---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Natural selection does not give any…"
description: "\"Natural selection does not give any preference at all to anything that, in the long run, could be advantageous for the species but blindly rewards ever..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg"
---

#  Natural selection does not give any preference at all to…

![“Natural selection does not give any preference at all to anything that, in the long run, could be advantageous for the species but blindly rewards everything that, momentarily, affords greater procreative success.” quote by Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg)

> “Natural selection does not give any preference at all to anything that, in the long run, could be advantageous for the species but blindly rewards everything that, momentarily, affords greater procreative success.”

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

## About This Quote

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

Natural selection favors immediate reproductive success, not long‑term advantage, leading to short‑term adaptations that may not serve future species needs.

**In simple terms:** Selection rewards short‑term reproductive success.

Key Takeaway

Consider long‑term impacts of choices.

Themes

evolution biology short‑termism

Mood

cautionary analytical

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- environmental policy
- business strategy
- personal health decisions
- technology development

Key Concepts

natural selection adaptation

Questions to Reflect On

- What long‑term consequences are ignored?
- How can we balance immediate success with future needs?

A Different Perspective

Short‑term focus can cause ecological or societal harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Long runs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-runs/) [Natural selection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-selection/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Preference](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preference/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/)

## Related quotes

> [. . . by natural selection our mind has adapted itself to the conditions of the external world. It has adopted the geometry most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/by-natural-selection-our-mind-has-adapted-itself-to-the-conditions-of/)

[Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/)

> [ It's hard to reach \[the age of\] 100. We're not programmed for longevity. We are programmed for something called procreative success. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/it-s-hard-to-reach-the-age-of-100-we-re-not-programmed-for-longevity/)

[Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/)

> [It has adopted the geometry most advantageous to the species or, in other words, the most convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/it-has-adopted-the-geometry-most-advantageous-to-the-species-or-in/)

[Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/)

> [Historians will have to face the fact that natural selection determined the evolution of cultures in the same manner as it did that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/historians-will-have-to-face-the-fact-that-natural-selection/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [“Fears were learned, but they were also inherited. Natural Selection. Run from the lion. Jump away from the tiny, poisonous insects. They exist for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-miranda/fears-were-learned-but-they-were-also-inherited-natural-selection-run/)

[Megan Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-miranda/)

> [“The second irony of evolutionary biology is that this transubstantiation of natural theology into the grand narrative of natural selection has itself taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-lustig/the-second-irony-of-evolutionary-biology-is-that-this/)

Abigail Lustig

> [It may be said that natural selection is daily and hourly scrutinizing, throughout the world, every variation, even the slightest; rejecting that which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/it-may-be-said-that-natural-selection-is-daily-and-hourly/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [Ultimately, of course, you must decide for yourself whether the subjective psychological effects created by your evolved cognitive biases reflect an objective reality, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-bering/ultimately-of-course-you-must-decide-for-yourself-whether-the/)

[Jesse Bering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-bering/)

> [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [“The most essential prediction of Darwinism is that, given an astronomical number of chances, unintelligent processes can make seemingly-designed systems, ones of the complexity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-behe/the-most-essential-prediction-of-darwinism-is-that-given-an/)

[Michael J. Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-behe/)

> [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/)

> [I believe in the theory of evolution, but I believe as well in the allegorical truth of creation theory. In other words, I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-langan/i-believe-in-the-theory-of-evolution-but-i-believe-as-well-in-the/)

[Christopher Langan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-langan/)

> [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [The right to live does not connote the right of each man to reproduce his kind ... As we lessen the stringency of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pearson/the-right-to-live-does-not-connote-the-right-of-each-man-to-reproduce/)

[Karl Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pearson/)

> [“there is every reason to suppose that people living in agrarian societies were subject to intense forces of natural selection. But what traits were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-wade/there-is-every-reason-to-suppose-that-people-living-in-agrarian/)

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

## More by Konrad Lorenz

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [I owe undying gratitude to my patient parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-owe-undying-gratitude-to-my-patient-parents/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [It is a good morning exercise for a research scientist to discard a pet hypothesis every day before breakfast. It keeps him young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/it-is-a-good-morning-exercise-for-a-research-scientist-to-discard-a/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> ['I don't need brains,' says the billionaire contemptuously. 'I'm brainy enough myself!' The broker cries out in desperation, 'What, in heaven's name, do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-don-t-need-brains-says-the-billionaire-contemptuously-i-m-brainy/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [I have found the missing link between the higher ape and civilized man; it is we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-have-found-the-missing-link-between-the-higher-ape-and-civilized/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [The fidelity of a dog is a precious gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/the-fidelity-of-a-dog-is-a-precious-gift/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [Whenever we find, in two forms of life that are unrelated to each other, a similarity of form or of behaviour patterns which relates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/whenever-we-find-in-two-forms-of-life-that-are-unrelated-to-each/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [...he who has seen the intimate beauty of nature cannot tear himself away from it again. He must become either a poet or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/he-who-has-seen-the-intimate-beauty-of-nature-cannot-tear-himself/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [We had better dispense with the personification of evil, because it leads, all too easily, to the most dangerous kind of war: religious war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/we-had-better-dispense-with-the-personification-of-evil-because-it/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If you confine yourself to this Skinnerian technique, you study nothing but the learning apparatus and you leave out everything that is different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/if-you-confine-yourself-to-this-skinnerian-technique-you-study/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [All scientific knowledge to which man owes his role as master of the world arose from playful activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/all-scientific-knowledge-to-which-man-owes-his-role-as-master-of-the/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [All the advantages that man has gained from his ever-deepening understanding of the natural world that surrounds him, his technological, chemical and medical progress,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/all-the-advantages-that-man-has-gained-from-his-ever-deepening/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the way to the next better one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/truth-in-science-can-be-defined-as-the-working-hypothesis-best-suited/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [“Every scientist should, after all, regard it as his duty to tell the public, in a generally intelligible way, about what he is doing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/every-scientist-should-after-all-regard-it-as-his-duty-to-tell-the/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [I consider early childhood events as most essential to a man's scientific and philosophical development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/i-consider-early-childhood-events-as-most-essential-to-a-man-s/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

[Explore all 78 Konrad Lorenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Natural selection does not give any preference at all to anything that, in the long run, could be advantageous for the species but blindly rewards everything that, momentarily, affords greater procreative success.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Konrad Lorenz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/natural-selection-does-not-give-any-preference-at-all-to-anything/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/natural-selection-does-not-give-any-preference-at-all-to-anything/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/268/konrad-lorenz-8538_doe_natural-selection-does-not-give-any-pref_2938176.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Natural selection does not give any preference at all to anything that, in the long run, could be…” — Konrad Lorenz",
                "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": "Konrad Lorenz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Natural selection does not give any...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/natural-selection-does-not-give-any-preference-at-all-to-anything/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/natural-selection-does-not-give-any-preference-at-all-to-anything/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
