--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd rather have an ape for an ancestor…" description: "\"I'd rather have an ape for an ancestor than a bishop.\" — Thomas Huxley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/thomas-huxley-1183_ancestor_i-d-rather-have-an-ape-for-an-ancestor-t_2976196.png" --- # I'd rather have an ape for an ancestor than a bishop. ![“I'd rather have an ape for an ancestor than a bishop.” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/thomas-huxley-1183_ancestor_i-d-rather-have-an-ape-for-an-ancestor-t_2976196.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/thomas-huxley-1183_ancestor_i-d-rather-have-an-ape-for-an-ancestor-t_2976196.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/thomas-huxley-1183_ancestor_i-d-rather-have-an-ape-for-an-ancestor-t_2976196.png) > “I'd rather have an ape for an ancestor than a bishop.” [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He humorously prefers an ape ancestor over a bishop, critiquing religious authority with satire. **In simple terms:** He jokes that an ape ancestor is better than a bishop. Key Takeaway Use satire to question authority and tradition. Themes satire religion evolution Mood irreverent witty Type satirical philosophical When to use this quote - debate clubs - stand‑up comedy - political cartoons - academic lectures - blog essays Key Concepts critical thinking social commentary humor Questions to Reflect On - Why choose humor to critique belief systems? - What impact does satire have on public discourse? A Different Perspective May be offensive to some religious audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Ancestor Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor-bishop-4607075/) [Ape Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ape-ancestor-4607076/) [Apes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apes/) [Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishop/) [Bishops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) ## Related quotes > [A man has no reason to be ashamed of having an ape for his grandfather. If there were an ancestor whom I should feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/a-man-has-no-reason-to-be-ashamed-of-having-an-ape-for-his/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/) [Yuri Razuvaev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-razuvaev/) > [Well, I hope your hard self enjoys flogging the bishop tonight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/well-i-hope-your-hard-self-enjoys-flogging-the-bishop-tonight/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“The bishop in each district considers the opinion of the other preachers, and the bishop has the final say concerning all issues that arise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ora-jay-eash/the-bishop-in-each-district-considers-the-opinion-of-the-other/) [Ora-Jay Eash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ora-jay-eash/) > [That you, sister. May you be the mother of a bishop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-behan/that-you-sister-may-you-be-the-mother-of-a-bishop/) [Brendan Behan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-behan/) > [I wrote to my bishop, the Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, and explained that I wanted not just permission to stay longer, but a mission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-wrote-to-my-bishop-the-archbishop-of-utrecht-holland-and-explained/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The one-cylinder ward is one in which the bishop handles all the problems, makes all the decisions, follows through on all the assignments, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-russell-ballard/the-one-cylinder-ward-is-one-in-which-the-bishop-handles-all-the/) [M. Russell Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-russell-ballard/) > [In 'Hell Ride,' I play a biker - it's about the bikers. It's with Dennis Hopper and Michael Madsen, Larry Bishop and myself. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-jones/in-hell-ride-i-play-a-biker-it-s-about-the-bikers-it-s-with-dennis/) [Vinnie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-jones/) > [The Bishop goes on to the human eye, asking rhetorically, and with the implication that there is no answer, 'How could an organ so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-bishop-goes-on-to-the-human-eye-asking-rhetorically-and-with-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Bishop has a skin, God knows, Wrinkled like the foot of a goose, (All find safety in the tomb.) Nor can he hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/the-bishop-has-a-skin-god-knows-wrinkled-like-the-foot-of-a-goose-all/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [That men saw his mask, but the bishop saw his face. That men saw his life, but the bishop saw his conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/that-men-saw-his-mask-but-the-bishop-saw-his-face-that-men-saw-his/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can say is "I will see you in the vestry after service."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/how-can-a-bishop-marry-how-can-he-flirt-the-most-he-can-say-is-i-will/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/wherever-the-bishop-shall-appear-there-let-the-multitude-also-be-even/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [I should as soon think of contradicting a bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-should-as-soon-think-of-contradicting-a-bishop/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More by Thomas Huxley > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [There is nothing of permanent value (putting aside a few human affections) nothing that satisfies quiet reflection--except the sense of having worked according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/there-is-nothing-of-permanent-value-putting-aside-a-few-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Economy does not lie in sparing money, but in spending it wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/economy-does-not-lie-in-sparing-money-but-in-spending-it-wisely/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [It is not to be forgotten that what we call rational grounds for our beliefs are often extremely irrational attempts to justify our instincts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/it-is-not-to-be-forgotten-that-what-we-call-rational-grounds-for-our/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Only a scientific people can survive in a scientific future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/only-a-scientific-people-can-survive-in-a-scientific-future/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Our reverence for the nobility of manhood will not be lessened by the knowledge that man is in substance and in structure, one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/our-reverence-for-the-nobility-of-manhood-will-not-be-lessened-by-the/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [In science, as in art, and, as I believe, in every other sphere of human activity, there may be wisdom in a multitude of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/in-science-as-in-art-and-as-i-believe-in-every-other-sphere-of-human/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Science is simply common sense at its best, that is, rigidly accurate in observation, and merciless to fallacy in logic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/science-is-simply-common-sense-at-its-best-that-is-rigidly-accurate/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [Oh devil! truth is better than much profit. 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