--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In fighting nature, man can win every…" description: "\"In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. If he should win that too, he will perish, like an embryo cutting its own umbilical cord...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/thor-heyerdahl-18316_battle_in-fighting-nature-man-can-win-every-bat_1582557.jpg" --- # In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the… ![“In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. If he should win that too, he will perish, like an embryo cutting its own umbilical cord.” quote by Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/thor-heyerdahl-18316_battle_in-fighting-nature-man-can-win-every-bat_1582557.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/thor-heyerdahl-18316_battle_in-fighting-nature-man-can-win-every-bat_1582557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fc/thor-heyerdahl-18316_battle_in-fighting-nature-man-can-win-every-bat_1582557.jpg) > “In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. If he should win that too, he will perish, like an embryo cutting its own umbilical cord.” [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human ambition drives endless conflict, but ultimate victory leads to self‑destruction, akin to an embryo severing its lifeline. **In simple terms:** Winning everything can cause self‑destruction. Key Takeaway Pursue balance, not endless conquest. Themes ambition conflict self‑destruction existence Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - political leadership - military strategy - personal ambition Key Concepts Existentialism cycle of life hubris Questions to Reflect On - What does “the last battle” represent in your life? - How can you avoid self‑sabotage after achieving goals? A Different Perspective Success without purpose can be fatal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) [Battle Win](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle-win-673954/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Embryos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embryos/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fighting Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-nature-4485091/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Umbilical cord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/umbilical-cord/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Win Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win-battle/) [Win Perish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/win-perish-5102516/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) ## Related quotes > [We've got to win this battle, and we will. 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He had to win or perish!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/he-left-himself-no-possible-way-of-retreat-he-had-to-win-or-perish/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“Farming, I discovered, is a great and ongoing war. 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Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [A great warrior that goes 2 battle & win it & he or she can not win over the problem of his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-great-warrior-that-goes-2-battle-win-it-he-or-she-can-not-win-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A wise man thinks it more advantageous not to join the battle than to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-wise-man-thinks-it-more-advantageous-not-to-join-the-battle-than-to/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The battle to win - on the pitch and in the boardroom - begins and ends in one's head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sourav-ganguly/the-battle-to-win-on-the-pitch-and-in-the-boardroom-begins-and-ends/) [Sourav Ganguly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sourav-ganguly/) > [The battle for the airwaves cannot be limited to only those who have the bank accounts to pay for the battle and win it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/the-battle-for-the-airwaves-cannot-be-limited-to-only-those-who-have/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) ## More by Thor Heyerdahl > [One learns more from listening than speaking.And both the wind and the people who continue to live close to nature still have much to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/one-learns-more-from-listening-than-speaking-and-both-the-wind-and/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [We are not talking about esthetics. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/any-scientist-can-testify-that-a-dead-ocean-means-a-dead-planet-no/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [“It was a great moment on board when two large boobies were spotted above the horizon to westward”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/it-was-a-great-moment-on-board-when-two-large-boobies-were-spotted/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [Man invents the most inhuman armaments to assault others so like himself that uniforms are needed to distinguish between friend and foe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/man-invents-the-most-inhuman-armaments-to-assault-others-so-like/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [It is also rarer to find happiness in a man surrounded by the miracles of technology than among people living in the desert of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/it-is-also-rarer-to-find-happiness-in-a-man-surrounded-by-the/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [But if we begin thinking about the world being over 100 million years old, then it's absolutely by chance that you and I are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/but-if-we-begin-thinking-about-the-world-being-over-100-million-years/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [Surrounded by military airplanes and warships from the world's most civilized and developed nations, we have been denied permission by friendly governments, for reasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/surrounded-by-military-airplanes-and-warships-from-the-world-s-most/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [It is progress when a centuries-old oak is cut down to give space for a road sign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/it-is-progress-when-a-centuries-old-oak-is-cut-down-to-give-space-for/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) > [Borders I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thor-heyerdahl/borders-i-have-never-seen-one-but-i-have-heard-they-exist-in-the/) [Thor Heyerdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) [Explore all 34 Thor Heyerdahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thor-heyerdahl/) ## More Battle quotes > [In the battle for police reform, accountability and justice, Americans don't have to re-invent the wheel. We just have to revoke the thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-johnson/in-the-battle-for-police-reform-accountability-and-justice-americans/) [Jason Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-johnson/) > [This is, for an accomplished Latino, an accomplished African American, an accomplished anyone who disproves stereotypes, it's a constant battle in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-sotomayor/this-is-for-an-accomplished-latino-an-accomplished-african-american/) [Sonia Sotomayor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-sotomayor/) > [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/which-people-take-the-time-to-care-for-their-souls-these-days-i/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) > [Only great and general battles can produce great results](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/only-great-and-general-battles-can-produce-great-results/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Life is a battle of wits, and many people have to fight it unarmed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-battle-of-wits-and-many-people-have-to-fight-it-unarmed/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I knew Jimmy Dean. 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But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) [Browse all 4,526 Battle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battle/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. 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