Creatures Quote by Leonardo da Vinci
““Creatures shall be seen on the earth who will always be fighting one another, with the greatest losses and frequent deaths on either side. There will be no bounds to their malice; by their strong limbs the vast forests of the world shall be laid low; and when they are filled with food they shall gratify their desires by dealing out death, affliction, labour, terror, and banishment to every living thing; and then from their boundless pride they will desire to rise towards heaven, but the excessive weight of their limbs will hold them down. Nothing shall remain on the earth or under the earth or in the waters that shall not be pursued, disturbed, or spoiled, and that which is in one country removed into another. And their bodies shall be made the tomb and the means of transit of all the living bodies they have slain. O earth, why do you not open and hurl them into the deep fissures of thy vast abysses and caverns, and no longer display in the sight of heaven so cruel and horrible a monster?””
About This Quote
A bleak vision of relentless conflict where beings destroy each other and the world, driven by insatiable greed and pride, leading to universal ruin.
In simple terms: Endless fighting and destruction caused by greed and pride.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the cost of unchecked aggression.
Themes
conflict
greed
pride
environmental destruction
hubris
Mood
dismal
foreboding
Type
cautionary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- war
- resource competition
- environmental collapse
- political power struggles
Key Concepts
apocalyptic prophecy
human nature
ecology
Questions to Reflect On
- Can humanity ever break the cycle of mutual destruction?
- What forces could foster lasting peace?
A Different Perspective
Such total devastation may overlook possibilities for cooperation and renewal.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
