--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a wonderful thing it is that drop of…" description: "\"What a wonderful thing it is that drop of seed, from which we are produced, bears in itself the impressions, not only of the bodily shape, but of the t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/michel-de-montaigne-142_bears_what-a-wonderful-thing-it-is-that-drop-o_1715594.jpg" --- # What a wonderful thing it is that drop of seed, from which… ![“What a wonderful thing it is that drop of seed, from which we are produced, bears in itself the impressions, not only of the bodily shape, but of the thoughts and inclinations of our fathers!” quote by Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/michel-de-montaigne-142_bears_what-a-wonderful-thing-it-is-that-drop-o_1715594.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/michel-de-montaigne-142_bears_what-a-wonderful-thing-it-is-that-drop-o_1715594.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e36/michel-de-montaigne-142_bears_what-a-wonderful-thing-it-is-that-drop-o_1715594.jpg) > “What a wonderful thing it is that drop of seed, from which we are produced, bears in itself the impressions, not only of the bodily shape, but of the thoughts and inclinations of our fathers!” [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our genetic and mental traits are passed down through generations, shaping us before birth. **In simple terms:** We inherit both body and mind from ancestors. Key Takeaway Recognize inherited influences and choose growth. Themes inheritance identity psychology Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family upbringing - education - personal development Key Concepts genetics cultural transmission Questions to Reflect On - How do you see ancestral traits in yourself? - Can you change inherited patterns? A Different Perspective Inheritance does not determine destiny; environment matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fathers/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/) [Impressions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impressions/) [Inclination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inclination/) [Inclinations Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inclinations-fathers-1289102/) [Inheritance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inheritance/) [Our father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-father/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Seed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seed/) [Seeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeds/) [Shape Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shape-thoughts-1289103/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [Wonderful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-things/) ## Related quotes > [It takes time for the absent to assume their true shape in our thoughts. After death they take on a firmer outline and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/it-takes-time-for-the-absent-to-assume-their-true-shape-in-our-2/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [“How much better things would be if we all tried to mold and shape our own thoughts and actions rather than those of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-miller/how-much-better-things-would-be-if-we-all-tried-to-mold-and-shape-our/) [John G. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-miller/) > [It takes time for the absent to assume their true shape in our thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/it-takes-time-for-the-absent-to-assume-their-true-shape-in-our/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [Let us consider, brethren, we are struggling for our best birthrights and inheritance, which being infringed, renders all our blessings precarious in their enjoyments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/let-us-consider-brethren-we-are-struggling-for-our-best-birthrights/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [“When white Americans frankly peel back the layers of our commingled pasts, we are all marked by it. Whether a company or an individual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-blackmon/when-white-americans-frankly-peel-back-the-layers-of-our-commingled/) [Douglas A. 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It is like grace and beauty, that which begets liking and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-knowledge-of-courtesy-and-good-manners-is-a-very-necessary-study/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Dreams are faithful interpreters of our inclinations; but there is art required to sort and understand them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/dreams-are-faithful-interpreters-of-our-inclinations-but-there-is-art/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Courtesy, like grace and beauty, that which begets liking and inclination to love one another at the first sight, and in the very beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/courtesy-like-grace-and-beauty-that-which-begets-liking-and/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [But as Nature is the best guide, teaching must be the development of natural inclinations, for which purpose the teacher must watch his pupil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/but-as-nature-is-the-best-guide-teaching-must-be-the-development-of/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More by Michel de Montaigne > [No man is exempt from saying silly things; the mischief is to say them deliberately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/no-man-is-exempt-from-saying-silly-things-the-mischief-is-to-say-them/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The laws keep up their credit, not by being just, but because they are laws; 'tis the mystic foundation of their authority; they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-laws-keep-up-their-credit-not-by-being-just-but-because-they-are/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Every one rushes elsewhere and into the future, because no one wants to face one's own inner self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/every-one-rushes-elsewhere-and-into-the-future-because-no-one-wants/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/beauty-is-the-true-prerogative-of-women-and-so-peculiarly-their-own/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The height and value of true virtue consists in the facility, utility, and pleasure of its exercise; so far from difficulty, that boys, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-height-and-value-of-true-virtue-consists-in-the-facility-utility/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Fie on the eloquence that leaves us craving itself, not things!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/fie-on-the-eloquence-that-leaves-us-craving-itself-not-things/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The plainest sign of wisdom is a continual cheerfulness: her state is like that of things in the regions above the moon, always clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-plainest-sign-of-wisdom-is-a-continual-cheerfulness-her-state-is/) [Michel De Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The corruption of the age is made up by the particular contribution of every individual man; some contribute treachery, others injustice, atheism, tyranny, avarice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/the-corruption-of-the-age-is-made-up-by-the-particular-contribution/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [If people must be talking about me, I would have it to be truthfully and justly. 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I pass the time when itis wet and disagreeable. Whenit is fine I do not wish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/i-have-a-vocabulary-all-my-own-i-pass-the-time-when-itis-wet-and/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) [Explore all 1,131 Michel de Montaigne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) ## More Bears quotes > [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. 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