--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Very little comes easily to our poor…" description: "\"Very little comes easily to our poor, benighted species (the first creature, after all, to experiment with the novel evolutionary inventions of self-co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg" --- # Very little comes easily to our poor, benighted species… ![“Very little comes easily to our poor, benighted species (the first creature, after all, to experiment with the novel evolutionary inventions of self-conscious philosophy and art). Even the most "obvious," "accurate," and "natural" style of thinking or drawing must be regulated by history and won…” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg) > “Very little comes easily to our poor, benighted species (the first creature, after all, to experiment with the novel evolutionary inventions of self-conscious philosophy and art). Even the most "obvious," "accurate," and "natural" style of thinking or drawing must be regulated by history and won by struggle. Solutions must therefore arise within a social context and record the complex interactions of mind and environment that define the possibility of human improvement.” [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. Human progress is hard-won, shaped by historical struggle and social context, not by simple logic alone. **In simple terms:** Improvement needs struggle and social context Key Takeaway Recognize history and social forces in problem solving. Themes history social context struggle human improvement Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - education reform - creative collaboration - scientific research Key Concepts evolutionary theory philosophy of science artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How does history shape current solutions? - What social factors hinder progress? A Different Perspective Simple logic often ignores complex social dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Improvement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improvement/) [Interaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interaction/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-conscious/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Most of them are doomed to rapid extinction, but a few may make evolutionary inventions, such as physiological, ecological, or behavioral innovations that give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-mayr/most-of-them-are-doomed-to-rapid-extinction-but-a-few-may-make/) [Ernst Mayr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-mayr/) > [1)It is obvious, for survival and problem solving purposes, we live in two worlds, the mind and the environment. The environment is all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/1-it-is-obvious-for-survival-and-problem-solving-purposes-we-live-in-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Sketchnote Handbook is neither about sketching nor is it about note taking. It's about receiving and processing the world in a more complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-g-bucher/the-sketchnote-handbook-is-neither-about-sketching-nor-is-it-about/) Stefan G. Bucher > [“To spend time observing, without drawing, thinking, without drawing, or feeling, without drawing, is the misfortune of nonartists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-meglin/to-spend-time-observing-without-drawing-thinking-without-drawing-or/) Nick Meglin > [1)It is obvious, for survival and problem solving purposes, we live in two worlds, the mind and the environment. The environment is all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/1-it-is-obvious-for-survival-and-problem-solving-purposes-we-live-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A stationary condition of capital and population implies no stationary state of human improvement. There could be as much scope as ever for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/a-stationary-condition-of-capital-and-population-implies-no/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [Any ordeal that you can survive as a human being is an improvement in your character, and usually an improvement in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/any-ordeal-that-you-can-survive-as-a-human-being-is-an-improvement-in/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [It's hardly possible to overstate the value, in the present state of human improvement, of placing human beings in contact with other persons dissimilar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/it-s-hardly-possible-to-overstate-the-value-in-the-present-state-of/) [John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/) > [The illusion that mechanical progress means human improvement ... alienates us from our own being and our own reality. It is precisely because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-illusion-that-mechanical-progress-means-human-improvement/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [However novel it may appear, I shall venture the assertion, that, until women assume the place in society which good sense and good feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-wright/however-novel-it-may-appear-i-shall-venture-the-assertion-that-until/) [Frances Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-wright/) > [Human improvement is from within outward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/human-improvement-is-from-within-outward/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [Character is the colossal hope of human improvement within and without.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/character-is-the-colossal-hope-of-human-improvement-within-and-without/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [I used to be so self-conscious of having a unibrow. I would make my mum tweeze out the middle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-elordi/i-used-to-be-so-self-conscious-of-having-a-unibrow-i-would-make-my/) [Jacob Elordi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-elordi/) > [If you think about what you do, if you become self-conscious about it, you've got to be very careful. Because I really like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/if-you-think-about-what-you-do-if-you-become-self-conscious-about-it/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) ## 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 Accurate quotes > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [A film is a chain of very difficult decisions, and I think one of them is to choose an accurate cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-camara/a-film-is-a-chain-of-very-difficult-decisions-and-i-think-one-of-them/) [Javier Camara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-camara/) > [“Madoc makes a snorting sound, then turns to me. 'I am sure that Wren here wouldn't mind taking Lady Nore's castle and lands for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/madoc-makes-a-snorting-sound-then-turns-to-me-i-am-sure-that-wren/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [ He \[Groucho's father\] had absolutely no training, and if you had ever seen one of his suits, you'd realize what an accurate statement that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/he-groucho-s-father-had-absolutely-no-training-and-if-you-had-ever/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [... the attempt to render visual intricacy makes words feel unwieldy, like sacks of meaning that must be lugged into place, dragged here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-doty/the-attempt-to-render-visual-intricacy-makes-words-feel-unwieldy-like/) [Mark Doty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-doty/) > [Not forgiving prolongs hurt and anger and leads to smoldering resentment, which will make us miserable until it kills us. Resentment destroys the perception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-walters/not-forgiving-prolongs-hurt-and-anger-and-leads-to-smoldering/) Richard Walters > [Selfish hedonism is not a pejorative. It is a description - an exactly accurate description of what is involved in homosexual relations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/selfish-hedonism-is-not-a-pejorative-it-is-a-description-an-exactly/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [The western mantra is that Israel seeks negotiations without preconditions, while the Palestinians refuse. The opposite is more accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-western-mantra-is-that-israel-seeks-negotiations-without/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Love women! I hate feminism. "Hate" may be an accurate word, but too strong to use. I strongly oppose feminism because it's nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/love-women-i-hate-feminism-hate-may-be-an-accurate-word-but-too/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Most of my characters are romantic rather than sexual. I think that's an essential difference in my pictures. I think they are more accurate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hughes/most-of-my-characters-are-romantic-rather-than-sexual-i-think-that-s/) [John Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hughes/) > [While the Environmental Genome Project does not seek to assign allele frequencies, we are aware of the importance of accurate allele frequency estimates for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-wilson/while-the-environmental-genome-project-does-not-seek-to-assign-allele/) [Samuel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-wilson/) Browse all 847 Accurate quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Very little comes easily to our poor, benighted species (the first creature, after all, to experiment with the novel evolutionary inventions of self-conscious philosophy and art). Even the most \"obvious,\" \"accurate,\" and \"natural\" style of thinking or drawing must be regulated by history and won by struggle. Solutions must therefore arise within a social context and record the complex interactions of mind and environment that define the possibility of human improvement.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-benighted-species-the-first/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accurate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-benighted-species-the-first/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a7/stephen-jay-gould-885_accurate_very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-ben_910502.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Very little comes easily to our poor, benighted species (the first creature, after all, to experiment with…” — Stephen Jay Gould", "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": "Stephen Jay Gould", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Very little comes easily to our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-benighted-species-the-first/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/very-little-comes-easily-to-our-poor-benighted-species-the-first/#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 } } ] } ```