--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last…" description: "\"“Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last -- what had they done that we would not have done in their place? God, what intelligence and persistence! What a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg" --- # Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last -- what had they… ![“Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last -- what had they done that we would not have done in their place? God, what intelligence and persistence! What a facing of the incredible, just as those carven kinsmen and forbears had faced things only a little less incredible! Radiates, vegetables…” quote by H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg) > ““Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last -- what had they done that we would not have done in their place? God, what intelligence and persistence! What a facing of the incredible, just as those carven kinsmen and forbears had faced things only a little less incredible! Radiates, vegetables, monstrosities, star spawn -- whatever they had been, they were men!”” [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human curiosity drives relentless pursuit of the unknown, often confronting terrifying realities beyond comprehension. **In simple terms:** Scientists push boundaries, facing awe‑inspiring unknowns. Key Takeaway Embrace wonder, respect limits. Themes curiosity exploration the unknown human ambition Mood awe foreboding inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - research labs - space missions - deep‑sea expeditions - archaeological digs Key Concepts cosmic horror scientific drive existential dread Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to explore the unknown? - When should curiosity yield to caution? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind us to dangers and ethical costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientists/) [Sentience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentience/) ## Related quotes > [“As to what the things were—explanations naturally varied. The common name applied to them was “those ones,” or “the old ones,” though other terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/as-to-what-the-things-were-explanations-naturally-varied-the-common/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nlm-gath-d-goeting/the-glory-of-god-is-intelligence-or-in-other-words-light-and-truth/) NLM Gath D & Goeting > [There is an all powerful force or energy that creates all and draws all back into it. This is God. It is beyond intelligence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-an-all-powerful-force-or-energy-that-creates-all-and-draws/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [How do we take our anger and transform it into sacred rage? How do we create a language that opens the heart instead of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/how-do-we-take-our-anger-and-transform-it-into-sacred-rage-how-do-we/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [God is intelligence occupied with knowing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-is-intelligence-occupied-with-knowing-itself/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [The Weaver is a really godlike power. It's not even a blind idiot god, a sort of Lovecraft thing, it's just a purely capricious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/the-weaver-is-a-really-godlike-power-it-s-not-even-a-blind-idiot-god/) [China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [If we had complete knowledge, you wouldn't need any intelligence gathering whatsoever. The president isn't god. We do have intelligence gathering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/if-we-had-complete-knowledge-you-wouldn-t-need-any-intelligence/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [“To say that a sentient being is not harmed by death denies that the being has the very interest that sentience serves to perpetuate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/to-say-that-a-sentient-being-is-not-harmed-by-death-denies-that-the/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [“Sentience is a means to the end of continued existence. Sentient beings, by virtue of their being sentient, have an interest in remaining alive;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/sentience-is-a-means-to-the-end-of-continued-existence-sentient/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) > [“Here's one reason to believe that sentience isn't what makes us human: this confuses the feeling of harm with the reality of harm. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-mcdowell/here-s-one-reason-to-believe-that-sentience-isn-t-what-makes-us-human/) Sean McDowell > [The most attractive habitats for synthetic sentience might be the vicinities of exceptional sources of energy - for example black holes, or even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-most-attractive-habitats-for-synthetic-sentience-might-be-the/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [One of the most consistent defining qualities of sentience is that we define it as human, as the thing that we possess that others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/one-of-the-most-consistent-defining-qualities-of-sentience-is-that-we/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [“She was capable of suffering – that was the price of sentience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-baxter/she-was-capable-of-suffering-that-was-the-price-of-sentience/) [Stephen Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-baxter/) > [“All thinking things fear. Sentience, perhaps, is facing that fear and conquering it rather than succumbing. A tiger will drown in a tar pit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-murphy/all-thinking-things-fear-sentience-perhaps-is-facing-that-fear-and/) [C.E. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-murphy/) > [“Sentience is not an end in itself. It is a means to the end of staying alive. Sentient beings use sensations of pain and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francione-gary-l/sentience-is-not-an-end-in-itself-it-is-a-means-to-the-end-of-staying/) [Francione, Gary L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francione-gary-l/) ## More by H.P. Lovecraft > [“Damn it, it wasn’t quite fresh enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/damn-it-it-wasn-t-quite-fresh-enough/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“Fear best lends itself to the creation of Nature-defying illusions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/fear-best-lends-itself-to-the-creation-of-nature-defying-illusions/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“a new chill from afar out whither the condor had flown, as if my flesh had caught a horror before my eyes had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/a-new-chill-from-afar-out-whither-the-condor-had-flown-as-if-my-flesh/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“One can trace the relics of this former happiness in the trim shapes of the buildings, the occasional graceful churches, and the evidences of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/one-can-trace-the-relics-of-this-former-happiness-in-the-trim-shapes/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“many pairs of legs and with two great bat-like wings in the middle of the back. They sometimes walked on all their legs, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/many-pairs-of-legs-and-with-two-great-bat-like-wings-in-the-middle-of/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“the trees would die before the poison was out of the soil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/the-trees-would-die-before-the-poison-was-out-of-the-soil/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“Calm, lasting beauty comes only in dream, and this solace the world had thrown away when in its worship of the real it threw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/calm-lasting-beauty-comes-only-in-dream-and-this-solace-the-world-had/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“It’s hard to have done all one’s growing up since 33 — but that’s a damn sight better than not growing up at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/it-s-hard-to-have-done-all-one-s-growing-up-since-33-but-that-s-a/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“By noon Carter reached the jasper terraces of Kiran which slope down to the river's edge and bear that temple of loveliness wherein the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/by-noon-carter-reached-the-jasper-terraces-of-kiran-which-slope-down/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“The vast marble dome of the State House stood out in massive silhouette, its crowning statue haloed fantastically by a break in one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/the-vast-marble-dome-of-the-state-house-stood-out-in-massive/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“On many occasions the curious atmospheric effects enchanted me vastly; these including a strikingly vivid mirage - the first I had ever seen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/on-many-occasions-the-curious-atmospheric-effects-enchanted-me-vastly/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“Heaven knows where I'll end up - it's a safe bet I'll never be at the top of anything! Nor do I particularly care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/heaven-knows-where-i-ll-end-up-it-s-a-safe-bet-i-ll-never-be-at-the/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“Our apprehensions were over what we might find, or fail to find, at the end of our journey; for silence continued to answer all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/our-apprehensions-were-over-what-we-might-find-or-fail-to-find-at-the/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“What we heard was not the fabulous note of any buried blasphemy of elder earth from whose supernal toughness an age-denied polar sun had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/what-we-heard-was-not-the-fabulous-note-of-any-buried-blasphemy-of/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [“The Lurking Fear: Shrieking, slithering, torrential shadows of red viscous madness chasing one another through endless, ensanguined condors of purple fulgurous sky... formless phantasms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/the-lurking-fear-shrieking-slithering-torrential-shadows-of-red/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) [Explore all 148 H.P. Lovecraft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) ## More Humanity quotes > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth-is-not-infinite-and-that-our/) Gabriel Tarde > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“Once the switch of parenthood is thrown, it changes you for ever & you can never escape the extra pull of humanity it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/once-the-switch-of-parenthood-is-thrown-it-changes-you-for-ever-you/) [Richard hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/) > [“The power of imagination is strongest in the place of solitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/the-power-of-imagination-is-strongest-in-the-place-of-solitude/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“I now know that deep within the human concept is something dark, selfish, and completely willing to do whatever is necessary to support the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/i-now-know-that-deep-within-the-human-concept-is-something-dark/) [Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [He is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/he-is-not-humanity-deified-he-is-not-godhead-humanized-he-is-god-he/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-not-lose-faith-in-humanity-humanity-is-like-an-ocean-if-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 9,796 Humanity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last -- what had they done that we would not have done in their place? God, what intelligence and persistence! What a facing of the incredible, just as those carven kinsmen and forbears had faced things only a little less incredible! Radiates, vegetables, monstrosities, star spawn -- whatever they had been, they were men!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "H.P. Lovecraft" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-what-had-they-done-that-we-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Humanity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-what-had-they-done-that-we-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd2/h-p-lovecraft-2-2159_humanity_poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-wha_673369.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the last -- what had they done that we would not have done in their place? God…” — H.P. Lovecraft", "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": "H.P. Lovecraft", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Poor Old Ones! Scientists to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-what-had-they-done-that-we-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/poor-old-ones-scientists-to-the-last-what-had-they-done-that-we-would/#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 } } ] } ```