---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man's most intelligent age may have…"
description: "\"Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.\" — John Henrik Clarke"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png"
---

#  Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.

![“Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.” quote by John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png)

> “Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.”

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

## About This Quote

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

The most intellectually advanced period of humanity may have been lost to history, implying that past achievements are unrecognized or forgotten.

**In simple terms:** Great intellects may be forgotten.

Key Takeaway

Historical knowledge can be incomplete.

Themes

history intelligence lost knowledge civilization

Mood

curious thoughtful skeptical

Type

philosophical historical speculation

When to use this quote

- archaeological discoveries overturning assumptions
- re‑evaluating ancient scientific texts
- recognizing contributions of marginalized societies

Key Concepts

epistemic humility cultural amnesia

Practical Applications

- Promote interdisciplinary research into forgotten eras
- Preserve oral histories

Questions to Reflect On

- What evidence supports a 'lost' intelligent age?
- How do we identify overlooked contributions?

A Different Perspective

The claim is vague and lacks specific evidence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/)

## Related quotes

> [To me, with age, everything has gotten better. You have way more control; you know yourself better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/to-me-with-age-everything-has-gotten-better-you-have-way-more-control/)

[Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/)

> [People tend to become more emotionally intelligent as they age and mature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/people-tend-to-become-more-emotionally-intelligent-as-they-age-and/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [Man is so intelligent animal on earth that if he was empowered as much as God, he would start battling with him to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/man-is-so-intelligent-animal-on-earth-that-if-he-was-empowered-as/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [God is intelligent; but in what manner? Man is intelligent by the act of reasoning, but the supreme intelligence lies under no necessity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/god-is-intelligent-but-in-what-manner-man-is-intelligent-by-the-act/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [“If you were smart," Genghis said, "you would have borrowed the silverware of one of your friends." "We never thought of that," Klaus said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/if-you-were-smart-genghis-said-you-would-have-borrowed-the-silverware/)

[Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/)

> [Man is so intelligent that he feels impelled to invent theories to account for what happens in the world. Unfortunately, he is not quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-is-so-intelligent-that-he-feels-impelled-to-invent-theories-to/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [“Evelyn was forty-eight years old and she had gotten lost somewhere along the wa. Things had changed so fast. While she had been raising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/evelyn-was-forty-eight-years-old-and-she-had-gotten-lost-somewhere/)

[Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/)

> [Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something. People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/remember-that-everyone-you-meet-is-afraid-of-something-loves-2/)

[H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/)

> [“It's about time you guys got here,' Oliver quipped. 'Alexei and I were starting to think you'd gotten lost.' Daphne sniffed. 'Please. We weren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep-killer-frost/it-s-about-time-you-guys-got-here-oliver-quipped-alexei-and-i-were/)

[Jennifer Estep Killer Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep-killer-frost/)

> [I've become a huge fan of the subway, even though I've gotten lost... well, not lost, but went the wrong direction on the subway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deandre-jordan/i-ve-become-a-huge-fan-of-the-subway-even-though-i-ve-gotten-lost/)

[DeAndre Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deandre-jordan/)

> [I guess I haven't gotten over being lost, a wandering gypsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/i-guess-i-haven-t-gotten-over-being-lost-a-wandering-gypsy/)

[Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/)

> [Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/just-because-they-re-not-on-your-road-doesn-t-mean-they-ve-gotten-lost/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [Life requires us to stand often, to take a breath, and to reorder our steps when we have gotten lost along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-requires-us-to-stand-often-to-take-a-breath-and-to-reorder-our/)

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

> [“Many people have gotten lost out there and never found again. It's easy to get disoriented with nothing but white around you, even easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanon-mayer/many-people-have-gotten-lost-out-there-and-never-found-again-it-s/)

[Shanon Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanon-mayer/)

> [“some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/some-things-that-should-not-have-been-forgotten-were-lost-history/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

## More by John Henrik Clarke

> [Had Elijah Muhammad tried to introduce an orthodox form of Arab-oriented Islam, I doubt if he would have attracted 500 people, but he introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/had-elijah-muhammad-tried-to-introduce-an-orthodox-form-of-arab/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [My main point here is that if you are the child of God and God is a part of you, the in your imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/my-main-point-here-is-that-if-you-are-the-child-of-god-and-god-is-a/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [Service is the highest form of prayer as far as I am concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/service-is-the-highest-form-of-prayer-as-far-as-i-am-concerned/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [I question the political judgement of those who would have the nerve to paint Christ white with his obvious African nose, lips and wooly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/i-question-the-political-judgement-of-those-who-would-have-the-nerve/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [My loving sister Mary has always shared the pain and pleasure of my heartbeat in a unique and special way. We have sung our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/my-loving-sister-mary-has-always-shared-the-pain-and-pleasure-of-my/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [There are some long silences in Scandinavian and some Japanese films, when the audience knows action is taking place, but the audience hears no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/there-are-some-long-silences-in-scandinavian-and-some-japanese-films/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [When I was able to go to school in my early years, my third grade teacher, Ms. Harris, convinced me that one day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/when-i-was-able-to-go-to-school-in-my-early-years-my-third-grade/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [Violence among all people is based on dissatisfaction, frustration and crushed ambition and people who don't know who to strike at and who to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/violence-among-all-people-is-based-on-dissatisfaction-frustration-and/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [What we might have been dealing with here - with the building of the Pyramids - is an age that got lost. Man had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/what-we-might-have-been-dealing-with-here-with-the-building-of-the/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [Slavery ended and left its false images of black people intact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/slavery-ended-and-left-its-false-images-of-black-people-intact/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [History is a compass that you locate yourself on the map of human geography, politically, culturally, financially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/history-is-a-compass-that-you-locate-yourself-on-the-map-of-human/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [You walk out in the street, we don't know if we're going to get across. It's a test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/you-walk-out-in-the-street-we-don-t-know-if-we-re-going-to-get-across/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [Nothing the European mind ever devised was meant to do anything but to facilitate the European's control over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/nothing-the-european-mind-ever-devised-was-meant-to-do-anything-but/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [Break all the TVs, burn all the Bibles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/break-all-the-tvs-burn-all-the-bibles/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

> [The role of religions in the domination and destruction of African civilizations was ruthless... Islam was as guilty as all the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/the-role-of-religions-in-the-domination-and-destruction-of-african/)

[John Henrik Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

[Explore all 147 John Henrik Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Henrik Clarke"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gotten-lost-in-history/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gotten-lost-in-history/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-henrik-clarke-2865_age_man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gott_99701.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Man's most intelligent age may have gotten lost in history.” — John Henrik Clarke",
                "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": "John Henrik Clarke",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henrik-clarke/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Man's most intelligent age may have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gotten-lost-in-history/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henrik-clarke/man-s-most-intelligent-age-may-have-gotten-lost-in-history/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
