--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are the accidental result of an…" description: "\"We are the accidental result of an unplanned process ... the fragile result of an enormous concatenation of improbabilities, not the predictable produc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png" --- # We are the accidental result of an unplanned process… ![“We are the accidental result of an unplanned process ... the fragile result of an enormous concatenation of improbabilities, not the predictable product of any definite process.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png) > “We are the accidental result of an unplanned process ... the fragile result of an enormous concatenation of improbabilities, not the predictable product of any definite process.” [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. Existence is a product of random, improbable events, not a predetermined design. **In simple terms:** Life is accidental, not planned. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and the wonder of chance. Themes science probability existence philosophy Mood curious intellectual inquisitive Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - education - public discourse - personal worldview - scientific literacy Key Concepts evolution complexity anthropic principle Questions to Reflect On - How does randomness shape your sense of meaning? - Can we find purpose within an accidental universe? A Different Perspective May conflict with beliefs in purpose or design. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [Nature seems to exult in abounding radicality, extremism, anarchy. If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nature-seems-to-exult-in-abounding-radicality-extremism-anarchy-if-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [To bother about the best method of accomplishing an accidental result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/to-bother-about-the-best-method-of-accomplishing-an-accidental-result/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [Unplanned process improvement is wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watts-humphrey/unplanned-process-improvement-is-wishful-thinking/) Watts Humphrey > [“In nature, improbabilities are the one stock in trade. The whole creation is one lunatic fringe. If creation had been left up to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/in-nature-improbabilities-are-the-one-stock-in-trade-the-whole/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nobody has any conscience about adding to the improbabilities of a marvelous tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/nobody-has-any-conscience-about-adding-to-the-improbabilities-of-a/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“If I could believe in myself, why not give other improbabilities the benefit of the doubt?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/if-i-could-believe-in-myself-why-not-give-other-improbabilities-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“The daily hummingbird assaults existence with improbability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-daily-hummingbird-assaults-existence-with-improbability/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The miracle of man is not how far he has sunk but how magnificently he has risen. We are known among the stars by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ardrey/the-miracle-of-man-is-not-how-far-he-has-sunk-but-how-magnificently/) [Robert Ardrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ardrey/) > [For existential mathematics, which does not exist, would probably propose this equation: the value of coincidence equals the degree of its improbability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/for-existential-mathematics-which-does-not-exist-would-probably/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“I had a dream about you last night... I was a brick and you were a blanket. Damn that improbability drive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-mckay/i-had-a-dream-about-you-last-night-i-was-a-brick-and-you-were-a/) [Nicole McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-mckay/) > [One day my heart and soul will realize the impossible improbability my mind already knows..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/one-day-my-heart-and-soul-will-realize-the-impossible-improbability/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [The argument from improbability, properly deployed, comes close to proving that God does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-argument-from-improbability-properly-deployed-comes-close-to/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“For random events to produce even a single protein would seem a stunning improbability—like a whirlwind spinning through a junkyard and leaving behind a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-random-events-to-produce-even-a-single-protein-would-seem-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Definite quotes > [There are definite reference points to older Depeche Mode records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gore/there-are-definite-reference-points-to-older-depeche-mode-records/) [Martin Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gore/) > [The album is a definite departure. I haven't written original material before, except for one song on my first album, but Elvis and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-krall/the-album-is-a-definite-departure-i-haven-t-written-original-material/) [Diana Krall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-krall/) > [Defense is a definite part of the game, and a great part of defense is learning to play it without fouling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/defense-is-a-definite-part-of-the-game-and-a-great-part-of-defense-is/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [I began writing early - very, very early... I was already writing short stories for the radio and selling poems to poetry and art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-began-writing-early-very-very-early-i-was-already-writing-short/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I have come to the definite conclusion that musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shinichi-suzuki/i-have-come-to-the-definite-conclusion-that-musical-ability-is-not-an/) [Shinichi Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shinichi-suzuki/) > [Anarchism is a definite intellectual current in the life of our times, whose adherents advocate the abolition of economic monopolies and of all political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-rocker/anarchism-is-a-definite-intellectual-current-in-the-life-of-our-times/) [Rudolf Rocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-rocker/) > [First of all, principles should be general. That is, it must be possible to formulate them without use of what would be intuitively recognized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/first-of-all-principles-should-be-general-that-is-it-must-be-possible/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [Since the season ended, I've let things settle down, and I have to talk to the coaching staff and management. I really don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-yzerman/since-the-season-ended-i-ve-let-things-settle-down-and-i-have-to-talk/) [Steve Yzerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-yzerman/) > [The way you look on the outside has a definite bearing on how you feel and see yourself on the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-way-you-look-on-the-outside-has-a-definite-bearing-on-how-you/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [All men can bear a familiar, definite misfortune better than the cruel alternations of a fate which, from one moment to another, brings excessive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/all-men-can-bear-a-familiar-definite-misfortune-better-than-the-cruel/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“Joey, it's high time, dear child. What will people say? If you don't want to be a doctor, at least be a womanizer, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witold-gombrowicz/joey-it-s-high-time-dear-child-what-will-people-say-if-you-don-t-want/) [Witold Gombrowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witold-gombrowicz/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The spirit of Christianity proclaims the brotherhood of the race and the meaning of that strong word has not been left to guesswork, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-spirit-of-christianity-proclaims-the-brotherhood-of-the-race-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [In order that the facts obtained by observation and experiment may be capable of being used in furtherance of our exact and solid knowledge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-whewell/in-order-that-the-facts-obtained-by-observation-and-experiment-may-be/) [William Whewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-whewell/) Browse all 577 Definite quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are the accidental result of an unplanned process ... the fragile result of an enormous concatenation of improbabilities, not the predictable product of any definite process.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unplanned-process-the-fragile/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Definite" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unplanned-process-the-fragile/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stephen-jay-gould-885_definite_we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unpla_528708.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are the accidental result of an unplanned process ... the fragile result of an enormous concatenation of…” — 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": "We are the accidental result of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unplanned-process-the-fragile/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-are-the-accidental-result-of-an-unplanned-process-the-fragile/#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 } } ] } ```