--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Except for the people who were there that…" description: "\"Except for the people who were there that one day they discovered the polio vaccine, being part of history is rarely a good idea. History is one war af..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/sarah-vowell-2016_bunch_except-for-the-people-who-were-there-tha_647504.png" --- # Except for the people who were there that one day they… ![“Except for the people who were there that one day they discovered the polio vaccine, being part of history is rarely a good idea. History is one war after another with a bunch of murders and natural disasters in between.” quote by Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/sarah-vowell-2016_bunch_except-for-the-people-who-were-there-tha_647504.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/sarah-vowell-2016_bunch_except-for-the-people-who-were-there-tha_647504.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d2/sarah-vowell-2016_bunch_except-for-the-people-who-were-there-tha_647504.png) > “Except for the people who were there that one day they discovered the polio vaccine, being part of history is rarely a good idea. History is one war after another with a bunch of murders and natural disasters in between.” [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being part of historic breakthroughs like the polio vaccine is fraught with danger and moral complexity, making history a series of conflicts and tragedies. **In simple terms:** Historical breakthroughs bring danger and moral complexity. Key Takeaway Consider ethical implications of scientific progress. Themes history ethics science conflict Mood thoughtful serious Type historical analytical When to use this quote - public health policy - scientific research - war studies Key Concepts moral responsibility human cost innovation Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do innovators have? - How do we balance progress with risk? A Different Perspective May generalize complex events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Natural disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-disaster/) [Natural disasters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-disasters/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Polio vaccine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polio-vaccine/) [Vaccines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vaccines/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“In the first summer of the Iraqi war, on the crabby, sweaty second day of a blackout that shut down the northeast’s power grid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/in-the-first-summer-of-the-iraqi-war-on-the-crabby-sweaty-second-day/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [I am no saviour. 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And I offer a well considered personal opinion that polio is a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viera-scheibner/provocation-polio-that-is-the-truth-about-those-outbreaks-of-polio/) [Viera Scheibner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viera-scheibner/) > [I have studied the effects of our new lots of polio vaccine in 100 adult volunteers and during the next few days shall give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-sabin/i-have-studied-the-effects-of-our-new-lots-of-polio-vaccine-in-100/) [Albert Sabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-sabin/) > [The main problem, certainly, for the people who will not get vaccinated with Thimerosal, which was put into polio vaccine. And the belief was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oshinsky/the-main-problem-certainly-for-the-people-who-will-not-get-vaccinated/) [David Oshinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-oshinsky/) > [When you inoculate children with a polio vaccine, you don't sleep well for two or three months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/when-you-inoculate-children-with-a-polio-vaccine-you-don-t-sleep-well/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [Even to this day, the government, the FDA is refusing to use the sophisticated biotechnology to evaluate the contaminants in the vaccines such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-horowitz/even-to-this-day-the-government-the-fda-is-refusing-to-use-the/) Leonard Horowitz > [Every child is a gift of Allah, and every child in Pakistan, to me, is like my own child, so I will do my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-afridi/every-child-is-a-gift-of-allah-and-every-child-in-pakistan-to-me-is/) [Shahid Afridi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-afridi/) > [My two Jamaican cousins ... were studying engineering. 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