Sator, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/the-progeny-will-be-lost-and-adrift-without-the-integrals-reinforcing/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“Deep in the recesses of her mind, she knew they were probably watching. They watched everything, after all. Let them watch. Let them see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/deep-in-the-recesses-of-her-mind-she-knew-they-were-probably-watching/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“If humanity is annihilated because we were too busy squabbling with one another to manage a proper stand, we probably deserve the annihilation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/if-humanity-is-annihilated-because-we-were-too-busy-squabbling-with/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“If her daughter’s ship had been disintegrated in space there would never be evidence of it, never an answer to what had happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/if-her-daughter-s-ship-had-been-disintegrated-in-space-there-would/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) > [“So that’s why I say ‘never have anything you can’t walk away from.’ Especially a woman. For them, because this is a dangerous life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-s-jennsen/so-that-s-why-i-say-never-have-anything-you-can-t-walk-away-from/) [G.S. Jennsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) [Explore all 66 G.S. Jennsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-s-jennsen/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. 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