--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you watch lizards and lions…" description: "\"If you watch lizards and lions copulating, then you will see that in 200 million years the male has not had a single new idea.\" — Robert Ardrey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/robert-ardrey-17947_ideas_if-you-watch-lizards-and-lions-copulatin_412945.jpg" --- # If you watch lizards and lions copulating, then you will… ![“If you watch lizards and lions copulating, then you will see that in 200 million years the male has not had a single new idea.” quote by Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/robert-ardrey-17947_ideas_if-you-watch-lizards-and-lions-copulatin_412945.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/robert-ardrey-17947_ideas_if-you-watch-lizards-and-lions-copulatin_412945.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/robert-ardrey-17947_ideas_if-you-watch-lizards-and-lions-copulatin_412945.jpg) > “If you watch lizards and lions copulating, then you will see that in 200 million years the male has not had a single new idea.” [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Evolutionary stasis in male animals shows that without novelty, species stagnate. **In simple terms:** Males often repeat old patterns without new ideas. Key Takeaway Encourage creative thinking to break evolutionary inertia. Themes evolution creativity stagnation Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - research - education - artistic endeavors - leadership development Key Concepts Sexual selection innovation deficit Questions to Reflect On - How can societies foster male innovation? - What mechanisms break creative inertia? A Different Perspective Biological constraints limit rapid idea generation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Lions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lions/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Million years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/million-years/) [New ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-ideas/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing, not even the best and noblest, can go on as it now is. Nothing, not even what is lowest and most bestial, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-not-even-the-best-and-noblest-can-go-on-as-it-now-is-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And there's nothing wrong with being a lizard either. 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Our history is an afterthought, no more, tacked to an infinite calender. We are not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/man-is-a-fraction-of-the-animal-world-our-history-is-an-afterthought/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [Far from the truth lay the antique assumption that man had fathered the weapon. The weapon, instead, had fathered man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/far-from-the-truth-lay-the-antique-assumption-that-man-had-fathered/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [A bird does not fly because it has wings; it has wings because it flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/a-bird-does-not-fly-because-it-has-wings-it-has-wings-because-it-flies/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [But we were born of risen apes, not fallen angels, and the apes were armed killers besides. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. 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