--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Genes aren't everything,\" Amar says…" description: "\"“Genes aren't everything,\" Amar says. \"People, even genetically damaged people, make choices. That's what matters.”\" — Veronica Roth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/veronica-roth-66_evolution_genes-aren-t-everything-amar-says-people_2838358.png" --- # Genes aren't everything," Amar says. "People, even… ![“Genes aren't everything," Amar says. "People, even genetically damaged people, make choices. That's what matters.” quote by Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/veronica-roth-66_evolution_genes-aren-t-everything-amar-says-people_2838358.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/veronica-roth-66_evolution_genes-aren-t-everything-amar-says-people_2838358.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/veronica-roth-66_evolution_genes-aren-t-everything-amar-says-people_2838358.png) > ““Genes aren't everything," Amar says. "People, even genetically damaged people, make choices. That's what matters.”” [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choices, not genetics, define a person’s destiny. **In simple terms:** Choices matter more than genes. Key Takeaway Focus on decisions over inherited traits. Themes agency identity genetics Mood reflective philosophical Type literary motivational When to use this quote - career choices - health decisions - moral dilemmas Key Concepts determinism personal responsibility self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance nature and nurture? - What choices can you control now? A Different Perspective Genetic factors still influence options. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amar Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amar-says-3706773/) [Damaged People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damaged-people/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Genes Aren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genes-aren-720434/) [Genetically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetically/) [Genetically Damaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genetically-damaged-638395/) [People Genetically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-genetically-691269/) ## Related quotes > [People, even genetically damaged people, make choices. That’s what matters.’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/people-even-genetically-damaged-people-make-choices-that-s-what/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Control, maybe? Control the genetically damaged population by teaching them that there’s something wrong with them, and control the genetically pure population by teaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/control-maybe-control-the-genetically-damaged-population-by-teaching/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [There are people who are genetically made to start record labels, and I'm not one of those people. People just have it in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-armisen/there-are-people-who-are-genetically-made-to-start-record-labels-and/) [Fred Armisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-armisen/) > [Some people are genetically programmed to be difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-kent/some-people-are-genetically-programmed-to-be-difficult/) [Bruce Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-kent/) > [Tragically, some people are genetically more susceptible than others to agripoisons and industrial pollutants. Genetic engineering to correct these medical problems is a narrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fox/tragically-some-people-are-genetically-more-susceptible-than-others/) [Michael Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-fox/) > [“Genes aren't everything. People...make choices. That's what matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/genes-aren-t-everything-people-make-choices-that-s-what-matters/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Epigenetics reveals that your body isn’t a genetically predetermined flesh robot, but is regulated by a set of gene switches that can be turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/epigenetics-reveals-that-your-body-isn-t-a-genetically-predetermined/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“Genes aren’t designed to make us happy. They design us to make more copies of themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-quirk/genes-aren-t-designed-to-make-us-happy-they-design-us-to-make-more/) [Joe Quirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-quirk/) > [“Thus, for our purposes, genes aren’t about inevitability. Instead they’re about context-dependent tendencies, propensities, potentials, and vulnerabilities. All embedded in the fabric of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/thus-for-our-purposes-genes-aren-t-about-inevitability-instead-they/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [We literally hand over our most private data, our DNA, but we're not just consenting for ourselves, we are consenting for our children, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-fry/we-literally-hand-over-our-most-private-data-our-dna-but-we-re-not/) [Hannah Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-fry/) > [“My mother told me once that, a long time ago, there were people who wouldn’t buy genetically engineered produce because they viewed it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/my-mother-told-me-once-that-a-long-time-ago-there-were-people-who/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“This family business can be so stressful - difficult, damaged people showing up t spend time with other difficult, damanged people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/this-family-business-can-be-so-stressful-difficult-damaged-people/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [The lonliest people are the kindest. The saddest people smile the brightest. The most damaged people are the wisest. All because they do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lonliest-people-are-the-kindest-the-saddest-people-smile-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The loneiest people are the kindest The saddest people smile the brightest and the most damaged people are the wisest All because they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-loneiest-people-are-the-kindest-the-saddest-people-smile-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All writers, I think, are to one extent or another, damaged people. Writing is our way of repairing ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-writers-i-think-are-to-one-extent-or-another-damaged-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Veronica Roth > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“I was beginning to feel that I had finally found a place to stay, a place that was not so unstable or corrupt or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-was-beginning-to-feel-that-i-had-finally-found-a-place-to-stay-a/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“He acts so tough that he’s probably afraid of marshmallows and really bright sunrises or something. Overcompensating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-acts-so-tough-that-he-s-probably-afraid-of-marshmallows-and-really/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [And is it selfish of me to crave victory, or is it brave?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/and-is-it-selfish-of-me-to-crave-victory-or-is-it-brave/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [You always look like someone's sucked the life right out of you when something fascinates you. -Tris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/you-always-look-like-someone-s-sucked-the-life-right-out-of-you-when/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“We can be mended. We mend each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/we-can-be-mended-we-mend-each-other/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Don’t worry about me handling the pain," I say. "I’ve had a lot of practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/don-t-worry-about-me-handling-the-pain-i-say-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Soon I will honor my parents by dying as they died. and if all they believed about death was true, soon I will join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/soon-i-will-honor-my-parents-by-dying-as-they-died-and-if-all-they/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Mas lembre-se, já agora, que por vezes as pessoas que oprimimos tornam-se mais poderosas do que nós gostaríamos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/mas-lembre-se-j-agora-que-por-vezes-as-pessoas-que-oprimimos-tornam/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“am aware of how little space there is between us—six inches at most. That space feels charged with electricity. I feel like it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/am-aware-of-how-little-space-there-is-between-us-six-inches-at-most/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Oh, good,” I say, a sour taste in my mouth. “Heroism is what I was focused on. Not, you know, trying not to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/oh-good-i-say-a-sour-taste-in-my-mouth-heroism-is-what-i-was-focused/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Caleb frowns at him. "How old are you, anyway?" "Eighteen." "And you don't think you're too old to be with my little sister?" Tobias…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/caleb-frowns-at-him-how-old-are-you-anyway-eighteen-and-you-don-t/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [What do you think they're going to do to us when they find us guilty?" she says after a few minutes of silence have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/what-do-you-think-they-re-going-to-do-to-us-when-they-find-us-guilty/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“La paz está restringida, eso es libertad”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/la-paz-est-restringida-eso-es-libertad/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [In some parts of the ancient world, the hawk symbolized the sun. Back when I got this, I figured if I always had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/in-some-parts-of-the-ancient-world-the-hawk-symbolized-the-sun-back/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) [Explore all 1,589 Veronica Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) ## More Evolution quotes > [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/) [Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/) > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/) [Giulio Natta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giulio-natta/) > [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/) [Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/) > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/) [Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/) > [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/) [George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/) > [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/) > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The true nature of soul is right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. The soul, so long as it is subject to transmigration, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/the-true-nature-of-soul-is-right-knowledge-right-faith-and-right/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/) [Hideaki Sena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideaki-sena/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [I'm all about evolution. 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