--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is clear, then, that whatever genetic…" description: "\"It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have, it is not a straitjacket that traps us forever in the \"beastly\" ways of our forebears. Evolu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg" --- # It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have… ![“It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have, it is not a straitjacket that traps us forever in the "beastly" ways of our forebears. Evolution tells us where we came from, not where we can go.” quote by Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg) > “It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have, it is not a straitjacket that traps us forever in the "beastly" ways of our forebears. Evolution tells us where we came from, not where we can go.” [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Genetic heritage doesn't imprison us; evolution shows origins, not limits, allowing future change. **In simple terms:** We are not bound by ancestry. Key Takeaway Embrace potential beyond genetic past. Themes evolution freedom potential Mood optimistic thoughtful Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - education - personal development - social policy Key Concepts biology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What limits do you feel are inherited? - How can we transcend genetic predispositions? A Different Perspective Cultural factors also shape behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beastly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beastly/) [Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Clear Genetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear-genetic-4864630/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-tells-1615852/) [Forebears Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forebears-evolution-4864629/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Genetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetic/) [Genetic Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetic-heritage-1262786/) [Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage/) [Traps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traps/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Where we came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where-we-came/) ## Related quotes > [Evolution tells us where we came from, not where we can go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/evolution-tells-us-where-we-came-from-not-where-we-can-go/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [And, you know, the fact is, if you believe in evolution, we all have a common ancestor, and we all have a common ancestry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hawkins/and-you-know-the-fact-is-if-you-believe-in-evolution-we-all-have-a/) [Jeff Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hawkins/) > [Evolution tells us how to survive; art tells us how it's possible still to live even while knowing that we and all we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/evolution-tells-us-how-to-survive-art-tells-us-how-it-s-possible/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [Longevity, like intelligence and good looks and health and strength of character, is largely a matter of genetic heritage. Choose your parents with care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/longevity-like-intelligence-and-good-looks-and-health-and-strength-of/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [In brief, our genetic heritage is at odds with our genetic future. For the first time in human history, the qualities it takes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/in-brief-our-genetic-heritage-is-at-odds-with-our-genetic-future-for/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [For mankind as a whole, a possession infinitely more valuable than individual life is our genetic heritage, our link with past and future... Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/for-mankind-as-a-whole-a-possession-infinitely-more-valuable-than/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [It is absolutely imperative that we protect, preserve and pass on this genetic heritage for man and every other living thing in as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-r-brower/it-is-absolutely-imperative-that-we-protect-preserve-and-pass-on-this/) [David R. Brower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-r-brower/) > [What evolution tells us is that we are part of a grand, dynamic, and ever-changing fabric of life that covers our planet. Even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/what-evolution-tells-us-is-that-we-are-part-of-a-grand-dynamic-and/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [Winning the Super Bowl was obviously a great one, but the joy I felt of going to the Super Bowl, it was what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-greene/winning-the-super-bowl-was-obviously-a-great-one-but-the-joy-i-felt/) [Joe Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-greene/) > [There's something about watching an animal that puts you in contact with where we came from and what we're still a part of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/there-s-something-about-watching-an-animal-that-puts-you-in-contact/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are upon the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/understanding-who-we-are-where-we-came-from-and-why-we-are-upon-the/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [The most important thing in business is honesty, integrity, hard work familynever forgetting where we came from,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lucas/the-most-important-thing-in-business-is-honesty-integrity-hard-work/) [Frank Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lucas/) > [In all of us there is a hunger, marrow-deep, to know our heritage, to know who we are and where we came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/in-all-of-us-there-is-a-hunger-marrow-deep-to-know-our-heritage-to/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Darwin matters because evolution matters. Evolution matters because science matters. Science matters because it is the preeminent story of our age, an epic saga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/darwin-matters-because-evolution-matters-evolution-matters-because/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [I was raised playing music in coffeehouses and I feel that was the foundation for my career. I think it is important that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-was-raised-playing-music-in-coffeehouses-and-i-feel-that-was-the/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) ## More by Jerry A. Coyne > [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Evolution tells us where we came from, not where we can go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/evolution-tells-us-where-we-came-from-not-where-we-can-go/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“Many people require more than just evidence before they’ll accept evolution. To these folks, evolution raises such profound questions of purpose, morality, and meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/many-people-require-more-than-just-evidence-before-they-ll-accept/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“since many traits can affect an individual's adaptation to it's environment (it's "fitness") natural selection can over eons sculpt an animal or plant into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/since-many-traits-can-affect-an-individual-s-adaptation-to-it-s/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [These mysteries about how we evolved should not distract us from the indisputable fact that we did evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/these-mysteries-about-how-we-evolved-should-not-distract-us-from-the/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Some believers are fundamentalists about everything, but every believer is a fundamentalist about something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/some-believers-are-fundamentalists-about-everything-but-every/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“In science's pecking order, evolutionary biology lurks somewhere near the bottom, far closer to phrenology than to physics. For evolutionary biology is a historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-science-s-pecking-order-evolutionary-biology-lurks-somewhere-near/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Theology is the post hoc rationalization of what you want to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/theology-is-the-post-hoc-rationalization-of-what-you-want-to-believe/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“There is an increasing (and disturbing) tendency of psychologists, biologists, and philosophers to Darwinize every aspect of human behavior, turning its study into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/there-is-an-increasing-and-disturbing-tendency-of-psychologists/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Can a geology teacher blithely tell his students that the earth is flat, or a European history professor that the Holocaust didn't happen? That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/can-a-geology-teacher-blithely-tell-his-students-that-the-earth-is/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“Life on earth evolved gradually beginning with one primitive life form – perhaps a self-replicating molecule – that lived more than 3.5 billion years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/life-on-earth-evolved-gradually-beginning-with-one-primitive-life/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [Science has only two things to contribute to religion: an analysis of the evolutionary, cultural, and psychological basis for believing things that aren't true,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/science-has-only-two-things-to-contribute-to-religion-an-analysis-of/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“IDers argue that such traits, involving many parts that must cooperate for that trait to function at all, defy Darwinian explanation. Therefore, by default,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/iders-argue-that-such-traits-involving-many-parts-that-must-cooperate/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“Natural selection is not a master engineer, but a tinkerer. It doesn't produce the absolute perfection achievable by a designer starting from scratch, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/natural-selection-is-not-a-master-engineer-but-a-tinkerer-it-doesn-t/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) > [“Selection is both revolutionary and disturbing for the same reason: it explains apparent design in nature by a purely materialistic process that doesn't require…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/selection-is-both-revolutionary-and-disturbing-for-the-same-reason-it/) [Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) [Explore all 48 Jerry A. Coyne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/) ## More Beastly quotes > [“wow hav u read beastly its really awesome i mean u wont want 2 put it down ever”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/wow-hav-u-read-beastly-its-really-awesome-i-mean-u-wont-want-2-put-it/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) > [Obviously, you don't have to be religious to be moral, and beastly people are sometimes religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hamel/obviously-you-don-t-have-to-be-religious-to-be-moral-and-beastly/) [Gary Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hamel/) > [Beastly of him to die before you realized he might be fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-alexander/beastly-of-him-to-die-before-you-realized-he-might-be-fascinating/) [Tasha Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasha-alexander/) > [“Man could be utterly beastly at times and his humour abysmally dark, morbid and demoniac. - Page 105, Blue Jeans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-saxena/man-could-be-utterly-beastly-at-times-and-his-humour-abysmally-dark/) [Manisha Saxena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-saxena/) > [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/) [Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/) > [“I glances at Sloane, who was having a joyous reunion with fifty close friends she hadn't seen since yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/i-glances-at-sloane-who-was-having-a-joyous-reunion-with-fifty-close/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) > [Food conditions the nature of the mind. Mind guides the thinking. Thinking results in action. Actions lead to commensurate or matching results and effects.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/food-conditions-the-nature-of-the-mind-mind-guides-the-thinking/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [The consuming desire of most human beings is deliberately to place their entire life in the hands of some other person. For this purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/the-consuming-desire-of-most-human-beings-is-deliberately-to-place/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [It seems to me that the chief thing about a woman - who is much of a woman - is that in the long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-seems-to-me-that-the-chief-thing-about-a-woman-who-is-much-of-a/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Well, it seems like a miracle to be able to look forward-to-to see all the minutes in front of one come hopping along with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/well-it-seems-like-a-miracle-to-be-able-to-look-forward-to-to-see-all/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [I am so beastly tired of mankind and the world that nothing can interest me unless it contains a couple of murders on each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-so-beastly-tired-of-mankind-and-the-world-that-nothing-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How some dare scorn (as if a fabulous lie) that they should rise whom death to dust doth bind -- and like to beasts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alexander-1st-earl-of-stirling/how-some-dare-scorn-as-if-a-fabulous-lie-that-they-should-rise-whom/) [William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alexander-1st-earl-of-stirling/) > [Sheep run to the slaughterhouse, silent and hopeless, but at least sheep never vote for the butcher who kills them or the people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/sheep-run-to-the-slaughterhouse-silent-and-hopeless-but-at-least/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [Tam: What begg’st thou then? fond woman, let me go. Lav: ’Tis present death I beg; and one thing more That womanhood denies my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/tam-what-begg-st-thou-then-fond-woman-let-me-go-lav-tis-present-death/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“I’m a girl. Every girl pretends she’s a princess at one point, no matter how little her life is like that. And I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-flinn/i-m-a-girl-every-girl-pretends-she-s-a-princess-at-one-point-no/) [Alex Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-flinn/) [Browse all 80 Beastly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beastly/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have, it is not a straitjacket that traps us forever in the \"beastly\" ways of our forebears. Evolution tells us where we came from, not where we can go.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jerry A. Coyne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-heritage-we-have-it-is-not-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beastly" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-heritage-we-have-it-is-not-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/jerry-a-coyne-13913_beastly_it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-h_3016926.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is clear, then, that whatever genetic heritage we have, it is not a straitjacket that traps us forever in…” — Jerry A. Coyne", "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": "Jerry A. Coyne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is clear, then, that whatever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-heritage-we-have-it-is-not-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/it-is-clear-then-that-whatever-genetic-heritage-we-have-it-is-not-a/#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 } } ] } ```