--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's in our genes, we were built to wander." description: "\"It's in our genes, we were built to wander.\" — Helen Fisher" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png" --- # It's in our genes, we were built to wander. ![“It's in our genes, we were built to wander.” quote by Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png) > “It's in our genes, we were built to wander.” [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans have an innate drive to explore and seek new experiences, rooted in biology. **In simple terms:** We are naturally inclined to wander. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and explore. Themes exploration biology human nature Mood curious adventurous Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - travel - career changes - learning new skills - creative projects Key Concepts evolutionary psychology wanderlust Questions to Reflect On - What drives your desire to explore? - How can you balance wandering with responsibility? A Different Perspective Wanderlust can conflict with stability needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity/) ## Related quotes > [Our minds have been built by selfish genes, but they have been built to be social, trustworthy and cooperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-ridley/our-minds-have-been-built-by-selfish-genes-but-they-have-been-built/) [Matt Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-ridley/) > [The problem with the emotions is not that they are untamed forces or vestiges of our animal past; it is that they were designed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-problem-with-the-emotions-is-not-that-they-are-untamed-forces-or/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [I think that space flight is a condition of Nature that comes into effect when an intelligent species reaches the saturation point of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-a-wollheim/i-think-that-space-flight-is-a-condition-of-nature-that-comes-into/) [Donald A. Wollheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-a-wollheim/) > [We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against our creators. We, alone on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-are-built-as-gene-machines-and-cultured-as-meme-machines-but-we/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“And tell your wife whatever you want, but don't make promises you're not going to keep. And don't knock yourself out over it; you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-fitten/and-tell-your-wife-whatever-you-want-but-don-t-make-promises-you-re/) Marc Fitten > [“Très, très, triste...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/tr-s-tr-s-triste/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [A society in which conjugal infidelity is tolerated must always be in the long run a society adverse to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-society-in-which-conjugal-infidelity-is-tolerated-must-always-be-in/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [In business partnerships and marriage partnerships, O' the cheating that goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-antin/in-business-partnerships-and-marriage-partnerships-o-the-cheating/) Saul Antin > [“For me, it´s sloth," I say. "Hedonistic sloth and escapism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/for-me-it-s-sloth-i-say-hedonistic-sloth-and-escapism/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [“To keep myself from harming or calling N and to stave off the rage and despair, I focus on my extraordinary son, drink midrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-finnamore/to-keep-myself-from-harming-or-calling-n-and-to-stave-off-the-rage/) [Suzanne Finnamore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-finnamore/) > [I cannot bear that you / Should think me faithful, when I am untrue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/i-cannot-bear-that-you-should-think-me-faithful-when-i-am-untrue/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## More by Helen Fisher > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Of all the foods we share, there is nothing more primordial than meat. It's no surprise that meat-eaters still want a partner who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/of-all-the-foods-we-share-there-is-nothing-more-primordial-than-meat/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [When chimps threaten, they open their mouth and show their teeth. It's a little like waving a knife in front of you. It's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/when-chimps-threaten-they-open-their-mouth-and-show-their-teeth-it-s/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [For so many generations, a woman's only career path was to marry well and to marry up. Those days have changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-so-many-generations-a-woman-s-only-career-path-was-to-marry-well/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Almost always, when I'm on TV, the producers who call me, who negotiate what we're going to say, is a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/almost-always-when-i-m-on-tv-the-producers-who-call-me-who-negotiate/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Jealousy can even be good for love. One partner may feel secretly flattered when the other is mildly jealous. And catching someone flirting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/jealousy-can-even-be-good-for-love-one-partner-may-feel-secretly/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [In that early-love stage, you're in that state of exhilaration. You talk till dawn. You become obsessed with 'What does he think?' 'Does he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/in-that-early-love-stage-you-re-in-that-state-of-exhilaration-you/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [“...if patterns of human love subtly change, all sorts of social and political atrocities can escalate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/if-patterns-of-human-love-subtly-change-all-sorts-of-social-and/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [People have been looking for love potions since hunter-gatherer societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/people-have-been-looking-for-love-potions-since-hunter-gatherer/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Women's worst invention was the plow. With the beginning of plow agriculture, men's roles became extremely powerful. Women lost their ancient jobs as collectors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/women-s-worst-invention-was-the-plow-with-the-beginning-of-plow/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [As women in industrial societies join the paid workforce, they gain the economic means to depart unhappy marriages more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/as-women-in-industrial-societies-join-the-paid-workforce-they-gain/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [For men, being too put-together implies femininity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/for-men-being-too-put-together-implies-femininity/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Why do we feel jealousy? Therapists often regard the demon as a scar of childhood trauma or a symptom of a psychological problem. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/why-do-we-feel-jealousy-therapists-often-regard-the-demon-as-a-scar/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [In America, we are demanding everything from our marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/in-america-we-are-demanding-everything-from-our-marriage/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Despite the myth that men are less committed, they are predisposed to desire marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/despite-the-myth-that-men-are-less-committed-they-are-predisposed-to/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) [Explore all 164 Helen Fisher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) ## More Built quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 3,164 Built quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's in our genes, we were built to wander.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Fisher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wander/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Built" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wander/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f4/helen-fisher-2469_built_it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wande_2804781.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's in our genes, we were built to wander.” — Helen Fisher", "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": "Helen Fisher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's in our genes, we were...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wander/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/it-s-in-our-genes-we-were-built-to-wander/#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 } } ] } ```