--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For eons, humans have struggled to find…" description: "\"For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.\" — Margaret J. Wheatley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_destructive_for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-l_266805.png" --- # For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive… ![“For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.” quote by Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_destructive_for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-l_266805.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_destructive_for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-l_266805.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_destructive_for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-l_266805.png) > “For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.” [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies must evolve toward cooperative, low‑harm practices to survive and thrive. **In simple terms:** We need less destructive cooperation. Key Takeaway Seek collaborative, sustainable solutions. Themes cooperation environment societal evolution Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - community planning - conflict resolution - policy design - organizational change Key Concepts systems thinking collective intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can we redesign institutions for mutual benefit? - What incentives reduce destructive competition? A Different Perspective Ideal cooperation may clash with entrenched power structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-together/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) ## Related quotes > [Breaking with the pack may be exactly what we should be doing. 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Likewise, a wife who's loved by her mother-in-law. A pair of silver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sei-shonagon/71-rare-things-a-son-in-law-who-s-praised-by-his-wife-s-father/) [Sei Shōnagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sei-shonagon/) > [Colonization was the idea that once slavery ended African-Americans should be encouraged - or required, in some people's view - required to leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-foner/colonization-was-the-idea-that-once-slavery-ended-african-americans/) [Eric Foner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-foner/) > [Living together is an art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-pickens/living-together-is-an-art/) [William Pickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-pickens/) > [I think it is really important that people at least have some potentially difficult discussions about what their expectations are - and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wasser/i-think-it-is-really-important-that-people-at-least-have-some/) [Laura Wasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wasser/) > [“(this is before we're living together, before we do the most faithful act of all, mix our separate books into one library)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/this-is-before-we-re-living-together-before-we-do-the-most-faithful/) [Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/) > [“For in marriage a little licence, a little independence there must be between people living together day in day out in the same house;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-in-marriage-a-little-licence-a-little-independence-there-must-be/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I should much rather see a reasonable agreement with Arabs based upon living together than the creation of a Jewish state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-should-much-rather-see-a-reasonable-agreement-with-arabs-based-upon/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [The public doesn't mind people living together without being married, providing they don't overdo it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/the-public-doesn-t-mind-people-living-together-without-being-married/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. 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Wheatley > [There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/there-is-no-power-for-change-greater-than-a-community-discovering/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [For us, someone who is willing to step forward and help is much more courageous than someone who is merely fulfilling the role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-us-someone-who-is-willing-to-step-forward-and-help-is-much-more/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I believe that the capacity that any organization needs is for leadership to appear anywhere it is needed, when it is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/i-believe-that-the-capacity-that-any-organization-needs-is-for/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Perseverance is a choice. It's not a simple, one-time choice, it's a daily one. There's never a final decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/perseverance-is-a-choice-it-s-not-a-simple-one-time-choice-it-s-a/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/when-we-seek-for-connection-we-restore-the-world-to-wholeness-our/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only moves in one direction - it creates more aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-moves-in-one-direction-it-creates-more-aggression/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [The future cannot be determined. It can only be experienced as it is occurring. 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Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [We are, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/we-are-always-poets-exploring-possibilities-of-meaning-in-a-world/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I think a major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/i-think-a-major-act-of-leadership-right-now-call-it-a-radical-act-is/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Even though worker capacity and motivation are destroyed when leaders choose power over productivity, it appears that bosses would rather be in control than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/even-though-worker-capacity-and-motivation-are-destroyed-when-leaders/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) [Explore all 112 Margaret J. Wheatley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) ## More Destructive quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [What I was concerned about when I wrote the 'Downward Spiral' record was being a self-centred destructive force. The point was tearing down everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/what-i-was-concerned-about-when-i-wrote-the-downward-spiral-record/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > ['The Hunger Games' takes place in Panem, a country which is part of America. It's post-apocalyptic. There's been a global war. The Panem country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-hemsworth/the-hunger-games-takes-place-in-panem-a-country-which-is-part-of/) [Liam Hemsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-hemsworth/) > [People project a grey energy that is very destructive to weaken you, to drain you - just as the snake uses position to capture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/people-project-a-grey-energy-that-is-very-destructive-to-weaken-you/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Slander does to a soul what cancer does to a cell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/slander-does-to-a-soul-what-cancer-does-to-a-cell/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Information from destructive activities going back a hundred years right up until today is being incorporated into the system. And as that happens the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hawken/information-from-destructive-activities-going-back-a-hundred-years/) [Paul Hawken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hawken/) > [Early on in my life, I had a broken soul. I was abused by my father, abandoned by my mother and ended up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/early-on-in-my-life-i-had-a-broken-soul-i-was-abused-by-my-father/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [One of the most destructive mistakes we Christians make is to prioritize shared beliefs over shared relationship, which is deeply ironic considering we worship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/one-of-the-most-destructive-mistakes-we-christians-make-is-to/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [I think that, honestly, people's censorship issues are personal but I disagree with most of those personal choices that I see others make. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/i-think-that-honestly-people-s-censorship-issues-are-personal-but-i/) [Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/) > [Liberalism's fatal flaw,... is that it has no permanent norms, only a succession of enthusiasms espoused by minor prophets. Each of these seems like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sobran/liberalism-s-fatal-flaw-is-that-it-has-no-permanent-norms-only-a/) [Joseph Sobran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sobran/) > [A label is a soul-tattoo that is ingrained deep in our hearts, so much so that it determines how we see ourselves, And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derwin-l-gray/a-label-is-a-soul-tattoo-that-is-ingrained-deep-in-our-hearts-so-much/) [Derwin L. 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Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) Browse all 1,057 Destructive quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret J. 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