--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What really happens is that the gene pool…" description: "\"What really happens is that the gene pool becomes filled with genes that influence bodies in such a way that they behave 'as if' they made complex, if ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg" --- # What really happens is that the gene pool becomes filled… ![“What really happens is that the gene pool becomes filled with genes that influence bodies in such a way that they behave 'as if' they made complex, if unconscious, cost/benefit calculations” quote by Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg) > “What really happens is that the gene pool becomes filled with genes that influence bodies in such a way that they behave 'as if' they made complex, if unconscious, cost/benefit calculations” [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Genes shape behavior by biasing organisms toward actions that appear to weigh costs and benefits, even without conscious calculation. **In simple terms:** Genes guide behavior like hidden cost‑benefit calculators. Key Takeaway Recognize that many actions have deep evolutionary roots. Themes evolution behavior biology psychology Mood curious analytical thoughtful Type scientific observational When to use this quote - marketing decisions - risk assessment - team dynamics - personal habits Key Concepts genetic determinism adaptive strategy Questions to Reflect On - How much of your decision is instinct versus reason? - Can you change a behavior that feels “hard‑wired”? A Different Perspective Human culture and learning can override genetic tendencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) ## Related quotes > [While nobody has identified any gene for religion, there are certainly some candidate genes that may influence human personality and confer a tendency to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-winston/while-nobody-has-identified-any-gene-for-religion-there-are-certainly/) [Robert Winston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-winston/) > [Many families would like to avoid burdening future generations with inherited diseases such as haemophilia or severe developmental disorders. But most would think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-walport/many-families-would-like-to-avoid-burdening-future-generations-with/) [Mark Walport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-walport/) > [Complex organisms cannot be construed as the sum of their genes, nor do genes alone build particular items of anatomy or behavior by themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/complex-organisms-cannot-be-construed-as-the-sum-of-their-genes-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [There are many ways in which genes influence the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-seung/there-are-many-ways-in-which-genes-influence-the-brain/) [Sebastian Seung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-seung/) > [“Over generations, the gene pool of the first farmers became increasingly dominated by individuals who could drink beer on a regular basis. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/over-generations-the-gene-pool-of-the-first-farmers-became/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [Are the people who run for president really the best in a country of 240 million? If so, something has happened to the gene pool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mckenzie/are-the-people-who-run-for-president-really-the-best-in-a-country-of/) Bob McKenzie > [“If your hunter-gatherer buddies suddenly bolted, it made sense to follow suit—regardless of whether a saber-toothed tiger or a boar had startled them. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rolf-dobelli/if-your-hunter-gatherer-buddies-suddenly-bolted-it-made-sense-to/) [Rolf Dobelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rolf-dobelli/) > [My father was very bright. My mother had enormous drive. Put that together, and that's my gene pool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/my-father-was-very-bright-my-mother-had-enormous-drive-put-that/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [When I look at old pictures, I see my son Luciano, not me. Luciano looks identical. That's what's extraordinary, the power of a gene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-i-look-at-old-pictures-i-see-my-son-luciano-not-me-luciano-looks/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [I mean people up here aren't stupid, I'm lower gene pool and I kind of sit in amazement at watching some of them because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-ose/i-mean-people-up-here-aren-t-stupid-i-m-lower-gene-pool-and-i-kind-of/) [Doug Ose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-ose/) > [We have new media, new forms of connectivity, and an enormous transference of knowledge. When you study evolution, you see that when new genes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-houston/we-have-new-media-new-forms-of-connectivity-and-an-enormous/) [Jean Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-houston/) > [Someone once referred to modeling as being like winning the lottery gene pool. It's such an odd way to put things, but what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/someone-once-referred-to-modeling-as-being-like-winning-the-lottery/) [Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/) > [Eugenics was central to the entire Nazi enterprise, joined with romantic nativist and racist myths of the pure-bred Nordic. The emphasis on 'blood' called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-thompson/eugenics-was-central-to-the-entire-nazi-enterprise-joined-with/) Alison Thompson > [“The problem with the gene pool is, that there is no life guard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lindahl/the-problem-with-the-gene-pool-is-that-there-is-no-life-guard/) Carl Lindahl > [And I tell you one thing, if the primates that we came from, had know that someday politicians would come out of the gene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sheridan/and-i-tell-you-one-thing-if-the-primates-that-we-came-from-had-know/) [John Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sheridan/) ## More by Richard Dawkins > [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/) > [The word 'mundane' has come to mean 'boring' and 'dull', and it really shouldn't - it should mean the opposite. Because it comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-word-mundane-has-come-to-mean-boring-and-dull-and-it-really/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“The fundamentalist Kurt Wise proclaims that all the evidence in the universe would not change his mind. The true scientist, however passionately he may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-fundamentalist-kurt-wise-proclaims-that-all-the-evidence-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“much of the Bible is not systematically evil but just plain weird, as you would expect of a chaotically cobbled-together anthology of disjointed documents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/much-of-the-bible-is-not-systematically-evil-but-just-plain-weird-as/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Let us understand what our own selfish genes are up to because we may then at least have the chance to upset their designs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/let-us-understand-what-our-own-selfish-genes-are-up-to-because-we-may/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [What's going to happen when I die? I may be buried, or I may be cremated, I may give my body to science. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-s-going-to-happen-when-i-die-i-may-be-buried-or-i-may-be/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [We have seen that living things are too improbable and too beautifully 'designed' to have come into existence by chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-have-seen-that-living-things-are-too-improbable-and-too/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“We will not go quietly away. If in the future that requires violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-will-not-go-quietly-away-if-in-the-future-that-requires-violence/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It's a truly disgusting idea that the creator of the universe - capable of inventing the laws of physics and designing the evolutionary process…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/it-s-a-truly-disgusting-idea-that-the-creator-of-the-universe-capable/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Explore all 1,239 Richard Dawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) ## More Behave quotes > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You can behave as badly as you like in America. Nobody notices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/you-can-behave-as-badly-as-you-like-in-america-nobody-notices/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Then Olympus it is. But do try to behave. I know it’s hard for you, but… (Delphine) I won’t piss on the floor. (Jericho)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/then-olympus-it-is-but-do-try-to-behave-i-know-it-s-hard-for-you-but/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [Why does man behave like perfect idiot? This is the problem I wish to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-szent-gyorgyi/why-does-man-behave-like-perfect-idiot-this-is-the-problem-i-wish-to/) [Albert Szent-Gyorgyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-szent-gyorgyi/) > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [Most people, even in simple risky situations, don't behave the way the theory of utility would have them behave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-raiffa/most-people-even-in-simple-risky-situations-don-t-behave-the-way-the/) [Howard Raiffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-raiffa/) > [As a club, we have an educational purpose: to give back to those people who love Arsenal so that they learn moral values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/as-a-club-we-have-an-educational-purpose-to-give-back-to-those-people/) [Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/) > [What astonishes many of us is not so much that human nature is fundamentally corrupt; we are astonished rather that it does not behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-irving-seiden/what-astonishes-many-of-us-is-not-so-much-that-human-nature-is/) Morton Irving Seiden > [Do we behave out of fear of punishment, or out of the demands of our heart? For me, it is the latter, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-we-behave-out-of-fear-of-punishment-or-out-of-the-demands-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you are in hard labor, remember that the length of labor is usually proportional to the number of people around. Avoid the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/when-you-are-in-hard-labor-remember-that-the-length-of-labor-is/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For political and bureaucratic reasons, governments at all levels are telling far less to the public than to insiders about how to prepare for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/for-political-and-bureaucratic-reasons-governments-at-all-levels-are/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) Browse all 1,587 Behave quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What really happens is that the gene pool becomes filled with genes that influence bodies in such a way that they behave 'as if' they made complex, if unconscious, cost/benefit calculations", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Dawkins" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-pool-becomes-filled-with-genes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behave" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-pool-becomes-filled-with-genes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/richard-dawkins-115_behave_what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-poo_2468230.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What really happens is that the gene pool becomes filled with genes that influence bodies in such a way that…” — Richard Dawkins", "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": "Richard Dawkins", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What really happens is that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-pool-becomes-filled-with-genes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/what-really-happens-is-that-the-gene-pool-becomes-filled-with-genes/#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 } } ] } ```