--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people…" description: "\"“Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us and them. 'Us' was the group immediately around you, whoever you were, and 'them' was every..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg" --- # Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us… ![“Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us and them. 'Us' was the group immediately around you, whoever you were, and 'them' was everyone else. In fact, no social animal is ever guided by the interests of the entire species to which it belongs. No chimpanzee cares about the…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg) > ““Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us and them. 'Us' was the group immediately around you, whoever you were, and 'them' was everyone else. In fact, no social animal is ever guided by the interests of the entire species to which it belongs. No chimpanzee cares about the interests of the chimpanzee species, no snail will lift a tentacle for the global snail community, no lion alpha male makes a bid for becoming the king of all lions, and at the entrance of no beehive can one find the slogan: 'Worker bees of the world - unite!”” [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. Humans naturally categorize others into “us” and “them,” limiting cooperation to immediate groups rather than the whole species. **In simple terms:** People tend to favor their own group over strangers. Key Takeaway Recognize and expand your sense of belonging beyond immediate circles. Themes social identity in‑group bias cooperation evolutionary psychology Mood reflective analytical thought‑provoking Type philosophical scientific sociological When to use this quote - team projects - community organizing - global policy - conflict resolution Key Concepts group dynamics altruism species‑level thinking Questions to Reflect On - How can you broaden your sense of community? - What structures foster cooperation across groups? A Different Perspective Humans can overcome innate bias through conscious effort and shared narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alpha male](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alpha-male/) [Belongs Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belongs-chimpanzee-4894725/) [Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee/) [Chimpanzee Cares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chimpanzee-cares-4894727/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Interests Chimpanzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interests-chimpanzee-4894726/) [Social Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-animal-323657/) ## Related quotes > [“A second theory agrees that our unique language evolved as a means of sharing information about the world. But the most important information that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-second-theory-agrees-that-our-unique-language-evolved-as-a-means-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“A chimpanzee can’t win an argument with a Homo sapiens, but the ape can rip the man apart like a rag doll.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/a-chimpanzee-can-t-win-an-argument-with-a-homo-sapiens-but-the-ape/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Just as human politicians on election campaigns go around shaking hands and kissing babies, so aspirants to the top position in a chimpanzee group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/just-as-human-politicians-on-election-campaigns-go-around-shaking/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Even more importantly, there simply is no direct relation between physical strength and social power among humans. People in their sixties usually exercise power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/even-more-importantly-there-simply-is-no-direct-relation-between/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“the alpha male wins his position by building a stable coalition with other males and females, not through mindless violence. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-alpha-male-wins-his-position-by-building-a-stable-coalition-with/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The alpha male usually wins his position not because he is physically stronger, but because he leads a large and stable coalition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-alpha-male-usually-wins-his-position-not-because-he-is-physically/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The Catholic alpha male abstains from sexual intercourse and childcare even though there is no genetic or ecological reason for him to do so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-catholic-alpha-male-abstains-from-sexual-intercourse-and/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [A cat can be social, but a dog, we've bred this hyper social animal that's really truly different and will do stuff for us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/a-cat-can-be-social-but-a-dog-we-ve-bred-this-hyper-social-animal/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Everybody's strange everywhere. Most of the trick of being a social animal is pretending you're not. But who do you fool? Nobody worth talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/everybody-s-strange-everywhere-most-of-the-trick-of-being-a-social/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Man owes his strength in the struggle for existence to the fact that he is a social animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/man-owes-his-strength-in-the-struggle-for-existence-to-the-fact-that/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [MAN is a social animal, gregarious by nature, and finds his greatest sense of security and satisfaction in the company of others who share…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/man-is-a-social-animal-gregarious-by-nature-and-finds-his-greatest/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Man is a social animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/man-is-a-social-animal/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Basically, a human being is a social animal. So, if you create some short moment of happiness for people, you get deep satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/basically-a-human-being-is-a-social-animal-so-if-you-create-some/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“As a social animal, we have a deeply rooted desire to belong to a social group—a preferred tribe, if you will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/as-a-social-animal-we-have-a-deeply-rooted-desire-to-belong-to-a/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [“SOCIAL ANIMAL ALWAYS COME ACROSS SEVERAL COMPLICATIONS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bishop-of-nyssa-gregory/social-animal-always-come-across-several-complications/) [Bishop of Nyssa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bishop-of-nyssa-gregory/) ## 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 Alpha male quotes > [“Angel clicked on a few more pictures on the screen, and Alex made small talk about the place. Then he finally walked away. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-reyes/angel-clicked-on-a-few-more-pictures-on-the-screen-and-alex-made/) [Elizabeth Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-reyes/) > [One glance and I knew exactly who and what he was. The classic alpha male, the kind who had spurred evolution forward about five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/one-glance-and-i-knew-exactly-who-and-what-he-was-the-classic-alpha/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“The alpha male must not be a wife beta.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdal-hakim-murad/the-alpha-male-must-not-be-a-wife-beta/) [Abdal Hakim Murad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdal-hakim-murad/) > [“He is Jason and Hercules and Perseus---a figure so strong and beautiful and heroic that the blood of the gods must flow through him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenner/he-is-jason-and-hercules-and-perseus-a-figure-so-strong-and-beautiful/) [J. Kenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenner/) > [“I’m glad that you decided against the walk.” His voice had deepened and taken a rougher edge to it – almost a growl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-ann-ryan/i-m-glad-that-you-decided-against-the-walk-his-voice-had-deepened-and/) [Carrie Ann Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-ann-ryan/) > [“Just as human politicians on election campaigns go around shaking hands and kissing babies, so aspirants to the top position in a chimpanzee group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/just-as-human-politicians-on-election-campaigns-go-around-shaking/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“You’re gorgeous. You’re sexy. You’re … asking me to cut that dress off you? I’m praying for strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-harber/you-re-gorgeous-you-re-sexy-you-re-asking-me-to-cut-that-dress-off/) [Cristin Harber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-harber/) > [“A dangerous flicker of energy passes between us, and I see his pupils dilate as arousal floods his body. His mouth finds me aggressively,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-brandon/a-dangerous-flicker-of-energy-passes-between-us-and-i-see-his-pupils/) [Felicity Brandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-brandon/) > [In its purest sense, nicknaming is an elitist ritual practiced by those who cherish hierarchy. For preppies it's a smoke signal that allows Bunny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-king/in-its-purest-sense-nicknaming-is-an-elitist-ritual-practiced-by/) [Florence King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-king/) > [James is a domineering alpha male which is why I'm so attracted to him and why I sometimes hate him. And I'm a mouthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-madeley/james-is-a-domineering-alpha-male-which-is-why-i-m-so-attracted-to/) [Chloe Madeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-madeley/) > [...the most common cause of death among alpha males was ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/the-most-common-cause-of-death-among-alpha-males-was-ego/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“Rampant male predator’,” Simon said, shaking his head. “Blatant, Archer.” “Would you prefer ‘alpha male’?” Jeremy asked. “I do occasionally feel the urge to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-chandler/rampant-male-predator-simon-said-shaking-his-head-blatant-archer/) [M. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-chandler/) > [“I could feel his whole body trying to claim me, want me, own me in lust, and it made me feel so valuable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-thrust/i-could-feel-his-whole-body-trying-to-claim-me-want-me-own-me-in-lust/) [Fiona Thrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-thrust/) > [“And now I can’t breathe for wanting you. I woke up, and your eyes were on fire. You haven’t looked at me like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-harber/and-now-i-can-t-breathe-for-wanting-you-i-woke-up-and-your-eyes-were/) [Cristin Harber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-harber/) > [Every day at Team Alpha Male, I'm improving. The biggest thing with that camp is everyone is so positive and has the work ethic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sage-northcutt/every-day-at-team-alpha-male-i-m-improving-the-biggest-thing-with/) [Sage Northcutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sage-northcutt/) [Browse all 244 Alpha male quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alpha-male/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us and them. 'Us' was the group immediately around you, whoever you were, and 'them' was everyone else. In fact, no social animal is ever guided by the interests of the entire species to which it belongs. No chimpanzee cares about the interests of the chimpanzee species, no snail will lift a tentacle for the global snail community, no lion alpha male makes a bid for becoming the king of all lions, and at the entrance of no beehive can one find the slogan: 'Worker bees of the world - unite!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yuval Noah Harari" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people-as-divided-into-us-and-them/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alpha male" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people-as-divided-into-us-and-them/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c5/yuval-noah-harari-100_alpha-male_homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people_1398651.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Homo Sapiens evolved to think of people as divided into us and them. 'Us' was the group immediately around…” — 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": "“Homo Sapiens evolved to think of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people-as-divided-into-us-and-them/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-evolved-to-think-of-people-as-divided-into-us-and-them/#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 } } ] } ```