--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As long as humans have existed, we have…" description: "\"As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every culture. Of course, they all failed at dram..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg" --- # As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to… ![“As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every culture. Of course, they all failed at dramatic life extension.” quote by S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg) > “As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every culture. Of course, they all failed at dramatic life extension.” [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human desire for longer life is universal, yet attempts at dramatic extension have consistently failed. **In simple terms:** People always want to live longer, but big breakthroughs haven’t happened. Key Takeaway Accept realistic health goals over unrealistic longevity promises. Themes mortality human nature science culture Mood reflective thoughtful Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - personal health planning - public policy on aging - medical research funding Key Concepts longevity research philosophical limits historical patterns Questions to Reflect On - What realistic steps can improve quality of life? - How do cultural beliefs shape our expectations of longevity? A Different Perspective Even with advances, biological limits may cap lifespan extension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) ## Related quotes > [My life, and by extension everyone else's is meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bender-the-cartoon-character/my-life-and-by-extension-everyone-else-s-is-meaningless/) [Bender (The Cartoon Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bender-the-cartoon-character/) > [“I was addressing the way a significant life extension has produced in some people, you especially, a profound knowledge of human nature.” “We live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-was-addressing-the-way-a-significant-life-extension-has-produced-in/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Dum inter homines sumus, colamus humanitatem" "As long as we are among humans, let us be humane”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca/dum-inter-homines-sumus-colamus-humanitatem-as-long-as-we-are-among/) [Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca/) > [As long as we are among humans, let us be humane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/as-long-as-we-are-among-humans-let-us-be-humane/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Humanity will live as long as there are humans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasily-grossman/humanity-will-live-as-long-as-there-are-humans/) [Vasily Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasily-grossman/) > [I'd support life extension by whatever means, from cryonic suspension to cyborgism to coding ourselves into our computers or whatever. There is nothing noble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-d-support-life-extension-by-whatever-means-from-cryonic-suspension/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [Time is the most important thing to me - how can you do all the things you want to do with such limited time...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-anderson/time-is-the-most-important-thing-to-me-how-can-you-do-all-the-things/) [Tom Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-anderson/) > [Personally, I've been hearing all my life about the Serious Philosophical Issues posed by life extension, and my attitude has always been that I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-hayden/personally-i-ve-been-hearing-all-my-life-about-the-serious/) Patrick Hayden > [The last thing you ever want to do is extend the period of frailty and disability and make people unhealthy for a longer time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/the-last-thing-you-ever-want-to-do-is-extend-the-period-of-frailty/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Lifespan extension has never really been a goal of aging science, nor should it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/lifespan-extension-has-never-really-been-a-goal-of-aging-science-nor/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [I'm sorry, I guess my company leaves a lot to be desired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-sorry-i-guess-my-company-leaves-a-lot-to-be-desired/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [The US wished things to turn out as they did, and worked to bring this about. The department of state desired that the UN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/the-us-wished-things-to-turn-out-as-they-did-and-worked-to-bring-this/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [“When a long-desired baby is born, what joy! More happiness than we find in sex, more than we take in success, revenge, or wealth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/when-a-long-desired-baby-is-born-what-joy-more-happiness-than-we-find/) [Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/) > [I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. I have the vocation of the Apostle. Martyrdom was the dream of my youth, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/i-feel-in-me-the-vocation-of-the-priest-i-have-the-vocation-of-the/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [Peace, above all things, is to be desired, but blood must sometimes be spilled to obtain it on equable and lasting terms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/peace-above-all-things-is-to-be-desired-but-blood-must-sometimes-be/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) ## More by S. Jay Olshansky > [A lifetime of low calories has come naturally to the longest-lived people in the world... in the Japanese archipelago of Okinawa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/a-lifetime-of-low-calories-has-come-naturally-to-the-longest-lived/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [What we know for sure from our work and from others' is that mice have a life span of 1,000 days, dogs have 5,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/what-we-know-for-sure-from-our-work-and-from-others-is-that-mice-have/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [The modern rise of Alzheimer's Disease in the twentieth century is not a sign of failure. It's a sign of success. Success in living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/the-modern-rise-of-alzheimer-s-disease-in-the-twentieth-century-is/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [As soon as a handful of scientists come up with an intervention shown to influence aging in other species, they begin selling it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-soon-as-a-handful-of-scientists-come-up-with-an-intervention-shown/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Reducing caloric intake is the only proven method of extending life. If caloric intake is reduced to 20 percent below maintenance, you can extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/reducing-caloric-intake-is-the-only-proven-method-of-extending-life/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [I'm not sure the least educated members of the population are missing out on the advances in medical technology as much as they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/i-m-not-sure-the-least-educated-members-of-the-population-are-missing/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Ageing is very rare. We only see it in humans and laboratory animals and in zoo animals and in our pets. Basically, organisms that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/ageing-is-very-rare-we-only-see-it-in-humans-and-laboratory-animals/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [People pushing the idea that everyone can live to be 100 are perpetuating a myth that goes all the way back to the Bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/people-pushing-the-idea-that-everyone-can-live-to-be-100-are/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [I have little doubt that gerontologists will eventually find a way to avoid, or more likely, delay, the unpleasantries of extended life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/i-have-little-doubt-that-gerontologists-will-eventually-find-a-way-to/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Lifespan extension has never really been a goal of aging science, nor should it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/lifespan-extension-has-never-really-been-a-goal-of-aging-science-nor/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [We're not trying to make us live forever; we're not trying to even make us live significantly longer. What we're trying to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/we-re-not-trying-to-make-us-live-forever-we-re-not-trying-to-even/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Death is a zero sum game for which there is no cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/death-is-a-zero-sum-game-for-which-there-is-no-cure/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [The Faustian trade of the 20th century was, we got 30 years of additional life, but in return we got heart disease, cancer, stroke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/the-faustian-trade-of-the-20th-century-was-we-got-30-years-of/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [Do we really want to continue to push out the envelope of survival only to see other things crop up that we may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/do-we-really-want-to-continue-to-push-out-the-envelope-of-survival/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) > [When you hit your 40s, you begin to take notice of the effects of aging because people that you know begin to die of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/when-you-hit-your-40s-you-begin-to-take-notice-of-the-effects-of/) [S. Jay Olshansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) [Explore all 58 S. Jay Olshansky quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/) ## More Always quotes > [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/) [Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/) > [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/) [Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/) [William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/) [Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/) [Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/) [Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/) Browse all 36,048 Always quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every culture. Of course, they all failed at dramatic life extension.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S. Jay Olshansky" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-always-desired-to-live-longer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-always-desired-to-live-longer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/633/s-jay-olshansky-11747_always_as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-a_474457.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As long as humans have existed, we have always desired to live longer. Every society, every religion, every…” — S. Jay Olshansky", "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": "S. Jay Olshansky", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-jay-olshansky/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As long as humans have existed,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-always-desired-to-live-longer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-jay-olshansky/as-long-as-humans-have-existed-we-have-always-desired-to-live-longer/#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 } } ] } ```