--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The universe is eight billion years old…" description: "\"The universe is eight billion years old, the last two billion of which have produced intelligent life. During this time not one hour of absolute equity..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/jack-vance-3851_absolutes_the-universe-is-eight-billion-years-old_2057961.jpg" --- # The universe is eight billion years old, the last two… ![“The universe is eight billion years old, the last two billion of which have produced intelligent life. During this time not one hour of absolute equity has prevailed.” quote by Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/jack-vance-3851_absolutes_the-universe-is-eight-billion-years-old_2057961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/jack-vance-3851_absolutes_the-universe-is-eight-billion-years-old_2057961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a00/jack-vance-3851_absolutes_the-universe-is-eight-billion-years-old_2057961.jpg) > “The universe is eight billion years old, the last two billion of which have produced intelligent life. During this time not one hour of absolute equity has prevailed.” [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humanity has existed briefly compared to cosmic timescales, yet true fairness never emerged. **In simple terms:** Life is short and unfair. Key Takeaway Seek fairness despite odds. Themes philosophy cosmology ethics Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - social activism Key Concepts inequality temporal perspective human progress Questions to Reflect On - What steps can individuals take toward fairness? - Can societies ever be truly equitable? A Different Perspective Achieving equity is extremely challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absolutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutes/) [Billion Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billion-years/) [Billions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/billions/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Equity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equity/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Intelligent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent/) [Intelligent life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-life/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Old Billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-billion-3910973/) [One hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-hour/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Billion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-billion-1531853/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [If you go far enough out you can see the Universe itself, all the billion light years summed up time only as a flash,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-jacobsen/if-you-go-far-enough-out-you-can-see-the-universe-itself-all-the/) [Rolf Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-jacobsen/) > [The brain is a three pound mass you can hold in your hand that can conceive of a universe a hundred billion light-years across.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-diamond/the-brain-is-a-three-pound-mass-you-can-hold-in-your-hand-that-can/) [Marian Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-diamond/) > [I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-sure-the-universe-is-full-of-intelligent-life-it-s-just-been-too/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Symbiosis is a much higher reflection of intelligent life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/symbiosis-is-a-much-higher-reflection-of-intelligent-life/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Like an alchemical wave sending ripples of love to every part of our being, once we become conscious of an intelligent life force existing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atalina-m-homan/like-an-alchemical-wave-sending-ripples-of-love-to-every-part-of-our/) [Atalina M Homan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atalina-m-homan/) > [The surest sign that intelligent life exists somewhere else in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-siddiq-prince/the-surest-sign-that-intelligent-life-exists-somewhere-else-in-the/) [Young Siddiq Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-siddiq-prince/) > [The question is not whether there is intelligent life out there, the question is, whether there is intelligent life down here. As long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/the-question-is-not-whether-there-is-intelligent-life-out-there-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Intelligent life on a planet comes of age when it first works out the reason for its own existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/intelligent-life-on-a-planet-comes-of-age-when-it-first-works-out-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I keep wondering if, say, there is intelligent life on other planets, the scientists argue that something like two percent of the other planets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/i-keep-wondering-if-say-there-is-intelligent-life-on-other-planets/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [A stunning survey of the latest evidence for intelligent life on Mars. Mac Tonnies brings a thoughtful, balanced and highly accessible approach to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-brennan/a-stunning-survey-of-the-latest-evidence-for-intelligent-life-on-mars/) [Herbie Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-brennan/) > [If we ever established contact with intelligent life on another world, there would be barriers to communication. First, they would be many light years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/if-we-ever-established-contact-with-intelligent-life-on-another-world/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [ \[In the Universe it may be that\] Primitive life is very common and intelligent life is fairly rare. Some would say it has yet… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-universe-it-may-be-that-primitive-life-is-very-common-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The higher you go in a company, the less oxygen there is, so supporting intelligent life becomes difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/the-higher-you-go-in-a-company-the-less-oxygen-there-is-so-supporting/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [As George Bernard Shaw observed: "All great truths begin as blasphemies." Yet I have to say, the idea that there is intelligent life elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/as-george-bernard-shaw-observed-all-great-truths-begin-as-blasphemies/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [The hardware and the software used in the Breakthrough project will be compatible with other telescopes around the world, so they too can search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/the-hardware-and-the-software-used-in-the-breakthrough-project-will/) [Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/) ## More by Jack Vance > [Conversation! Supple sentences, with first and second meanings and overtones beyond, outrageous challenges with cleverly planned slip-points, rebuttals of elegant brevity; deceptions and guiles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/conversation-supple-sentences-with-first-and-second-meanings-and/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [But, for instance, when I was awfully young, I read all the Oz books. They were an enormous influence on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/but-for-instance-when-i-was-awfully-young-i-read-all-the-oz-books/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [I categorically declare first my absolute innocence, second my lack of criminal intent, and third my effusive apologies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-categorically-declare-first-my-absolute-innocence-second-my-lack-of/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Right now I'm so old that if I had a big gush of money, I don't know what I'd do with it. 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It is as I have always set forth: joy comes of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-will-be-glad-to-go-there-is-no-poetry-here-it-is-as-i-have-always/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Jack Vance's Lyonesse books are the greatest fairy tale of the twentieth century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/jack-vance-s-lyonesse-books-are-the-greatest-fairy-tale-of-the/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Good music always defeats bad luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/good-music-always-defeats-bad-luck/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [“I am not Cugel the Clever for nothing!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/i-am-not-cugel-the-clever-for-nothing/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [“Twango's hospitality, though largely symbolic, does him credit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/twango-s-hospitality-though-largely-symbolic-does-him-credit/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Nothing is more conspicuous than a farting princess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/nothing-is-more-conspicuous-than-a-farting-princess/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [“The dead man's companions at the counter started to their feet, but halted as Voynod with great aplomb turned to face them. "Take care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/the-dead-man-s-companions-at-the-counter-started-to-their-feet-but/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [The story was such that I couldn't make a graceful ending and then make a graceful new beginning. I could have, but I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/the-story-was-such-that-i-couldn-t-make-a-graceful-ending-and-then/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [Vance has a genius in evoking the beauty of strangeness, the strangeness of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/vance-has-a-genius-in-evoking-the-beauty-of-strangeness-the/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) > [This flattery has been rather slow in coming. I think all of sudden late in life now I'm getting some credit for what I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-vance/this-flattery-has-been-rather-slow-in-coming-i-think-all-of-sudden/) [Jack Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) [Explore all 120 Jack Vance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-vance/) ## More Absolutes quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/) [Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Conservative political opinion in America cleaves to the tradition of the judge as passive interpreter, believing that his absolute loyalty to authoritative law is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/learned-hand/conservative-political-opinion-in-america-cleaves-to-the-tradition-of/) [Learned Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/learned-hand/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) [Christy Nockels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-nockels/) > [Those are decisions only the Lord will make. I believe the love of God is absolute. He said he gave his son for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/those-are-decisions-only-the-lord-will-make-i-believe-the-love-of-god/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“The Gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/the-gods-know-what-it-is-to-be-eternal-and-they-love-to-toy-with/) [Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/) > [Anarchy is the stepping stone to absolute power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/anarchy-is-the-stepping-stone-to-absolute-power/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The only "definitive truth" for Buddhism is the absolute negation of any one truth as the Definitive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-only-definitive-truth-for-buddhism-is-the-absolute-negation-of/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The nature of the Absolute is neither perceptible nor imperceptible; and with phenomena it is just the same. 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