--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We look back through countless millions…" description: "\"“We look back through countless millions of years and see the great will to live struggling out of the intertidal slime, struggling from shape to shape..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/h-g-wells-1122_awakening_we-look-back-through-countless-millions_1510984.jpg" --- # We look back through countless millions of years and see… ![“We look back through countless millions of years and see the great will to live struggling out of the intertidal slime, struggling from shape to shape and from power to power, crawling and then walking confidently upon the land, struggling generation after generation to master the air, creeping…” quote by H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/h-g-wells-1122_awakening_we-look-back-through-countless-millions_1510984.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/h-g-wells-1122_awakening_we-look-back-through-countless-millions_1510984.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/428/h-g-wells-1122_awakening_we-look-back-through-countless-millions_1510984.jpg) > ““We look back through countless millions of years and see the great will to live struggling out of the intertidal slime, struggling from shape to shape and from power to power, crawling and then walking confidently upon the land, struggling generation after generation to master the air, creeping down the darkness of the deep; we see it turn upon itself in rage and hunger and reshape itself anew, we watch it draw nearer and more akin to us, expanding, elaborating itself, pursuing its relentless inconceivable purpose, until at last it reaches us and its being beats through our brains and arteries...It is possible to believe that all the past is but the beginning of a beginning, and that all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn. It is possible to believe that all that the human mind has accomplished is but the dream before the awakening; out of our lineage, minds will spring that will reach back to us in our littleness to know us better than we know ourselves. A day will come, one day in the unending succession of days, when beings, beings who are now latent in our thoughts and hidden in our loins, shall stand upon this earth as one stands upon a footstool, and shall laugh and reach out their hands amidst the stars.”” [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human evolution is portrayed as a relentless, transformative struggle from simple life to cosmic consciousness, driven by an ever‑expanding will to live and understand. **In simple terms:** Life constantly evolves toward greater awareness. Key Takeaway Embrace continual growth and curiosity. Themes evolution progress cosmic destiny human potential transformation Mood awe hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational visionary When to use this quote - scientific research - personal development - creative innovation - environmental stewardship - philosophical contemplation Key Concepts philosophy future studies spiritual awakening Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance ambition with responsibility? - What role does humility play in humanity’s future? 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Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“Life is a dream from which there is but one awakening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-sanger/life-is-a-dream-from-which-there-is-but-one-awakening/) [Jack Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-sanger/) > [“Man is unpredictable, despite Mr. Wells' good record. On Monday, man may be hysterical with doom, and on Tuesday you will find him opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/man-is-unpredictable-despite-mr-wells-good-record-on-monday-man-may/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [The signals we give-yes or no, or maybe-/should be clear/the darkness around us is deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/the-signals-we-give-yes-or-no-or-maybe-should-be-clear-the-darkness/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [“But Nakata wasn’t afraid of the darkness or how deep it was. And why should he be? That bottomless world of darkness, that weighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-nakata-wasn-t-afraid-of-the-darkness-or-how-deep-it-was-and-why/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I see the sadness in your eyes. There's a darkness deep inside. But you act like everything is fine again. See everyone's afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gypsy-princess/i-see-the-sadness-in-your-eyes-there-s-a-darkness-deep-inside-but-you/) [Gypsy Princess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gypsy-princess/) > [Even in that time of utter darkness, somewhere deep inside me the memory of love and goodness had stayed alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/even-in-that-time-of-utter-darkness-somewhere-deep-inside-me-the/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [“Deep within, every human being hoards a pitch-black riddle. The darkness of the iris is nothing other than the starless night, the darkness deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-gustafsson/deep-within-every-human-being-hoards-a-pitch-black-riddle-the/) [Lars Gustafsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-gustafsson/) > [“Nakata let his body relax, switched off his mind, allowing things to flow through him. This was natural for him, something he'd done ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/nakata-let-his-body-relax-switched-off-his-mind-allowing-things-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“It's through the darkness that deep healing comes to enlighten us. Don't be afraid of the dark and keep your Faith high instead. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/it-s-through-the-darkness-that-deep-healing-comes-to-enlighten-us-don/) [Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/) > [“To Polyakov it was as though a fierce wind from downstream was sweeping up the Volga. Several times he was knocked off his feet;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/to-polyakov-it-was-as-though-a-fierce-wind-from-downstream-was/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [“Then for a moment they faded into the sweet darkness so deep that they were darker than the darkness, so that for awhile they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/then-for-a-moment-they-faded-into-the-sweet-darkness-so-deep-that/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [There was no light. The darkness was deep and there was no dazzle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/there-was-no-light-the-darkness-was-deep-and-there-was-no-dazzle/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) > [Once there was a darkness, a deep and endless night, you gave me everything you had and oh, you gave me light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/once-there-was-a-darkness-a-deep-and-endless-night-you-gave-me/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“The danger of darkness is deep doom!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-danger-of-darkness-is-deep-doom/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by H. G. Wells > [... life falls into place only with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/life-falls-into-place-only-with-god/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Fools make researches and wise men exploit them - that is our earthly way of dealing with the question, and we thank Heaven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/fools-make-researches-and-wise-men-exploit-them-that-is-our-earthly/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The true sweetness of chess, if it ever can be sweet, is to see a victory snatched, by some happy impertinence, out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-true-sweetness-of-chess-if-it-ever-can-be-sweet-is-to-see-a/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [A priest is a man vowed, trained, and consecrated, a man belonging to a special corps, and necessarily with an intense esprit de corps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-priest-is-a-man-vowed-trained-and-consecrated-a-man-belonging-to-a/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The man who raises a fist has run out of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-man-who-raises-a-fist-has-run-out-of-ideas/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The choice is: the Universe...or nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-choice-is-the-universe-or-nothing/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [ The crisis \[the Great Depression\] discovered a great man in Franklin Roosevelt...None too soon he has carried America forward to the second stage of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-crisis-the-great-depression-discovered-a-great-man-in-franklin/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Non-violence is the policy of the vegetable kingdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/non-violence-is-the-policy-of-the-vegetable-kingdom/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [For all my desire to be interesting, I have to confess that for most things and people I don't give a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/for-all-my-desire-to-be-interesting-i-have-to-confess-that-for-most/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [The Jews looked for a special savior, a messiah, who was to redeem mankind by the agreeable process of restoring the fabulous glories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/the-jews-looked-for-a-special-savior-a-messiah-who-was-to-redeem/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [“And I have by me, for my comfort, two strange white flowers—shrivelled now, and brown and flat and brittle—to witness that even when mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/and-i-have-by-me-for-my-comfort-two-strange-white-flowers-shrivelled/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [ \[A novel by Henry James\] is like a church lit but without a congregation to distract you, with every light and line focused on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/a-novel-by-henry-james-is-like-a-church-lit-but-without-a/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [In England we have come to rely upon a comfortable time-lag of fifty years or a century intervening between the perception that something ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/in-england-we-have-come-to-rely-upon-a-comfortable-time-lag-of-fifty/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [We must end war before war ends us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/we-must-end-war-before-war-ends-us/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [What good is religion if it collapses under calamity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/what-good-is-religion-if-it-collapses-under-calamity/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) [Explore all 280 H. G. Wells quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) ## More Awakening quotes > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [“Low states are a like a poison to the psyche. Millions of people throughout the world take tranquillizers each day to combat depression, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belsebuub/low-states-are-a-like-a-poison-to-the-psyche-millions-of-people/) [Belsebuub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belsebuub/) > [The awakening of the soul to its bondage and its effort to stand up and assert itself - this is called life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-awakening-of-the-soul-to-its-bondage-and-its-effort-to-stand-up/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [My political awakening, if I can be as grand as to call it that, was all about what was happening around me. It wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/my-political-awakening-if-i-can-be-as-grand-as-to-call-it-that-was/) [Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/) > [How often have you sailed in my dreams. And now you come in my awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-often-have-you-sailed-in-my-dreams-and-now-you-come-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“CWC (Church Women Concerned) enabled us as women in that part of South Africa, to see ourselves as ordinary citizens who found themselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/cwc-church-women-concerned-enabled-us-as-women-in-that-part-of-south/) [Sindiwe Magona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sindiwe-magona/) > [I feel there is a great spiritual awakening on the planet right now. More than any previous time, people are drawn to meditation, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/i-feel-there-is-a-great-spiritual-awakening-on-the-planet-right-now/) [Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/) > [When I was 20 years old, I got cast in 'Spring Awakening' and got swept up in this experience where it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-groff/when-i-was-20-years-old-i-got-cast-in-spring-awakening-and-got-swept/) [Jonathan Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-groff/) > [Motivation is awakening own mind and Inspiration is arising spirit in others to find their own with their heart and soul in all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/motivation-is-awakening-own-mind-and-inspiration-is-arising-spirit-in/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“The Illusion - The source of suffering can be linked back to a condition of the mind that creates the illusion of separation--the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-blanchard/the-illusion-the-source-of-suffering-can-be-linked-back-to-a/) [L.M.Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-blanchard/) [Browse all 1,440 Awakening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awakening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We look back through countless millions of years and see the great will to live struggling out of the intertidal slime, struggling from shape to shape and from power to power, crawling and then walking confidently upon the land, struggling generation after generation to master the air, creeping down the darkness of the deep; we see it turn upon itself in rage and hunger and reshape itself anew, we watch it draw nearer and more akin to us, expanding, elaborating itself, pursuing its relentless inconceivable purpose, until at last it reaches us and its being beats through our brains and arteries...It is possible to believe that all the past is but the beginning of a beginning, and that all that is and has been is but the twilight of the dawn. 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