--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We who revel in nature's diversity and…" description: "\"We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the greatest catastrophe since the Cretaceous exti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png" --- # We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by… ![“We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the greatest catastrophe since the Cretaceous extinction.” quote by Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png) > “We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the greatest catastrophe since the Cretaceous extinction.” [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. Observing nature's variety shows humanity as a disastrous force compared to ancient extinctions. **In simple terms:** Nature's diversity highlights human impact as catastrophic. Key Takeaway Recognize and reduce human ecological damage. Themes environment human impact extinction diversity Mood concerned reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - conservation policy - education - personal lifestyle choices Key Concepts evolutionary biology anthropocentrism Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance development with ecological stewardship? - What actions can individuals take to lessen their footprint? A Different Perspective Human progress can coexist with nature if we change behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Catastrophe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Extinction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinction/) [Homo sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homo-sapiens/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [The automobile is the greatest catastrophe in the entire history of City architecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/the-automobile-is-the-greatest-catastrophe-in-the-entire-history-of/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [The humanity and the humility, which are very different than the biological species homo sapiens. Humanity versus homo sapiens - very different things. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-humanity-and-the-humility-which-are-very-different-than-the/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ Look, look, Jeb \[Bush\] said we were safe with my brother. We were safe. Well, the World Trade Center just fell down! Now, am… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/look-look-jeb-bush-said-we-were-safe-with-my-brother-we-were-safe/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The extinction of Homo Sapiens would mean survival for millions, if not billions, of Earth-dwelling species. Phasing out the human race will solve every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/the-extinction-of-homo-sapiens-would-mean-survival-for-millions-if/) [Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/) > [We, Homo sapiens, destroyed the majority of the large mammalian species in North America and Australasia just over 10,000 years ago. We, Homo sapiens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-smith/we-homo-sapiens-destroyed-the-majority-of-the-large-mammalian-species/) [Michael Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-smith/) > [“Don’t believe tree-huggers who claim that our ancestors lived in harmony with nature. Long before the Industrial Revolution, Homo sapiens held the record among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/don-t-believe-tree-huggers-who-claim-that-our-ancestors-lived-in/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [When the first humans reached Australia about 45,000 years ago, they quickly drove to extinction 90% of its large animals. This was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/when-the-first-humans-reached-australia-about-45-000-years-ago-they/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [If I had my life to live over again I would not devote it to develop new industrial processes: I would try to add…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-baekeland/if-i-had-my-life-to-live-over-again-i-would-not-devote-it-to-develop/) [Leo Baekeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-baekeland/) > [If we make this readjustment to view Homo sapiens as an ultimate in oddball rarity, and life at bacterial grade as the common expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/if-we-make-this-readjustment-to-view-homo-sapiens-as-an-ultimate-in/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The origin of Homo sapiens, as a tiny twig on an improbable branch of a contingent limb on a fortunate tree, lies well below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-origin-of-homo-sapiens-as-a-tiny-twig-on-an-improbable-branch-of/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [ Homo sapiens \[are\] a tiny twig on an improbable branch of a contingent limb on a fortunate tree. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/homo-sapiens-are-a-tiny-twig-on-an-improbable-branch-of-a-contingent/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Evolving life must experience a vast range of possibilities, based on environmental histories so unpredictable that no realized route - the pathway to consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/evolving-life-must-experience-a-vast-range-of-possibilities-based-on/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [I contend that the continued racial classification of Homo sapiens represents an outmoded approach to the general problem of differentiation within a species. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-contend-that-the-continued-racial-classification-of-homo-sapiens/) [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/) > [The classical argument for why a supposedly decent and moral creature like Homo sapiens can mistreat and even extirpate other species rests upon an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/the-classical-argument-for-why-a-supposedly-decent-and-moral-creature/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) ## 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 Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“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/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the greatest catastrophe since the Cretaceous extinction.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen Jay Gould" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-feel-instructed-by-every/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-feel-instructed-by-every/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/stephen-jay-gould-885_animal_we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-f_1315971.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We who revel in nature's diversity and feel instructed by every animal tend to brand Homo sapiens as the…” — 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 who revel in nature's diversity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-feel-instructed-by-every/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/we-who-revel-in-nature-s-diversity-and-feel-instructed-by-every/#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 } } ] } ```