---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is an artifact designed for space…"
description: "\"Man is an artifact designed for space travel. He is not designed to remain in his present biologic state any more than a tadpole is designed to remain ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png"
---

#  Man is an artifact designed for space travel. He is not…

![“Man is an artifact designed for space travel. He is not designed to remain in his present biologic state any more than a tadpole is designed to remain a tadpole.” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png)

> “Man is an artifact designed for space travel. He is not designed to remain in his present biologic state any more than a tadpole is designed to remain a tadpole.”

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues humans are meant for evolution and space, not staying in a static biological state, urging transformation.

**In simple terms:** Humans are designed to evolve beyond current biology.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change and aim for higher potential.

Themes

science philosophy future human potential

Mood

thoughtful speculative

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- technological advancement
- personal growth
- future planning

Key Concepts

evolution space travel transcendence

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “designed for space” mean to you?
- How can we responsibly pursue human evolution?

A Different Perspective

Biological limits may be overstated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-travel/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/)

## Related quotes

> [“Mascara was dripping down her cheeks, splattering on her shirt. She backed away from him, eyes narrowing. Her shoes squished with the movement and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/mascara-was-dripping-down-her-cheeks-splattering-on-her-shirt-she/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [The tadpole poet will never grow into anything bigger than a frog; not though in that stage of development he should puff and blow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/the-tadpole-poet-will-never-grow-into-anything-bigger-than-a-frog-not/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [There's a part of every living thing that wants to become itself: the tadpole into the frog, the chrysalis into the butterfly, a damaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/there-s-a-part-of-every-living-thing-that-wants-to-become-itself-the/)

[Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/)

> [“When tadpole was born, I spent a sleepless night on the maternity ward gazing intently into her inky, newborn eyes, grappling to come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-sanderson/when-tadpole-was-born-i-spent-a-sleepless-night-on-the-maternity-ward/)

[Catherine Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-sanderson/)

> [The tadpole poet will never grow into anything bigger than a frog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/the-tadpole-poet-will-never-grow-into-anything-bigger-than-a-frog/)

[Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/)

> [You cannot eat every tadpole and frog in the pond, but you can eat the biggest and ugliest one, and that will be enough,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/you-cannot-eat-every-tadpole-and-frog-in-the-pond-but-you-can-eat-the/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [“Were it not for the presence of the unwashed and the half-educated, the formless, queer and incomplete, the unreasonable and absurd, the infinite shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-moore-colby/were-it-not-for-the-presence-of-the-unwashed-and-the-half-educated/)

[Frank Moore Colby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-moore-colby/)

> [When you were a tadpole and I was a fish In the Paleozoic time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langdon-smith/when-you-were-a-tadpole-and-i-was-a-fish-in-the-paleozoic-time/)

Langdon Smith

> [“It's in the morning, for most of us. It's that time, those few seconds when we're coming out of sleep but we're not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/it-s-in-the-morning-for-most-of-us-it-s-that-time-those-few-seconds/)

[Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/)

> [In a world full of monochromatic tadpoles, if you are fluorescent it does not matter what size of tadpole you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subroto-bagchi/in-a-world-full-of-monochromatic-tadpoles-if-you-are-fluorescent-it/)

Subroto Bagchi

> [I'm not a diva. I'm a tadpole trying to be a frog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-braxton/i-m-not-a-diva-i-m-a-tadpole-trying-to-be-a-frog/)

[Toni Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-braxton/)

> [“She glanced pointedly at the flopping tadpole. "What?" "Take it back." "You're kidding, right?" he said disbelievingly. "Do we have time?" He considered that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/she-glanced-pointedly-at-the-flopping-tadpole-what-take-it-back-you/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Humanity had implemented space travel three hundred years ago, taking their place in the galactic government a mere hundred years later. They’d soon become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-grey/humanity-had-implemented-space-travel-three-hundred-years-ago-taking/)

Jamie Grey

> [“Quite a feeling, isn't it? I though I'd lost it forever." "Space travel?" "Hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-perlman/quite-a-feeling-isn-t-it-i-though-i-d-lost-it-forever-space-travel/)

[Nicole Perlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-perlman/)

> [“Mars looks like Vegas without the casinos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-neill/mars-looks-like-vegas-without-the-casinos/)

[Sam Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-neill/)

## More by William S. Burroughs

> [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [You need a good bedside manner with doctors or you will get nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/you-need-a-good-bedside-manner-with-doctors-or-you-will-get-nowhere/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [There couldn't be a society of people who didn't dream. They'd be dead in two weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-couldn-t-be-a-society-of-people-who-didn-t-dream-they-d-be-dead/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [I prefer cats to people, for the most part. Most people aren't cute at all, and if they are cute they very rapidly outgrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/i-prefer-cats-to-people-for-the-most-part-most-people-aren-t-cute-at/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

[Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

## More Science quotes

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [“Galton’s gospel of eugenics found fertile soil in Britain, in the intellectual salons of Europe, and in the United States. Beginning in the early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-loconte/galton-s-gospel-of-eugenics-found-fertile-soil-in-britain-in-the/)

Joseph Loconte

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/)

Kenan Malik

> [“Love. Such a sweet, simple word. A word I've been searching for my entire life - but especially since I met Eio - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/love-such-a-sweet-simple-word-a-word-i-ve-been-searching-for-my/)

[Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/)

> [The thing about science fiction is that it's totally wide open. But it's wide open in a conditional way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-butler/the-thing-about-science-fiction-is-that-it-s-totally-wide-open-but-it/)

[Octavia Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-butler/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/)

[Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/)

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/)

[Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

[Browse all 27,477 Science quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Man is an artifact designed for space travel. He is not designed to remain in his present biologic state any more than a tadpole is designed to remain a tadpole.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William S. Burroughs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-travel-he-is-not-designed-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Science"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-travel-he-is-not-designed-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/654/william-s-burroughs-528_science_man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-tr_764343.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Man is an artifact designed for space travel. He is not designed to remain in his present biologic state any…” — William S. Burroughs",
                "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": "William S. Burroughs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Man is an artifact designed for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-travel-he-is-not-designed-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/man-is-an-artifact-designed-for-space-travel-he-is-not-designed-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
