Apes Quote by Marcus Sakey
““There’s a quote I love from the anthropologist Robert Ardrey: “We were born of risen apes, not fallen angels, and the apes were armed killers besides. And so what shall we wonder at? Our murders and massacres and missiles, and our irreconcilable regiments? Or our treaties whatever they may be worth; our symphonies however seldom they may be played; our peaceful acres, however frequently they may be converted to battlefields; our dreams however rarely they may be accomplished. The miracle of man is not how far he has sunk but how magnificently he has risen.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Last of the Mohicans by Robert Ardrey, 1972
Human nature is a mix of violent origins and lofty aspirations; our greatness is measured by how we rise above our brutal past.
In simple terms: Humanity’s greatness lies in overcoming violent instincts.
Key Takeaway
Focus on elevating humanity.
Themes
human nature
potential
morality
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- war
- art
- peacebuilding
- dream pursuit
- conflict resolution
Key Concepts
evolution
free will
civilization
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies nurture the rising side over the falling?
- What structures prevent our violent past from repeating?
A Different Perspective
Even with progress, innate aggression can resurface.
![“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)
