--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We actually have 10 times as many cells…" description: "\"We actually have 10 times as many cells of microbes on us as we have human cells... We are literally a teeming ecosystem of microorganisms.\" — Jonathan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg" --- # We actually have 10 times as many cells of microbes on us… ![“We actually have 10 times as many cells of microbes on us as we have human cells... We are literally a teeming ecosystem of microorganisms.” quote by Jonathan Eisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg) > “We actually have 10 times as many cells of microbes on us as we have human cells... We are literally a teeming ecosystem of microorganisms.” Jonathan Eisen ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans host a vastly larger number of microbial cells than human cells, forming a complex ecosystem. **In simple terms:** We carry many more microbes than our own cells. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect the human microbiome. Themes microbiology human health ecosystem science interconnectedness Mood curious informative thoughtful Type scientific educational When to use this quote - medical research - nutrition - public health - personal hygiene Key Concepts symbiosis cellular diversity host-microbe relationships Questions to Reflect On - What role do microbes play in health? - How can we support a balanced microbiome? A Different Perspective Microbial counts vary; not a fixed ratio for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bacteria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bacteria/) [Ecosystem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecosystem/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Microorganisms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/microorganisms/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“We inherit every one of our genes, but we leave the womb without a single microbe. As we pass through our mother's birth canal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-specter/we-inherit-every-one-of-our-genes-but-we-leave-the-womb-without-a/) [Michael Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-specter/) > [“Even the majority of the cells in your body are microorganisms. They outnumber the cells of your body by 10 to 1. Those microbes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/even-the-majority-of-the-cells-in-your-body-are-microorganisms-they/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [What we need is a full field guide to the microbes that live in and on people, so that we can understand what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-eisen/what-we-need-is-a-full-field-guide-to-the-microbes-that-live-in-and/) Jonathan Eisen > [...the life of the planet began the long, slow process of modulating and regulating the physical conditions of the planet. The oxygen in today's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/the-life-of-the-planet-began-the-long-slow-process-of-modulating-and/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Now when you cut a forest, an ancient forest in particular, you are not just removing a lot of big trees and a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/now-when-you-cut-a-forest-an-ancient-forest-in-particular-you-are-not/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“Not to use bacteria as model organisms for more complex animals, but the reverse: to literally make complex animals more like their model organisms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-landecker/not-to-use-bacteria-as-model-organisms-for-more-complex-animals-but/) Hannah Landecker > [... After it has been determined that the pathogenic organism is present in the animal body, and after it has been shown that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-koch/after-it-has-been-determined-that-the-pathogenic-organism-is-present/) [Robert Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-koch/) > [“Was it possible to feel nostalgic about something that had never happened to him, possible for nostalgia to be taken in by the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/was-it-possible-to-feel-nostalgic-about-something-that-had-never/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [If diphtheria is a disease caused by a microorganism, it is essential that three postulates be fulfilled. The fulfilment of these postulates is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-loeffler/if-diphtheria-is-a-disease-caused-by-a-microorganism-it-is-essential/) Friedrich Loeffler > [If an alien visited Earth, they would take some note of humans, but probably spend most of their time trying to understand the dominant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-wolfe/if-an-alien-visited-earth-they-would-take-some-note-of-humans-but/) [Nathan Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-wolfe/) > [And the worst possible thing we could know — worse than knowing of our descent from a mass of microorganisms — is that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/and-the-worst-possible-thing-we-could-know-worse-than-knowing-of-our/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [When you get into the whole field of exploring, probably 90 percent of the kinds of organisms, plants, animals and especially microorganisms and tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/when-you-get-into-the-whole-field-of-exploring-probably-90-percent-of/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [The universe is asymmetric and I am persuaded that life, as it is known to us, is a direct result of the asymmetry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/the-universe-is-asymmetric-and-i-am-persuaded-that-life-as-it-is/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [Microorganisms will give you anything you want if you know how to ask them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinichiro-sakaguchi/microorganisms-will-give-you-anything-you-want-if-you-know-how-to-ask/) Kinichiro Sakaguchi > [From my numerous observations, I conclude that these tubercle bacilli occur in all tuberculous disorders, and that they are distinguishable from all other microorganisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-koch/from-my-numerous-observations-i-conclude-that-these-tubercle-bacilli/) [Robert Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-koch/) ## More by Jonathan Eisen > [What we need is a full field guide to the microbes that live in and on people, so that we can understand what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-eisen/what-we-need-is-a-full-field-guide-to-the-microbes-that-live-in-and/) Jonathan Eisen Explore all 2 Jonathan Eisen quotes ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We actually have 10 times as many cells of microbes on us as we have human cells... We are literally a teeming ecosystem of microorganisms.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Eisen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-eisen/we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells-of-microbes-on-us-as-we-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actually" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-eisen/we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells-of-microbes-on-us-as-we-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d78/jonathan-eisen-96439_actually_we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells_1802912.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We actually have 10 times as many cells of microbes on us as we have human cells... We are literally a…” — Jonathan Eisen", "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": "Jonathan Eisen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-eisen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We actually have 10 times as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-eisen/we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells-of-microbes-on-us-as-we-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-eisen/we-actually-have-10-times-as-many-cells-of-microbes-on-us-as-we-have/#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 } } ] } ```