---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All evil results from the non-adaptation…"
description: "\"All evil results from the non-adaptation of constitution to conditions. This is true of everything that lives. Does a shrub dwindle in poor soil, or be..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg"
---

#  All evil results from the non-adaptation of constitution…

![“All evil results from the non-adaptation of constitution to conditions. This is true of everything that lives. Does a shrub dwindle in poor soil, or become sickly when deprived of light, or die outright if removed to a cold climate? it is because the harmony between its organization and its…” quote by Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg)

> “All evil results from the non-adaptation of constitution to conditions. This is true of everything that lives. Does a shrub dwindle in poor soil, or become sickly when deprived of light, or die outright if removed to a cold climate? it is because the harmony between its organization and its circumstances has been destroyed.”

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When an organism’s structure cannot adjust to its environment, it suffers and may die.

**In simple terms:** Mismatched structure and environment cause failure.

Key Takeaway

Align structure with environment.

Themes

adaptation environment survival

Mood

concerned analytical

Type

philosophical scientific

When to use this quote

- gardening
- urban planning
- business strategy
- personal health
- education policy

Key Concepts

evolutionary biology homeostasis

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we redesign structures to fit new conditions?
- When is it better to change the environment instead?

A Different Perspective

If adaptation is impossible, other solutions may be needed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adaptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/) [Adaptation Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation-constitution-1601493/) [Circumstances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circumstances/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-climate-34483/) [Conditions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conditions/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Deprived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deprived/) [Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Does Shrub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/does-shrub-1601495/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-results-569827/) [Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/results/) [Shrub Dwindle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrub-dwindle-1601494/) [Shrubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrubs/) [Soil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soil/)

## Related quotes

> [You can't be afraid to do good in case evil results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/you-can-t-be-afraid-to-do-good-in-case-evil-results/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [Whether happiness or unhappiness, freedom or slavery, in short whether good or evil results from an improved environment depends largely upon how the change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lilienthal/whether-happiness-or-unhappiness-freedom-or-slavery-in-short-whether/)

[David Lilienthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lilienthal/)

> [“Socialism always produces evil results, no matter one's intentions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-champion/socialism-always-produces-evil-results-no-matter-one-s-intentions/)

[Dave Champion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-champion/)

> [Evil then results from imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/evil-then-results-from-imperfection/)

[Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/)

> [Every act has both good and evil results. The best we can do is lean to the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/every-act-has-both-good-and-evil-results-the-best-we-can-do-is-lean/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [You cannot ask which system is the better because you cannot standardize one system for the whole of the world. You cannot have one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/you-cannot-ask-which-system-is-the-better-because-you-cannot/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Unless an age too late, or cold Climate, or years, damp my intended wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/unless-an-age-too-late-or-cold-climate-or-years-damp-my-intended-wing/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Whenever calamity howlers shake their heads and impress upon you that this, that, and the next dire catastrophe is to befall this nation or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/whenever-calamity-howlers-shake-their-heads-and-impress-upon-you-that/)

[B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/)

> [“Another possibility is that the sweat glands were the driving force behind the rise of EDAR-V370A. East Asians are usually assumed to have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/another-possibility-is-that-the-sweat-glands-were-the-driving-force/)

[Nicholas Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-wade/)

> [I know what it's like to live in a cold climate. I grew up in the Snow Belt, north of Toronto in Canada, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-live-in-a-cold-climate-i-grew-up-in-the-snow/)

[Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/)

> [you see, we live in a cold climate and are not permitted to kiss on the street so I made up a song that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/you-see-we-live-in-a-cold-climate-and-are-not-permitted-to-kiss-on/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [“...invokes the supposed stimulatory effects of their homeland's cold climate and the inhibitory effects of hot, humid, tropical climates on human creativity and energy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/invokes-the-supposed-stimulatory-effects-of-their-homeland-s-cold/)

[Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/)

> [If you cut a shrub back because it's just too big, and it dies, you haven't lost anything but a plant that couldn't live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-macunovich/if-you-cut-a-shrub-back-because-it-s-just-too-big-and-it-dies-you/)

[Janet Macunovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-macunovich/)

> [Of all trees, I observe God hath chosen the vine, a low plant that creeps upon the helpful wall; of all beasts, the soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-feltham/of-all-trees-i-observe-god-hath-chosen-the-vine-a-low-plant-that/)

[Owen Feltham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-feltham/)

> [In water and on land, in trees, shrubs, and creepers-everywhere in the whole universe abides my Beloved. Further, all the various forms and modes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anandamayi-ma/in-water-and-on-land-in-trees-shrubs-and-creepers-everywhere-in-the/)

[Anandamayi Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anandamayi-ma/)

## More by Herbert Spencer

> [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/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Any piece of knowledge which the pupil has himself acquired- any problem which he has himself solved, becomes, by virtue of the conquest, much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/any-piece-of-knowledge-which-the-pupil-has-himself-acquired-any/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Conservatism defends those coercive arrangements which a still-lingering savageness makes requisite. Radicalism endeavours to realize a state more in harmony with the character of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/conservatism-defends-those-coercive-arrangements-which-a-still/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Absolute morality is the regulation of conduct in such a way that pain shall not be inflicted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/absolute-morality-is-the-regulation-of-conduct-in-such-a-way-that/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [When a man's knowledge is not in order, the more of it he has the greater will be his confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/when-a-man-s-knowledge-is-not-in-order-the-more-of-it-he-has-the/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [The cruelty of a Fijian god, who, represented as devouring the souls of the dead, may be supposed to inflict torture during the process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-cruelty-of-a-fijian-god-who-represented-as-devouring-the-souls-of/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [The liberty the citizen enjoys is to be measured not by governmental machinery he lives under, whether representative or other, but by the paucity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/the-liberty-the-citizen-enjoys-is-to-be-measured-not-by-governmental/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [I had a great dislike to the annoyances entailed by baggage; and it was always with some feeling of elation that I cut myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/i-had-a-great-dislike-to-the-annoyances-entailed-by-baggage-and-it/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Progress, therefore, is not an accident, but a necessity…It is a part of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/progress-therefore-is-not-an-accident-but-a-necessity-it-is-a-part-of/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Surely in much talk there cannot choose but be much vanity. Loquacity is the fistula of the mind,--ever-running and almost incurable, let every man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/surely-in-much-talk-there-cannot-choose-but-be-much-vanity-loquacity/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [No one can be perfectly free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-one-can-be-perfectly-free-till-all-are-free-no-one-can-be/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Only when Genius is married to Science can the highest results be produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/only-when-genius-is-married-to-science-can-the-highest-results-be/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [It cannot but happen?that those will survive whose functions happen to be most nearly in equilibrium with the modified aggregate of external forces? This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/it-cannot-but-happen-that-those-will-survive-whose-functions-happen/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [“Before he can remake his society, his society must make him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/before-he-can-remake-his-society-his-society-must-make-him/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

[Explore all 210 Herbert Spencer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

## More Adaptation quotes

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

[Edward Einhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-einhorn/)

> [“Why I am Passionate and Dedicated 1000% to producing and bringing my books Loving Summer, Bitter Frost, and other book series to the Screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/why-i-am-passionate-and-dedicated-1000-to-producing-and-bringing-my/)

[Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/)

> [My familiarity with the successful use of very long steel ropes for mining purposes naturally suggested their adaptation to the new purpose of deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-agassiz/my-familiarity-with-the-successful-use-of-very-long-steel-ropes-for/)

[Alexander Agassiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-agassiz/)

> [The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-smalley/the-survival-of-the-fittest-is-the-ageless-law-of-nature-but-the/)

[Dave Smalley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-smalley/)

> [The facts of variability, of the struggle for existence, of adaptation to conditions, were notorious enough; but none of us had suspected that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-facts-of-variability-of-the-struggle-for-existence-of-adaptation/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger, and trouble. An animal perfectly in harmony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-law-of-nature-we-overlook-that-intellectual-versatility-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The world may not be ready yet for the film equivalent of books on tape, but this peculiar phenomenon has arrived in the form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-mitchell/the-world-may-not-be-ready-yet-for-the-film-equivalent-of-books-on/)

[Elvis Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-mitchell/)

> [“Evolution is more about adaptivity than adaptability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/evolution-is-more-about-adaptivity-than-adaptability/)

[Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/)

> [There is change by necessity or adaptation, and there is contrived change or novelty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/there-is-change-by-necessity-or-adaptation-and-there-is-contrived/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [“The tendency for depression to repeat reflects the normal default settings of a plastic mood system that is open to experience. The unfortunate consequence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-rottenberg/the-tendency-for-depression-to-repeat-reflects-the-normal-default/)

[Jonathan Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-rottenberg/)

> [“The unglamorous truth is that there are but a handful of uniquely human traits that we have clearly demonstrated are adaptations evolved to thrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rutherford/the-unglamorous-truth-is-that-there-are-but-a-handful-of-uniquely/)

[Adam Rutherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rutherford/)

> [“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/you-must-be-shapeless-formless-like-water-when-you-pour-water-in-a/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [“On the rare occasions on which a movie was shown, there was as much suspense in the audience over whether the electricity would hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/on-the-rare-occasions-on-which-a-movie-was-shown-there-was-as-much/)

[Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/)

> [Working on an adaptation is not as satisfying, because it's not your original work: you're interpreting. With 'L.A. Confidential,' I loved the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-helgeland/working-on-an-adaptation-is-not-as-satisfying-because-it-s-not-your/)

[Brian Helgeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-helgeland/)

[Browse all 476 Adaptation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adaptation/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "All evil results from the non-adaptation of constitution to conditions. This is true of everything that lives. Does a shrub dwindle in poor soil, or become sickly when deprived of light, or die outright if removed to a cold climate? it is because the harmony between its organization and its circumstances has been destroyed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Herbert Spencer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation-of-constitution-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adaptation"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation-of-constitution-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/herbert-spencer-1765_adaptation_all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation_1750391.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All evil results from the non-adaptation of constitution to conditions. This is true of everything that…” — Herbert Spencer",
                "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": "Herbert Spencer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "All evil results from the non-adaptation...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation-of-constitution-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/all-evil-results-from-the-non-adaptation-of-constitution-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
