--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Contingency is rich and fascinating; it…" description: "\"Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an exquisite tension between the power of individuals to modify history and the intelligible limits se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-rich-and-fascinating-it-e_2428194.jpg" --- # Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an… ![“Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an exquisite tension between the power of individuals to modify history and the intelligible limits set by laws of nature. The details of individual and species's lives are not mere frills, without power to shape the large-scale course of events…” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-rich-and-fascinating-it-e_2428194.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-rich-and-fascinating-it-e_2428194.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27b/stephen-jay-gould-885_contingency_contingency-is-rich-and-fascinating-it-e_2428194.jpg) > “Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an exquisite tension between the power of individuals to modify history and the intelligible limits set by laws of nature. The details of individual and species's lives are not mere frills, without power to shape the large-scale course of events, but particulars that can alter entire futures, profoundly and forever.” [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contingency highlights how chance events and individual actions can reshape history within natural limits. **In simple terms:** Chance and agency shape history. Key Takeaway Recognize the impact of small actions. Themes history chance agency limits Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - policy making - personal decisions - environmental planning - scientific research Key Concepts evolutionary biology philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance agency with uncertainty? - What role does luck play in your field? A Different Perspective Predictability is limited; not all outcomes can be foreseen. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Frills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frills/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Laws of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laws-of-nature/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Pictures are not incidental frills to a text; they are essences of our distinctive way of knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/pictures-are-not-incidental-frills-to-a-text-they-are-essences-of-our/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The contingency of history (both for life in general and for the cultures of Homo sapiens ) and human free will (in the factual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-contingency-of-history-both-for-life-in-general-and-for-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [It seems the height of antiquated hubris to claim that the universe carried on as it did for billions of years in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/it-seems-the-height-of-antiquated-hubris-to-claim-that-the-universe/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I view the major features of my own odyssey as a set of mostly fortunate contingencies. I was not destined by inherited mentality or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-view-the-major-features-of-my-own-odyssey-as-a-set-of-mostly/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Contingency is a thing unto itself, not the titration of determinism by randomness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/contingency-is-a-thing-unto-itself-not-the-titration-of-determinism/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Why do you want to become an author? I will accept only one answer. If it is because you feel you can write better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngaio-marsh/why-do-you-want-to-become-an-author-i-will-accept-only-one-answer-if/) [Ngaio Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngaio-marsh/) > [I tell ya when I fly, I don't get no respect. I took one of those cheap flights, no frills. I finished eatin' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/i-tell-ya-when-i-fly-i-don-t-get-no-respect-i-took-one-of-those-cheap/) [Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/) > [There are many foolish people in the world and when a man in a rather high position puts on no frills, slaps them on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/there-are-many-foolish-people-in-the-world-and-when-a-man-in-a-rather/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“frills. I won’t have it. I’ll lay for you, my smarty;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twain-mark/frills-i-won-t-have-it-i-ll-lay-for-you-my-smarty/) [TWAIN, MARK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twain-mark/) > [My style is definitely not ladylike - frills and bows kinda scare me - but I like the military look because I love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/my-style-is-definitely-not-ladylike-frills-and-bows-kinda-scare-me/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [I am a lolita. I don't believe in growing up. No matter how old I get I remain devoted to ruffles and frills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novala-takemoto/i-am-a-lolita-i-don-t-believe-in-growing-up-no-matter-how-old-i-get-i/) [Novala Takemoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novala-takemoto/) > [I get a special joy in knowing people feel comfortable if they see me in Wal-Mart or in a no-frills section trying to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-stone/i-get-a-special-joy-in-knowing-people-feel-comfortable-if-they-see-me/) [Angie Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-stone/) > [The piles of makeup and the insistence on frills and ribbons and bows was not at all attuned to my feminist views.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-faludi/the-piles-of-makeup-and-the-insistence-on-frills-and-ribbons-and-bows/) [Susan Faludi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-faludi/) > [Clutter is the disease of American writing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clutter-is-the-disease-of-american-writing/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [Towers in a modern town are a frill and a survival; they seem like the raised hands of the various churches, afraid of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/towers-in-a-modern-town-are-a-frill-and-a-survival-they-seem-like-the/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) ## More by Stephen Jay Gould > [I strongly reject any conceptual scheme that places our options on a line, and holds that the only alternative to a pair of extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-strongly-reject-any-conceptual-scheme-that-places-our-options-on-a/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [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/) > [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Zoocentrism is the primary fallacy of human sociobiology, for this view of human behavior rests on the argument that if the actions of "lower"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/zoocentrism-is-the-primary-fallacy-of-human-sociobiology-for-this/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The world, unfortunately, rarely matches our hopes and consistently refuses to behave in a reasonable manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-world-unfortunately-rarely-matches-our-hopes-and-consistently/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The true beauty of nature is her amplitude; she exists neither for nor because of us, and possesses a staying power that all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-true-beauty-of-nature-is-her-amplitude-she-exists-neither-for-nor/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/with-copious-evidence-ranging-from-plato-s-haughtiness-to-beethoven-s/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [When scientists need to explain difficult points of theory, illustration by hypothetical example - rather than by total abstraction - works well (perhaps indispensably)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/when-scientists-need-to-explain-difficult-points-of-theory/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The truly awesome intellectuals in our history have not merely made discoveries; they have woven variegated, but firm, tapestries of comprehensive coverage. The tapestries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-truly-awesome-intellectuals-in-our-history-have-not-merely-made/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I believe that we can still have a genre of scientific books suitable for and accessible alike to professionals and interested laypeople. The concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-believe-that-we-can-still-have-a-genre-of-scientific-books-suitable/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Science simply cannot adjudicate the issue of God's possible superintendence of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/science-simply-cannot-adjudicate-the-issue-of-god-s-possible/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [But if we laugh with derision, we will never understand. Human intellectual capacity has not altered for thousands of years so far as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/but-if-we-laugh-with-derision-we-will-never-understand-human/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [We debase the richness of both nature and our own minds if we view the great pageant of our intellectual history as a compendium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-debase-the-richness-of-both-nature-and-our-own-minds-if-we-view/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) [Explore all 341 Stephen Jay Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## More Contingency quotes > [“Seriously, this old woman had no idea how close she came to being squashed like a roach. -Sage Hannigan, Contingency”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-martinez/seriously-this-old-woman-had-no-idea-how-close-she-came-to-being/) P. S. Martinez > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [We will build a Marine Corps based on 36 battalions, which the Heritage Foundation notes is the minimum needed to deal with major contingencies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-build-a-marine-corps-based-on-36-battalions-which-the/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Evaluation must be done in hindsight, after the work has been done, not for proposals for work to be done. That said, secondary factors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venkatesh-narayanamurti/evaluation-must-be-done-in-hindsight-after-the-work-has-been-done-not/) Venkatesh Narayanamurti > [“The universe made no promises. It owes you nothing. It did not invite you to be born. It made no commitments that it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-m-kohl/the-universe-made-no-promises-it-owes-you-nothing-it-did-not-invite/) Tobias M. Kohl > [You can’t control every contingency. You have to accept that. Let it scare you. Trust that it’ll be okay anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/you-can-t-control-every-contingency-you-have-to-accept-that-let-it/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The very essence of civilized culture is that we deliberately institute, in advance of the happening of various contingencies and emergencies of life, devices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-very-essence-of-civilized-culture-is-that-we-deliberately/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [Life, as the most ancient of all metaphors insists, is a journey; and the travel book, in its deceptive simulation of the journey's fits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/life-as-the-most-ancient-of-all-metaphors-insists-is-a-journey-and/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [The denial of "self" challenges only the notion of a static self independent of body and mind-not the ordinary sense of ourself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-batchelor/the-denial-of-self-challenges-only-the-notion-of-a-static-self/) [Stephen Batchelor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-batchelor/) > [“But do you imagine there’s a certain type of person in the world who conforms to the idea of a ‘bad person'? You’ll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsume-s-seki/but-do-you-imagine-there-s-a-certain-type-of-person-in-the-world-who/) [Natsume Sōseki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsume-s-seki/) > [... regard this body as a machine which, having been made by the hand of God, is incomparably better ordered than any machine that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-descartes/regard-this-body-as-a-machine-which-having-been-made-by-the-hand-of/) [Rene Descartes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-descartes/) > [“emancipatory politics must always destroy the appearance of a ‘natural order’, must reveal what is presented as necessary and inevitable to be a mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fisher/emancipatory-politics-must-always-destroy-the-appearance-of-a-natural/) [Mark Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fisher/) > [A president must be on the job 24/7, ready for any contingency, any crisis, anywhere, anytime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-president-must-be-on-the-job-24-7-ready-for-any-contingency-any/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Whereas some dwell on the bright side of life, enjoying an exciting spectrum of contingencies, and get all the breaks, others live in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/whereas-some-dwell-on-the-bright-side-of-life-enjoying-an-exciting/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The skin is a variety of contingency: in it, through it, with it, the world and my body touch each other, the feeling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-serres/the-skin-is-a-variety-of-contingency-in-it-through-it-with-it-the/) [Michel Serres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-serres/) Browse all 141 Contingency quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Contingency is rich and fascinating; it embodies an exquisite tension between the power of individuals to modify history and the intelligible limits set by laws of nature. 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