--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nature, and the natural human condition…" description: "\"Nature, and the natural human condition, generates tremendous suffering. We have the means to overcome that, and we should deploy it.\" — Ray Kurzweil" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/ray-kurzweil-3529_conditions_nature-and-the-natural-human-condition-g_1173540.jpg" --- # Nature, and the natural human condition, generates… ![“Nature, and the natural human condition, generates tremendous suffering. We have the means to overcome that, and we should deploy it.” quote by Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/ray-kurzweil-3529_conditions_nature-and-the-natural-human-condition-g_1173540.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/ray-kurzweil-3529_conditions_nature-and-the-natural-human-condition-g_1173540.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18e/ray-kurzweil-3529_conditions_nature-and-the-natural-human-condition-g_1173540.jpg) > “Nature, and the natural human condition, generates tremendous suffering. We have the means to overcome that, and we should deploy it.” [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human suffering is inherent, but technology offers means to alleviate it, urging proactive deployment. **In simple terms:** Suffering is natural; tech can reduce it. Key Takeaway Apply technology responsibly to ease suffering. Themes suffering technology human condition progress Mood concerned optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - healthcare - climate mitigation - mental health - poverty reduction Key Concepts ethics innovation future studies Questions to Reflect On - What ethical safeguards are needed? - How can we ensure equitable access? A Different Perspective Technology alone cannot solve all moral complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [The resistance and the degree of the resistance to the natural phenomenon of life causes tremendous suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/the-resistance-and-the-degree-of-the-resistance-to-the-natural/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I'm attracted to subjects who overcome tremendous suffering and learn to cope emotionally with it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/i-m-attracted-to-subjects-who-overcome-tremendous-suffering-and-learn/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [Suffering is by no means a privilege, a sign of nobility, a reminder of God. Suffering is a fierce, bestial thing, commonplace, uncalled for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/suffering-is-by-no-means-a-privilege-a-sign-of-nobility-a-reminder-of/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/we-shall-draw-from-the-heart-of-suffering-itself-the-means-of/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [“You are the cause of your suffering. That means that you alone have the power to change it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-tubali/you-are-the-cause-of-your-suffering-that-means-that-you-alone-have/) [Shai Tubali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-tubali/) > [“The suffering person faces choices. She can recoil in anger and despair against God. Or she can accept the trial as an opportunity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-suffering-person-faces-choices-she-can-recoil-in-anger-and/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Suffering can become a means to greater love and greater generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/suffering-can-become-a-means-to-greater-love-and-greater-generosity/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [He longs to give us a magnificent reward. He knows that suffering is the only means of preparing us to know Him as He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/he-longs-to-give-us-a-magnificent-reward-he-knows-that-suffering-is/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [ If you allow it, \[suffering\] can be the means by which God brings you His greatest blessings. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-allow-it-suffering-can-be-the-means-by-which-god-brings-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And why are you so firmly, so triumphantly, convinced that only the normal and the positive--in other words, only what is conducive to welfare--is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/and-why-are-you-so-firmly-so-triumphantly-convinced-that-only-the/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [“Some people think life is all about suffering, and suffering means living life. So many people live their lives accepting suffering as a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/some-people-think-life-is-all-about-suffering-and-suffering-means/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival. -Sir Winston Churchill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleatha-romig/we-shall-draw-from-the-heart-of-suffering-itself-the-means-of-2/) [Aleatha Romig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleatha-romig/) > [“A born-again Christian is a pervert who has had his instincts warped, his mind unhinged, and his total outlook on life, outlook on sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-klassen/a-born-again-christian-is-a-pervert-who-has-had-his-instincts-warped/) [Ben Klassen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-klassen/) > [“Before you are admitted to British citizenship you are not even considered a natural human being. I looked up the word natural (na’tural) in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/before-you-are-admitted-to-british-citizenship-you-are-not-even/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) ## More by Ray Kurzweil > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-telephone-is-virtual-reality-in-that-you-can-meet-with-someone-as/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [By 2010 computers will disappear. They'll be so small, they'll be embedded in our clothing, in our environment. Images will be written directly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/by-2010-computers-will-disappear-they-ll-be-so-small-they-ll-be/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [All different forms of human expression, art, science, are going to become expanded, by expanding our intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/all-different-forms-of-human-expression-art-science-are-going-to/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [Doing real world projects is, I think, the best way to learn and also to engage the world and find out what the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/doing-real-world-projects-is-i-think-the-best-way-to-learn-and-also/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [Take death for example. A great deal of our effort goes into avoiding it. We make extraordinary efforts to delay it, and often consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/take-death-for-example-a-great-deal-of-our-effort-goes-into-avoiding/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [By the time we get to the 2040s, we'll be able to multiply human intelligence a billionfold. That will be a profound change that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/by-the-time-we-get-to-the-2040s-we-ll-be-able-to-multiply-human/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [We're democratizing the tools of creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-re-democratizing-the-tools-of-creativity/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [A Singularitarian is someone who understands the Singularity and has reflected on its meaning for his or her own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/a-singularitarian-is-someone-who-understands-the-singularity-and-has/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [A lot of movies about artificial intelligence envision that AIs will be very intelligent but missing some key emotional qualities of humans and therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/a-lot-of-movies-about-artificial-intelligence-envision-that-ais-will/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The key issue as to whether or not a non-biological entity deserves rights really comes down to whether or not it's conscious… Does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-key-issue-as-to-whether-or-not-a-non-biological-entity-deserves/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [We'll be able to have very intelligent, little robots with computers going inside our bloodstream, keeping us healthy from inside, destroying cancer at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-ll-be-able-to-have-very-intelligent-little-robots-with-computers/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The ethical debates are like stones in a stream. The water runs around them. You haven't seen any biological technologies held up for one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-ethical-debates-are-like-stones-in-a-stream-the-water-runs-around/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [By the end of this decade, computers will disappear as distinct physical objects, with displays built in our eyeglasses, and electronics woven in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/by-the-end-of-this-decade-computers-will-disappear-as-distinct/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [As you go out to the 2040s, now the bulk of our thinking is out in the cloud. The biological portion of our brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/as-you-go-out-to-the-2040s-now-the-bulk-of-our-thinking-is-out-in-the/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) [Explore all 127 Ray Kurzweil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) ## More Conditions quotes > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [History is, in its essentials, the science of change. It knows and it teaches that it is impossible to find two events that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bloch/history-is-in-its-essentials-the-science-of-change-it-knows-and-it/) [Marc Bloch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bloch/) > [The average condition of the people improving or deteriorating, depends upon whether population is advancing faster than improvement, or improvement than population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/the-average-condition-of-the-people-improving-or-deteriorating/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The God in whose hands are all our days and ways, did cast into my hand one day a book of Martin Luthers; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-god-in-whose-hands-are-all-our-days-and-ways-did-cast-into-my/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [It clearly follows that to make men moral it is necessary to make their social environment moral. And that can be done in only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/it-clearly-follows-that-to-make-men-moral-it-is-necessary-to-make/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [The so-called evils are evils only in relation to a certain thing, and that which is evil in relation to a certain existing thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/the-so-called-evils-are-evils-only-in-relation-to-a-certain-thing-and/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A social group can, indeed must, already exercise 'leadership' before winning governmental power (this is indeed one of the principal conditions for the winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gramsci/a-social-group-can-indeed-must-already-exercise-leadership-before/) [Antonio Gramsci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gramsci/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) Browse all 4,249 Conditions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nature, and the natural human condition, generates tremendous suffering. 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