---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we stand by the eagle, fish will die…"
description: "\"If we stand by the eagle, fish will die; if we stand by the fish, eagle will die! This dilemma has been created by the random evolutionary process. The..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg"
---

#  If we stand by the eagle, fish will die; if we stand by…

![“If we stand by the eagle, fish will die; if we stand by the fish, eagle will die! This dilemma has been created by the random evolutionary process. There is no goodness, there is no justice and there is no intelligence in here. We are living in a primitive and flawed order.” quote by Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg)

> “If we stand by the eagle, fish will die; if we stand by the fish, eagle will die! This dilemma has been created by the random evolutionary process. There is no goodness, there is no justice and there is no intelligence in here. We are living in a primitive and flawed order.”

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

## About This Quote

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

Evolution creates competing interests without moral design; survival favors selfish outcomes, not fairness.

**In simple terms:** Evolution leads to selfish competition, not moral good.

Key Takeaway

Recognize limits of natural order.

Themes

ethics evolution competition

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- environmental policy
- resource management
- conservation debates

Key Concepts

survival of the fittest naturalism

Questions to Reflect On

- Can we design fair systems despite selfish instincts?
- What role does empathy play?

A Different Perspective

Human morality can override natural selfishness, offering a counterbalance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dilemma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dilemma/) [Eagles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagles/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Primitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primitive/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/)

## Related quotes

> [ “Movement implies development and not evolution (C.F.D. Moule)." ~R. Alan Woods \[2013\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/movement-implies-development-and-not-evolution-c-f-d-moule-r-alan/)

[R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/)

> [“It is a more rational belief that man may become a brute than that a brute may become a man; and it is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brewster/it-is-a-more-rational-belief-that-man-may-become-a-brute-than-that-a/)

[David Brewster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brewster/)

> [For great many species today, fitness means the ability to get along in a world in which humankind has become the most powerful evolutionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/for-great-many-species-today-fitness-means-the-ability-to-get-along/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“When we embrace our Intuition, be embrace a new way of living...The intuitive process is an adventure. There are new discoveries around every corner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chestney/when-we-embrace-our-intuition-be-embrace-a-new-way-of-living-the/)

[Kim Chestney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chestney/)

> [“Teaching the myth of creation to the students instead of teaching them the fact of evolution is nothing but an act of ultimate ignorance!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/teaching-the-myth-of-creation-to-the-students-instead-of-teaching/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“We are; therefore, we evolve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-hofstede/we-are-therefore-we-evolve/)

[Geert Hofstede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-hofstede/)

> [“You are a significant, unique, independent, individual soul, who has ventured into this world to expand your awareness of yourself and truth. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-nilon/you-are-a-significant-unique-independent-individual-soul-who-has/)

[Lorraine Nilon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-nilon/)

> [“Beauty without grace is like a fish far displaced from the water and looking at this kind of beauty is like watching that fish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/beauty-without-grace-is-like-a-fish-far-displaced-from-the-water-and/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [I'm be die if without you. like a fish, who can be die without water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-aj-velicia-putri-hapsari/i-m-be-die-if-without-you-like-a-fish-who-can-be-die-without-water/)

R Aj Velicia Putri Hapsari

> [Fish die belly upward, and rise to the surface. Its their way of falling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/fish-die-belly-upward-and-rise-to-the-surface-its-their-way-of-falling/)

[Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/)

> [“Then, quick, he flips the fish out onto the bank. It flops and gasps for air, its body slick. We all watch the fish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/then-quick-he-flips-the-fish-out-onto-the-bank-it-flops-and-gasps-for/)

[Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/)

> [If you give a man a fish, he'll be happy for an hour, if you teach a man to fish he,ll be happy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-give-a-man-a-fish-he-ll-be-happy-for-an-hour-if-you-teach-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Some people like being a big fish in a small pond, others a ferocious shark in the ocean, I rather be the ocean. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/behdad-sami/some-people-like-being-a-big-fish-in-a-small-pond-others-a-ferocious/)

[Behdad Sami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/behdad-sami/)

> [“When lightning strikes at sea, why don't all the fish die?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/when-lightning-strikes-at-sea-why-don-t-all-the-fish-die/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“I die. O my hair falls out and my flesh rots and my bones are cracked by the hungry ta!a'an. He drops me behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-haldeman/i-die-o-my-hair-falls-out-and-my-flesh-rots-and-my-bones-are-cracked/)

[Joe Haldeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-haldeman/)

## More by Mehmet Murat Ildan

> [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“Via your talents, you can go beyond the limits!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/via-your-talents-you-can-go-beyond-the-limits/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Be the inner journeys, be the outer travels, all trips elevate man, all voyages lift him up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/be-the-inner-journeys-be-the-outer-travels-all-trips-elevate-man-all/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“The hardest roads are often empty; the darkest paths are mostly silent; toughest destinations are almost peopleless! No easy road brings you great victory!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-hardest-roads-are-often-empty-the-darkest-paths-are-mostly-silent/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Even in a remote monastery, you may still be remote from the truth! To find the truth, all you need is a sound way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/even-in-a-remote-monastery-you-may-still-be-remote-from-the-truth-to/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [History respects revolutions; and yet, if a revolution is progressive, support it; if it is reactionary, resist it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/history-respects-revolutions-and-yet-if-a-revolution-is-progressive/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“My kingdom not for a horse, but for a good piece of advice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/my-kingdom-not-for-a-horse-but-for-a-good-piece-of-advice/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [If somebody tells you 'History will never forgive you,' just laugh at him! Because when the history comes, you won't be here! The threat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-somebody-tells-you-history-will-never-forgive-you-just-laugh-at/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [As long as your curiosity is greater than your fear, you will move forward!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/as-long-as-your-curiosity-is-greater-than-your-fear-you-will-move/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“You can drink your soup ice-cold, but it's no longer soup; you can do eccentric things in life, but if you haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-drink-your-soup-ice-cold-but-it-s-no-longer-soup-you-can-do/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Face the truth or the truth will face you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/face-the-truth-or-the-truth-will-face-you/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“Update your belief! If necessary, throw it to the bin! Don’t exaggerate your belief! Remember that your belief is not that much important; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/update-your-belief-if-necessary-throw-it-to-the-bin-don-t-exaggerate/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

[Explore all 4,007 Mehmet Murat Ildan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

## More Dies quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Don't even think for a moment that you are not going to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/don-t-even-think-for-a-moment-that-you-are-not-going-to-die/)

[Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/)

[Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/)

> [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/)

[Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/)

> [“When he stops giving you butterflies, Love dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-blanchard/when-he-stops-giving-you-butterflies-love-dies/)

Michelle Blanchard

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/)

[Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/)

> [My father thrives on fear. You know that prayer If I should die before I wake? I had sheets that said that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/my-father-thrives-on-fear-you-know-that-prayer-if-i-should-die-before/)

[Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [An artist's creative energy is ephemeral as a flower. It blooms and soon dies. No artist is great forever. Personally, I think I reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-ki-duk/an-artist-s-creative-energy-is-ephemeral-as-a-flower-it-blooms-and/)

[Kim Ki-duk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-ki-duk/)

> [If you’re going to die on screen, you’ve got to be strong and in good health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-garbo/if-you-re-going-to-die-on-screen-you-ve-got-to-be-strong-and-in-good/)

[Greta Garbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-garbo/)

Browse all 7,484 Dies quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If we stand by the eagle, fish will die; if we stand by the fish, eagle will die! This dilemma has been created by the random evolutionary process. There is no goodness, there is no justice and there is no intelligence in here. We are living in a primitive and flawed order.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mehmet Murat Ildan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-if-we-stand-by-the-fish-eagle/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-if-we-stand-by-the-fish-eagle/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/mehmet-murat-ildan-3_dies_if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-i_2748459.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we stand by the eagle, fish will die; if we stand by the fish, eagle will die! This dilemma has been…” — Mehmet Murat Ildan",
                "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": "Mehmet Murat Ildan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If we stand by the eagle,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-if-we-stand-by-the-fish-eagle/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-we-stand-by-the-eagle-fish-will-die-if-we-stand-by-the-fish-eagle/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
