--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is curious how there seems to be an…" description: "\"It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust in Man for his nearest ancestors and relations. If only Darwin could conscientiously have tr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/havelock-ellis-3921_ancestor_it-is-curious-how-there-seems-to-be-an-i_595664.png" --- # It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust… ![“It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust in Man for his nearest ancestors and relations. If only Darwin could conscientiously have traced man back to the Elephant or the Lion or the Antelope, how much ridicule and prejudice would have been spared to the doctrine of Evolution.” quote by Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/havelock-ellis-3921_ancestor_it-is-curious-how-there-seems-to-be-an-i_595664.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/havelock-ellis-3921_ancestor_it-is-curious-how-there-seems-to-be-an-i_595664.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/havelock-ellis-3921_ancestor_it-is-curious-how-there-seems-to-be-an-i_595664.png) > “It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust in Man for his nearest ancestors and relations. If only Darwin could conscientiously have traced man back to the Elephant or the Lion or the Antelope, how much ridicule and prejudice would have been spared to the doctrine of Evolution.” [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans often feel aversion toward close relatives, and if evolution were traced to familiar animals, prejudice against evolution might lessen. **In simple terms:** People dislike close kin; linking evolution to known animals could reduce bias. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge innate biases. Themes bias evolution human nature Mood reflective critical inquisitive Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - family dynamics - education about evolution - public debates on science - personal introspection Key Concepts anthropology psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - Why do we instinctively reject familiar ancestors? - How can education reshape these biases? A Different Perspective Some may argue that scientific evidence, not ancestry, should counter prejudice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Antelopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antelopes/) [Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Disgust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disgust/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-of-man/) [Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lions/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Positive atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-atheism/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) ## Related quotes > [Golden eagles don't mate with bald eagles, deer don't mate with antelope, gray wolves don't mate with red wolves. 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All is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/all-flesh-is-one-what-matter-scores-or-color-of-the-suit-or-if-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Do not be in a hurry to rush into the pleasures of the world like the young antelope who danced herself lame when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/do-not-be-in-a-hurry-to-rush-into-the-pleasures-of-the-world-like-the/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of thousands of years of chasing antelopes, horses, elephants, wild cattle, and deer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequence-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [To me, fast food is when a cheetah eats an antelope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/to-me-fast-food-is-when-a-cheetah-eats-an-antelope/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [On the first page of the Bible there is an instance of how literalism is but an invitation to transcend the image to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sittler/on-the-first-page-of-the-bible-there-is-an-instance-of-how-literalism/) [Joseph Sittler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sittler/) > [Perhaps when we die our names are takenfrom us by a divine magnet and are freeto flutter here and there within the bodies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/perhaps-when-we-die-our-names-are-takenfrom-us-by-a-divine-magnet-and/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [If we can hump dead animals and antelopes, there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/if-we-can-hump-dead-animals-and-antelopes-there-s-no-reason-that-a/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [Like mighty eagle soaring light. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/the-preponderance-of-south-africa-is-a-different-breed-of-man-i-mean/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [A man from a primitive culture who sees an automobile might guess that it was powered by the wind or by an antelope hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/a-man-from-a-primitive-culture-who-sees-an-automobile-might-guess/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [Never lose sight of an antelope for a dashing squirrel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plo-lumumba/never-lose-sight-of-an-antelope-for-a-dashing-squirrel/) PLO Lumumba > [Even animals have a conscience. Those in the jungle KILL only to eat, not live to kill. 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