---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a typical family possessed more artefacts…"
description: "\"“a typical family possessed more artefacts than an entire forager”\" — Yuval Noah Harari"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg"
---

#  a typical family possessed more artefacts than an entire…

![“a typical family possessed more artefacts than an entire forager” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg)

> ““a typical family possessed more artefacts than an entire forager””

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## About This Quote

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

Human societies accumulate material culture far beyond the needs of early foragers, reflecting symbolic thinking and social complexity.

**In simple terms:** We collect far more objects than ancient hunters did.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how symbolic meaning drives consumption.

Themes

culture materialism history symbolism

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

observational critical

When to use this quote

- museum curation
- archaeological research
- consumer behavior analysis
- urban planning
- education curricula

Key Concepts

anthropology cognitive evolution social organization

Questions to Reflect On

- How does symbolic meaning affect modern consumption?
- What responsibilities arise from abundant material culture?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize accumulation, ignoring environmental costs and inequality.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Entire Forager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-forager-4984756/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Possessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-possessed-4872394/) [Forager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forager-1691612/) [Possessed Artefacts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessed-artefacts-4984757/) [Typical Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/typical-family-2553386/)

## Related quotes

> [“It’s a puzzle why we binge on the sweetest and greasiest food we can find, until we consider the eating habits of our forager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/it-s-a-puzzle-why-we-binge-on-the-sweetest-and-greasiest-food-we-can/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Her efforts received encouragement. In fact, they were welcomed as the Tallises began to understand that the baby of the family possessed a strange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/her-efforts-received-encouragement-in-fact-they-were-welcomed-as-the/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [“This’s a citizens’ meeting,” Forager sneered. “Not a council meeting. Nobody’s gonna run it.” “I see,” Norton said, standing up. He was pleased to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-saul/this-s-a-citizens-meeting-forager-sneered-not-a-council-meeting/)

[John Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-saul/)

> [At the end of the day, 'My Deaf Family' is about a typical family that all of us can identify with but told from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/at-the-end-of-the-day-my-deaf-family-is-about-a-typical-family-that/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [Some may look on my work as being corny or old hat and wonder if my observations on the typical family are passe, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bil-keane/some-may-look-on-my-work-as-being-corny-or-old-hat-and-wonder-if-my/)

[Bil Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bil-keane/)

> [“A family without a black sheep is not a typical family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/a-family-without-a-black-sheep-is-not-a-typical-family/)

[Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/)

> [“Eine Familie, die keine schwarzen Schafe hat, ist keine charakteristische Familie." ("A family without a black sheep is not a typical family.") ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/eine-familie-die-keine-schwarzen-schafe-hat-ist-keine/)

[Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/)

> [I come from a typical family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-ibrahim/i-come-from-a-typical-family/)

[Mo Ibrahim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-ibrahim/)

> [The typical family of four with employer-based health insurance is not the same as the typical family of four. It's better-off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/the-typical-family-of-four-with-employer-based-health-insurance-is/)

[Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/)

> [We were not a typical family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-lamy/we-were-not-a-typical-family/)

[Michele Lamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-lamy/)

> [We are not a typical family that goes for a movie on Sunday or has dinner together every night. But we are strong as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alia-bhatt/we-are-not-a-typical-family-that-goes-for-a-movie-on-sunday-or-has/)

[Alia Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alia-bhatt/)

> [We've never been your typical family. We've moved a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacie-orrico/we-ve-never-been-your-typical-family-we-ve-moved-a-lot/)

[Stacie Orrico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacie-orrico/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [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/)

## More by Yuval Noah Harari

> [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. As far as we can tell, changes in social patterns, the invention of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-similar-reasons-archaic-humans-did-not-initiate-any-revolutions/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Today the main source of wealth is knowledge. And whereas you can conquer oil fields through war, you cannot acquire knowledge that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/today-the-main-source-of-wealth-is-knowledge-and-whereas-you-can/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“How do you cause people to believe in an imagined order such as Christianity, democracy or capitalism? First, you never admit that the order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/how-do-you-cause-people-to-believe-in-an-imagined-order-such-as/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [I think the basic thing that happened is we have lost our story. Humans think in stories, and we try to make sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/i-think-the-basic-thing-that-happened-is-we-have-lost-our-story/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas chimpanzees spend five hours a day chewing raw food, a single hour suffices for people eating cooked food. The advent of cooking enabled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-chimpanzees-spend-five-hours-a-day-chewing-raw-food-a-single/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“the Chinese air-purification market is booming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-chinese-air-purification-market-is-booming/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas liberalism merged with the milder versions of nationalism to protect the unique experiences of each human community, evolutionary humanists such as Hitler identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-liberalism-merged-with-the-milder-versions-of-nationalism-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Corporations, money and nations exist only in our imagination. We invented them to serve us; why do we find ourselves sacrificing our lives in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/corporations-money-and-nations-exist-only-in-our-imagination-we/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Small children in affluent societies often dislike showering, and it takes them years of education and parental discipline to adopt this supposedly attractive custom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/small-children-in-affluent-societies-often-dislike-showering-and-it/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Ever more scholars see cultures as a kind of mental infection or parasite, with humans as its unwitting host. Organic parasites, such as viruses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/ever-more-scholars-see-cultures-as-a-kind-of-mental-infection-or/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Whereas religion asks us to believe in something, money asks us to believe that other people believe in something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-religion-asks-us-to-believe-in-something-money-asks-us-to/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Terrorists are like a fly that tries to destroy a china shop. The fly is so weak that it cannot budge even a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/terrorists-are-like-a-fly-that-tries-to-destroy-a-china-shop-the-fly/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“Yet what happens if the greedy shoemaker increases his profits by paying employees less and increasing their work hours? The standard answer is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-what-happens-if-the-greedy-shoemaker-increases-his-profits-by/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“A natural order is a stable order. There is no chance that gravity will cease to function tomorrow, even if people stop believing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-natural-order-is-a-stable-order-there-is-no-chance-that-gravity/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

[Explore all 1,200 Yuval Noah Harari quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

## More Family 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/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

[Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/)

> [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/)

[Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/)

[Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/)

> [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/)

[Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“a typical family possessed more artefacts than an entire forager”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Yuval Noah Harari"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefacts-than-an-entire-forager/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Family"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefacts-than-an-entire-forager/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/115/yuval-noah-harari-100_family_a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefact_3036447.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“a typical family possessed more artefacts than an entire forager” — Yuval Noah Harari",
                "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": "Yuval Noah Harari",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“a typical family possessed more artefacts...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefacts-than-an-entire-forager/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-typical-family-possessed-more-artefacts-than-an-entire-forager/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
