--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Great minds have always seen it. That is…" description: "\"“Great minds have always seen it. That is why man has survived his journey this long. When we fail to wish any longer to be otherwise than what we are,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/loren-eiseley-3848_bones_great-minds-have-always-seen-it-that-is_2368881.png" --- # Great minds have always seen it. That is why man has… ![“Great minds have always seen it. That is why man has survived his journey this long. When we fail to wish any longer to be otherwise than what we are, we will have ceased to evolve. Evolution has to be lived forward. I say this as one who has stood above the bones of much that has vanished, and at…” quote by Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/loren-eiseley-3848_bones_great-minds-have-always-seen-it-that-is_2368881.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/loren-eiseley-3848_bones_great-minds-have-always-seen-it-that-is_2368881.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/187/loren-eiseley-3848_bones_great-minds-have-always-seen-it-that-is_2368881.png) > ““Great minds have always seen it. That is why man has survived his journey this long. When we fail to wish any longer to be otherwise than what we are, we will have ceased to evolve. Evolution has to be lived forward. I say this as one who has stood above the bones of much that has vanished, and at midnight has examined his own face.”” [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human progress depends on continual desire for change; stagnation halts evolution. **In simple terms:** Change drives evolution; staying the same stops growth. Key Takeaway Embrace continual growth. Themes philosophy evolution self‑reflection Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal development - scientific research - creative writing - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism human potential Questions to Reflect On - What does “evolve forward” mean to you? - How can you resist complacency? A Different Perspective May overlook practical constraints of change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Great minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-minds/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Midnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midnight/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [People don't change so much as they evolve, and this evolution tends to be towards what, deep within, they were all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tjay-taylor/people-don-t-change-so-much-as-they-evolve-and-this-evolution-tends/) [TJay Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tjay-taylor/) > [I'm always trying to find ways to evolve. Evolution, for me, is a very spiritual thing, getting closer to the creator, closer to God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-m-always-trying-to-find-ways-to-evolve-evolution-for-me-is-a-very/) [Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/) > [“Life can only be understood looking backward. It must be lived forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-roth/life-can-only-be-understood-looking-backward-it-must-be-lived-forward/) [Eric Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-roth/) > [Life can only be understand backwards, but it must be lived forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-can-only-be-understand-backwards-but-it-must-be-lived-forward/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LIFE can only be understood backward but, it must be lived FORWARD!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-can-only-be-understood-backward-but-it-must-be-lived-forward-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Life can only be understood backward; the trouble is, it has to be lived forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zia-haider-rahman/life-can-only-be-understood-backward-the-trouble-is-it-has-to-be/) [Zia Haider Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zia-haider-rahman/) > [Life must be understood backwards; but... it must be lived forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/life-must-be-understood-backwards-but-it-must-be-lived-forward/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/life-can-only-be-understood-backwards-but-it-must-be-lived-forward/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Life is lived forward but is judged in reverse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/life-is-lived-forward-but-is-judged-in-reverse/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [There is no difference in quality between a life lived forward and a life lived backwards, she thinks. She had come to love this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/there-is-no-difference-in-quality-between-a-life-lived-forward-and-a/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“Life is lived forward but understood backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamuela-samuels-young/life-is-lived-forward-but-understood-backwards/) Pamuela Samuels Young > [“Though life has to be lived forward, it can only be understood backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeline-yen-mah/though-life-has-to-be-lived-forward-it-can-only-be-understood/) [Adeline Yen Mah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeline-yen-mah/) > [College is such a unique time because you're learning a little bit how to be an adult. You're learning how to take care of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/college-is-such-a-unique-time-because-you-re-learning-a-little-bit/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [It is thus hardly surprising that so many of the great minds in recent history have concerned themselves with economic matters. Indeed, they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-zane-pilzer/it-is-thus-hardly-surprising-that-so-many-of-the-great-minds-in/) [Paul Zane Pilzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-zane-pilzer/) > [The power of duly appreciating little things belongs to a great mind...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/the-power-of-duly-appreciating-little-things-belongs-to-a-great-mind/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) ## More by Loren Eiseley > [“Taking a final pleasure in what the wind can neither proclaim nor destroy, I am a student of nightfall, I claim no other profession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/taking-a-final-pleasure-in-what-the-wind-can-neither-proclaim-nor/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Perhaps a creature of so much ingenuity and deep memory is almost bound to grow alienated from his world, his fellows, and the objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/perhaps-a-creature-of-so-much-ingenuity-and-deep-memory-is-almost/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“The best way to be resurrected is to be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-best-way-to-be-resurrected-is-to-be-forgotten/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [To have dragons one must have change; that is the first principle of dragon lore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/to-have-dragons-one-must-have-change-that-is-the-first-principle-of/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [It is frequently the tragedy of the great artist, as it is of the great scientist, that he frightens the ordinary man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-frequently-the-tragedy-of-the-great-artist-as-it-is-of-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/every-time-we-walk-along-a-beach-some-ancient-urge-disturbs-us-so/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [The future is neither ahead nor behind, on one side or another. Nor is it dark or light. It is contained within ourselves; its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-future-is-neither-ahead-nor-behind-on-one-side-or-another-nor-is/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/out-of-the-choked-devonian-waters-emerged-sight-and-sound-and-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [One could not pluck a flower without troubling a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/one-could-not-pluck-a-flower-without-troubling-a-star/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“I once saw, on a flower pot in my own living room, the efforts of a field mouse to build a remembered field. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/i-once-saw-on-a-flower-pot-in-my-own-living-room-the-efforts-of-a/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Lights come and go in the night sky. Men, troubled at last by the things they build, may toss in their sleep and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/lights-come-and-go-in-the-night-sky-men-troubled-at-last-by-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [The secret, if one may paraphrase a savage vocabulary, lies in the egg of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-secret-if-one-may-paraphrase-a-savage-vocabulary-lies-in-the-egg/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Without the gift of flowers and the infinite diversity of their fruits, man and bird, if they had continued to exist at all, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/without-the-gift-of-flowers-and-the-infinite-diversity-of-their/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) [Explore all 121 Loren Eiseley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) ## More Bones quotes > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! 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The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“We are preaching hope, standing on the bones of the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rucyahana/we-are-preaching-hope-standing-on-the-bones-of-the-past/) [John Rucyahana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rucyahana/) > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [Flesh forgets. Bone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-bass/flesh-forgets-bone-remembers/) [Jefferson Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-bass/) > [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [Death and burial were a public spectacle. 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To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One > [When I look at the human brain I'm still in awe of it. 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