--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It gets worse when you realize that for…" description: "\"It gets worse when you realize that for YECs, 22 months is only 1.4 million years in evolutionary time…\" — Nick Matzke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/nick-matzke-97724_evolution_it-gets-worse-when-you-realize-that-for_1655735.png" --- # It gets worse when you realize that for YECs, 22 months is… ![“It gets worse when you realize that for YECs, 22 months is only 1.4 million years in evolutionary time…” quote by Nick Matzke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/nick-matzke-97724_evolution_it-gets-worse-when-you-realize-that-for_1655735.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/nick-matzke-97724_evolution_it-gets-worse-when-you-realize-that-for_1655735.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/967/nick-matzke-97724_evolution_it-gets-worse-when-you-realize-that-for_1655735.png) > “It gets worse when you realize that for YECs, 22 months is only 1.4 million years in evolutionary time…” Nick Matzke ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 22 months for a species equates to a minuscule fraction of evolutionary time, highlighting how brief human planning horizons are **In simple terms:** Human plans span tiny slices of evolutionary history Key Takeaway Recognize the brevity of our planning windows Themes evolution timescales perspective humility Mood reflective serious Type scientific educational When to use this quote - policy making - educational curricula - personal life planning Key Concepts long‑term thinking planetary stewardship Questions to Reflect On - How can we align short‑term actions with deep‑time consequences? - What frameworks support long‑term planning? A Different Perspective Neglecting long‑term impact can cause ecological harm ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Million years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-years/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [My son now is 22 months old, he's been playing since he was 12 months old and he gets standing ovations on the drums.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/my-son-now-is-22-months-old-he-s-been-playing-since-he-was-12-months/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [You are the result of 4 billion years of evolutionary success. Act like it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-memon/you-are-the-result-of-4-billion-years-of-evolutionary-success-act/) Rachel Memon > [We humans have millions of years of evolutionary baggage that makes us regard competition in a deadly light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernor-vinge/we-humans-have-millions-of-years-of-evolutionary-baggage-that-makes/) [Vernor Vinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernor-vinge/) > [“We hail from systems that remained self-contained for billions of years, with evolutionary clocks that all began at different times. 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He is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/while-our-world-is-shaking-and-crumbling-we-need-to-realize-that-one/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Well lose more species of plants and animals between 2000 and 2065 than weve lost in the last 65 million years. If we dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/well-lose-more-species-of-plants-and-animals-between-2000-and-2065/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [Singularity is the point at which "all the change in the last million years will be superseded by the change in the next five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kelly/singularity-is-the-point-at-which-all-the-change-in-the-last-million/) [Kevin Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kelly/) > [As the economy gets better, everything else gets worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-buchwald/as-the-economy-gets-better-everything-else-gets-worse/) [Art Buchwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-buchwald/) > [Teenagers are a nightmare. It starts at 11 and gets worse. You ask a question and get no, no, no in response but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-redman/teenagers-are-a-nightmare-it-starts-at-11-and-gets-worse-you-ask-a/) [Amanda Redman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-redman/) ## More by Nick Matzke > [Science is advanced by proposing and testing hypothesis, not by declaring questions unsolvable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-matzke/science-is-advanced-by-proposing-and-testing-hypothesis-not-by/) Nick Matzke Explore all 2 Nick Matzke quotes ## More Evolution quotes > [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) Giulio Natta > [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. 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