---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The upward thrust of evolution as part of…"
description: "\"The upward thrust of evolution as part of the design becomes something to preserve and revere.\" — Roger Wolcott Sperry"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png"
---

#  The upward thrust of evolution as part of the design…

![“The upward thrust of evolution as part of the design becomes something to preserve and revere.” quote by Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png)

> “The upward thrust of evolution as part of the design becomes something to preserve and revere.”

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Evolutionary design is a force that should be respected and preserved as a fundamental aspect of life.

**In simple terms:** Respect evolutionary design.

Key Takeaway

Preserve natural processes.

Themes

science ethics evolution

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

scientific philosophical

When to use this quote

- environmental policy
- education
- technology design

Key Concepts

biological determinism conservation

Questions to Reflect On

- What responsibilities arise from understanding evolution?
- How can we honor design while innovating?

A Different Perspective

Human intervention can disrupt evolution.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Biology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/)

## Related quotes

> [Love is the dynamic motivation behind every worthy purpose; it is the upward thrust that lifts men to the heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilferd-peterson/love-is-the-dynamic-motivation-behind-every-worthy-purpose-it-is-the/)

[Wilferd Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilferd-peterson/)

> [My laboratory uses evolution to design new enzymes. No one really knows how to design them - they are tremendously complicated. But we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/my-laboratory-uses-evolution-to-design-new-enzymes-no-one-really/)

[Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/)

> [“The natural evolution from design doing to design thinking reflects the growing recognition on the part of today’s business leaders that design has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-natural-evolution-from-design-doing-to-design-thinking-reflects/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [When the death of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt thrust him suddenly into the Presidency in April of 1945 at one of the most critical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/when-the-death-of-president-franklin-delano-roosevelt-thrust-him/)

[Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/)

> [The world rolls under the long thrust of his heel. Over the cage floor the horizons come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-hughes/the-world-rolls-under-the-long-thrust-of-his-heel-over-the-cage-floor/)

[Ted Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-hughes/)

> [If you take psychedelics and the Internet and music and put all of that together you have the basis for a new community that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/if-you-take-psychedelics-and-the-internet-and-music-and-put-all-of/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [We are at the moment looking at space as something to be entered by the tremendous thrust of a rocket because that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/we-are-at-the-moment-looking-at-space-as-something-to-be-entered-by/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [There were two, three or four French Revolutions. Like a multi-stage rocket today, the Revolution involved several successive explosions and propellant thrusts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernand-braudel/there-were-two-three-or-four-french-revolutions-like-a-multi-stage/)

[Fernand Braudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernand-braudel/)

> [Oh yeah, I mean, it wasn't a very good guitar, most good guitars have got thrust rods in the necks that you can adjust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/oh-yeah-i-mean-it-wasn-t-a-very-good-guitar-most-good-guitars-have/)

[Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/)

> ["Civilization" has been thrust upon me since the days of the reservations, and it has not added one whit to my sense of justice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luther-standing-bear/civilization-has-been-thrust-upon-me-since-the-days-of-the/)

[Luther Standing Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luther-standing-bear/)

> [I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-campbell/i-think-for-most-americans-knowledge-of-the-islamic-world-was-pretty/)

[Thomas P. Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-campbell/)

> [Watergate got us to think of leaders as mere mortals. America began to think of itself in a very different way - I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/watergate-got-us-to-think-of-leaders-as-mere-mortals-america-began-to/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [That devilish Iron Horse, whose ear-rending neigh is heard throughout the town, has muddied the Boiling Spring with his foot, and he it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/that-devilish-iron-horse-whose-ear-rending-neigh-is-heard-throughout/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [So I took the bright red stick and at the center of the nation's hoop I thrust it in the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/so-i-took-the-bright-red-stick-and-at-the-center-of-the-nation-s-hoop/)

[Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/)

> [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

## More by Roger Wolcott Sperry

> [Futurists and common sense concur that a substantial change, worldwide, in life style and moral guidelines will soon become an absolute necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/futurists-and-common-sense-concur-that-a-substantial-change-worldwide/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [What it comes down to is that modern society discriminates against the right hemisphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/what-it-comes-down-to-is-that-modern-society-discriminates-against/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [The new way of thinking, spawned by the cognitive revolution, shows strong promise. Reversing previous doctrine in science, the new paradigm affirms that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-new-way-of-thinking-spawned-by-the-cognitive-revolution-shows/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [The centermost processes of the brain with which consciousness is presumably associated are simply not understood. They are so far beyond our comprehension that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-centermost-processes-of-the-brain-with-which-consciousness-is/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [What is needed to break the vicious spiral is a world-wide change in attitudes, values, and social policy. As Einstein put it, We need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/what-is-needed-to-break-the-vicious-spiral-is-a-world-wide-change-in/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [The main theme to emerge... is that there appear to be two modes of thinking, verbal and nonverbal, represented rather separately in left and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-main-theme-to-emerge-is-that-there-appear-to-be-two-modes-of/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [It seems important that the social value factor be more generally recognized as a powerful causal agent in its own right and something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/it-seems-important-that-the-social-value-factor-be-more-generally/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [(The mind's) dynamics transcend the time and space of brain physiology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-mind-s-dynamics-transcend-the-time-and-space-of-brain-physiology/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [There probably is no more important quest in all science than the attempt to understand those very particular events in evolution by which brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/there-probably-is-no-more-important-quest-in-all-science-than-the/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [Before brains there was no color or sound in the universe, nor was there any flavor or aroma and probably little sense and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/before-brains-there-was-no-color-or-sound-in-the-universe-nor-was/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [The cells and fibers of the brain must carry some kind of individual identification tags, presumably cytochemical in nature, by which they are distinguished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-cells-and-fibers-of-the-brain-must-carry-some-kind-of-individual/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [Sperry's thinking about subjective experience, consciousness, the mind, and human values makes a powerful plea for a new scientific examination of ethics in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/sperry-s-thinking-about-subjective-experience-consciousness-the-mind/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [When the brain is whole, the unified consciousness of the left and right hemispheres adds up to more than the individual properties of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/when-the-brain-is-whole-the-unified-consciousness-of-the-left-and/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [To see a promising solution to a dilemma and then just leave it to questionable development at its own pace without trying to aid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/to-see-a-promising-solution-to-a-dilemma-and-then-just-leave-it-to/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [The objective psychologist, hoping to get at the physiological side of behavior, is apt to plunge immediately into neurology trying to correlate brain activity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-objective-psychologist-hoping-to-get-at-the-physiological-side-of/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

[Explore all 17 Roger Wolcott Sperry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

## More Biology quotes

> [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [“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/)

> [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

> [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/)

Hideaki Sena

> [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/)

[The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/)

[Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/)

> [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [“A note of caution: epigenetics is also on the verge of transforming into a dangerous idea. Epigenetic modifications of genes can potentially superpose historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/a-note-of-caution-epigenetics-is-also-on-the-verge-of-transforming/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Natural history is not taught in seminary. This is curious, as most people in pastoral ministry are about 567 times more likely to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-maitland/natural-history-is-not-taught-in-seminary-this-is-curious-as-most/)

[Sara Maitland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-maitland/)

> [We are coming to a place where the road ends. From here on out, we will be making the road as we walk it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-atlee/we-are-coming-to-a-place-where-the-road-ends-from-here-on-out-we-will/)

Tom Atlee

> [I've always been interested in medicine and was pleased when my brother became a doctor. But after thinking seriously about that field, I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-medicine-and-was-pleased-when-my/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Evolution... is the most powerful and the most comprehensive idea that has ever arisen on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-huxley/evolution-is-the-most-powerful-and-the-most-comprehensive-idea-that/)

[Julian Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-huxley/)

> [History employs evolution to structure biological events in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/history-employs-evolution-to-structure-biological-events-in-time/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

[Browse all 3,034 Biology quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biology/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The upward thrust of evolution as part of the design becomes something to preserve and revere.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Wolcott Sperry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-of-the-design-becomes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Biology"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-of-the-design-becomes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5c/roger-wolcott-sperry-30962_biology_the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-o_3024111.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The upward thrust of evolution as part of the design becomes something to preserve and revere.” — Roger Wolcott Sperry",
                "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": "Roger Wolcott Sperry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The upward thrust of evolution as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-of-the-design-becomes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/the-upward-thrust-of-evolution-as-part-of-the-design-becomes/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
