--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I understood that you would take the…" description: "\"I understood that you would take the Human Race in the concrete, have exploded the absurd notion of Pope's Essay on Man, [Erasmus] Darwin, and all the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg" --- # I understood that you would take the Human Race in the… ![“I understood that you would take the Human Race in the concrete, have exploded the absurd notion of Pope's Essay on Man, [Erasmus] Darwin, and all the countless Believers-even (strange to say) among Xtians-of Man's having progressed from an Ouran Outang state-so contrary to all History, to all…” quote by Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg) > “I understood that you would take the Human Race in the concrete, have exploded the absurd notion of Pope's Essay on Man, \[Erasmus\] Darwin, and all the countless Believers-even (strange to say) among Xtians-of Man's having progressed from an Ouran Outang state-so contrary to all History, to all Religion, nay, to all Possibility-to have affirmed a Fall in some sense.” [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage critiques humanity’s hubris and the clash between faith, reason, and possibility, urging humility. **In simple terms:** Human pride clashes with faith and reason, urging humility. Key Takeaway Embrace humility over certainty. Themes philosophy faith human nature Mood reflective critical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - debates on religion - scientific discourse - ethical decision‑making - personal belief systems Key Concepts hubris religion science possibility fallibility Questions to Reflect On - What role should humility play in scientific inquiry? - How can faith and reason coexist? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on humility can stifle progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erasmus/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pope/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“It wasn’t as absurd a notion as it might sound. Some days, time passed way too slowly here, other days far too quickly, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/it-wasn-t-as-absurd-a-notion-as-it-might-sound-some-days-time-passed/) [Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/) > [Human vanity cherishes the absurd notion that our species is the final goal of evolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/human-vanity-cherishes-the-absurd-notion-that-our-species-is-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“It's the sort of absurd notion, though, that I wouldn't mind taking out for a good academic run someday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/it-s-the-sort-of-absurd-notion-though-that-i-wouldn-t-mind-taking-out/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [What an absurd notion that women have not intellectual and moral faculties sufficent for anything else but domestic concerns!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/what-an-absurd-notion-that-women-have-not-intellectual-and-moral/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [Erasmus dramatizes a well-established political position: that of the fool who claims license to criticize all and sundry without reprisal, since his madness defines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/erasmus-dramatizes-a-well-established-political-position-that-of-the/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [Erasmus was the light of his century; others were its strength: he lighted the way; others knew how to walk on it while he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/erasmus-was-the-light-of-his-century-others-were-its-strength-he/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [“As Erasmus, the great Renaissance thinker, reminds us, “The best hope of a nation lies in the proper education of its youth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/as-erasmus-the-great-renaissance-thinker-reminds-us-the-best-hope-of/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [When the adversaries of Erasmus had got the Trinity into his edition, they threw by their manuscript as an old almanac out of date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/when-the-adversaries-of-erasmus-had-got-the-trinity-into-his-edition/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/) > [A nation may be in a tumult to-day for a thought which the timid Erasmus placidly penned in his study more than two centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-nation-may-be-in-a-tumult-to-day-for-a-thought-which-the-timid/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [“The Stoics define wisdom to be conducted by reason, and folly nothing else but the being hurried by passion, lest our life should otherwise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus-roterodamus/the-stoics-define-wisdom-to-be-conducted-by-reason-and-folly-nothing/) [Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus-roterodamus/) > [My law-givers are Erasmus and Montaigne, not Moses and St Paul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/my-law-givers-are-erasmus-and-montaigne-not-moses-and-st-paul/) [E. 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The inhabitants of my small country, Costa Rica, have realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/peace-consists-very-largely-in-the-fact-of-desiring-it-with-all-one-s/) [Oscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) ## More by Samuel Taylor Coleridge > [Humor is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/humor-is-consistent-with-pathos-whilst-wit-is-not/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Never can true courage dwell with them, Who, playing tricks with conscience, dare not look At their own vices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/never-can-true-courage-dwell-with-them-who-playing-tricks-with/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/and-the-devil-did-grin-for-his-darling-sin-is-pride-that-apes-humility/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Facts are not truths; they are not conclusions; they are not even premises, but in the nature and parts of premises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/facts-are-not-truths-they-are-not-conclusions-they-are-not-even/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [I do not wish you to act from these truths; no, still and always act from your feelings; only meditate often on these truths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-do-not-wish-you-to-act-from-these-truths-no-still-and-always-act/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [A poet ought not to pick nature's pocket. Let him borrow, and so borrow as to repay by the very act of borrowing. 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Great books are not in everybody's reach; and though it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/why-are-not-more-gems-from-our-great-authors-scattered-over-the/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [Life went a-maying With Nature, Hope, and Poesy, When I was young!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/life-went-a-maying-with-nature-hope-and-poesy-when-i-was-young/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [No voice; but oh - the silence sank Like music on my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/no-voice-but-oh-the-silence-sank-like-music-on-my-heart/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [The three great ends which a statesman ought to propose to himself in the government of a nation, are 1. Security to possessors; 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-three-great-ends-which-a-statesman-ought-to-propose-to-himself-in/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [“We in ourselves rejoice! And thence flows all that charms or ear or sight, All melodies the echoes of that voice, All colours a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/we-in-ourselves-rejoice-and-thence-flows-all-that-charms-or-ear-or/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) [Explore all 570 Samuel Taylor Coleridge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. 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For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. 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But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I understood that you would take the Human Race in the concrete, have exploded the absurd notion of Pope's Essay on Man, [Erasmus] Darwin, and all the countless Believers-even (strange to say) among Xtians-of Man's having progressed from an Ouran Outang state-so contrary to all History, to all Religion, nay, to all Possibility-to have affirmed a Fall in some sense.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-human-race-in-the-concrete-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absurd" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-human-race-in-the-concrete-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/samuel-taylor-coleridge-425_absurd_i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-hum_1607354.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I understood that you would take the Human Race in the concrete, have exploded the absurd notion of Pope's…” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge", "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": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I understood that you would take...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-human-race-in-the-concrete-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/i-understood-that-you-would-take-the-human-race-in-the-concrete-have/#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 } } ] } ```