--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scholars once proclaimed that the…" description: "\"“Scholars once proclaimed that the agricultural revolution was a great leap forward for humanity. They told a tale of progress fuelled by human brain p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/yuval-noah-harari-100_brain-power_scholars-once-proclaimed-that-the-agricu_749815.jpg" --- # Scholars once proclaimed that the agricultural revolution… ![“Scholars once proclaimed that the agricultural revolution was a great leap forward for humanity. They told a tale of progress fuelled by human brain power. Evolution gradually produced ever more intelligent people. Eventually, people were so smart that they were able to decipher nature’s secrets…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/yuval-noah-harari-100_brain-power_scholars-once-proclaimed-that-the-agricu_749815.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/yuval-noah-harari-100_brain-power_scholars-once-proclaimed-that-the-agricu_749815.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/721/yuval-noah-harari-100_brain-power_scholars-once-proclaimed-that-the-agricu_749815.jpg) > ““Scholars once proclaimed that the agricultural revolution was a great leap forward for humanity. They told a tale of progress fuelled by human brain power. Evolution gradually produced ever more intelligent people. Eventually, people were so smart that they were able to decipher nature’s secrets, enabling them to tame sheep and cultivate wheat. As”” [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 progress is framed as a series of intellectual leaps, yet each “revolution” brings new complexities and challenges. **In simple terms:** Human advances are double‑edged. Key Takeaway Recognize both benefits and costs of progress. Themes progress technology human evolution complexity Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - education - technology adoption Key Concepts cognitive development agricultural revolution Questions to Reflect On - What hidden costs accompany breakthroughs? - How can societies balance growth with sustainability? A Different Perspective Progress can exacerbate inequality and environmental strain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agricultural Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agricultural-revolution/) [Brain power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-power/) [Human brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-brain/) [Intelligent people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligent-people/) ## Related quotes > [“essence of the Agricultural Revolution: the ability to keep more people alive under worse conditions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/essence-of-the-agricultural-revolution-the-ability-to-keep-more/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“ There is a circle of humanity, he told me, and I can feel its warmth. But I am forever outside. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/there-is-a-circle-of-humanity-he-told-me-and-i-can-feel-its-warmth/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“Whereas the Agricultural Revolution gave rise to theist religions, the Scientific Revolution gave birth to humanist religions, in which humans replaced gods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whereas-the-agricultural-revolution-gave-rise-to-theist-religions-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“less in danger of starvation and disease. The Agricultural Revolution certainly enlarged the sum total of food at the disposal of humankind, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/less-in-danger-of-starvation-and-disease-the-agricultural-revolution/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Friedrich spoke thickly. "Don't you think, Mr. Kingscourt, that people would be better if they were better off? "No! If I believed that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/friedrich-spoke-thickly-don-t-you-think-mr-kingscourt-that-people/) [Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/) > [“In many cases, this doomed the refugees to starvation. Farmers, therefore, tended to stay put and fight to the bitter end. 12. Tribal warfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-many-cases-this-doomed-the-refugees-to-starvation-farmers/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The modern educational system provides numerous other examples of reality bowing down to written records. When measuring the width of my desk, the yardstick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-modern-educational-system-provides-numerous-other-examples-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [ This book \[the Bible\] speaks both the voice of God and the voice of humanity, for there is told in it the most convincing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/this-book-the-bible-speaks-both-the-voice-of-god-and-the-voice-of/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [“Yet why should individuals care about this evolutionary calculus? Why would any sane person lower his or her standard of living just to multiply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/yet-why-should-individuals-care-about-this-evolutionary-calculus-why/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Three important revolutions shaped the course of history: the Cognitive Revolution kick-started history about 70,000 years ago. The Agricultural Revolution sped it up about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/three-important-revolutions-shaped-the-course-of-history-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Indeed, techno-humanism may end up downgrading humans. The system may prefer downgraded humans not because they would possess any superhuman knacks, but because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/indeed-techno-humanism-may-end-up-downgrading-humans-the-system-may/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“alongside seas and rivers rich in seafood and waterfowl, humans set up permanent fishing villages – the first permanent settlements in history, long predating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/alongside-seas-and-rivers-rich-in-seafood-and-waterfowl-humans-set-up/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“This is the essence of the Agricultural Revolution: the ability to keep more people alive under worse conditions. Yet”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/this-is-the-essence-of-the-agricultural-revolution-the-ability-to/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“That tale is a fantasy. There is no evidence that people became more intelligent with time. Foragers knew the secrets of nature long before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/that-tale-is-a-fantasy-there-is-no-evidence-that-people-became-more/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I simply don't understand the refugee crisis. The history of humanity can be told through a story of migration and settlement. If I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bettany/i-simply-don-t-understand-the-refugee-crisis-the-history-of-humanity/) [Paul Bettany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bettany/) ## 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? 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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 Brain power quotes > [Do not borrow the productions of other men's brains and pens and recite them as a lesson; but make the most of the talents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/do-not-borrow-the-productions-of-other-men-s-brains-and-pens-and/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [“Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain. The effect of each toxicant may seem small,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-grandjean/fluoride-seems-to-fit-in-with-lead-mercury-and-other-poisons-that/) Philippe Grandjean > [My brain power depends on my retained mastery of analyzing in detail what's happening in my world and in my mind and body. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-merzenich/my-brain-power-depends-on-my-retained-mastery-of-analyzing-in-detail/) [Michael Merzenich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-merzenich/) > [“One difference is that individuals living in multilingual communities seem to settle on an optimal cognitive load. The hyperpolyglot possesses a similar patchwork of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-erard/one-difference-is-that-individuals-living-in-multilingual-communities/) [Michael Erard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-erard/) > [“Your mind is a wealth-carrier – a chest filled with hidden treasures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/your-mind-is-a-wealth-carrier-a-chest-filled-with-hidden-treasures/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [ Frank \[Zappa\] said he probably would have been a major criminal, given his brain power and his attention to detail, had he not been… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-zappa/frank-zappa-said-he-probably-would-have-been-a-major-criminal-given/) [Gail Zappa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-zappa/) > [You are well equipped with an incredible potential for absorbing knowledge. Let your imagination, the key to learning and memory, unleash that brain power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-o-brien/you-are-well-equipped-with-an-incredible-potential-for-absorbing/) Dominic O'Brien > [Our problem today is, the society in which we live in suffer from realising that we underestimate our own brain power and overestimate other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heleina-cowan/our-problem-today-is-the-society-in-which-we-live-in-suffer-from/) [Heleina Cowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heleina-cowan/) > [I'm out of legaue here. Too much brain power on display!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaylana/i-m-out-of-legaue-here-too-much-brain-power-on-display/) Kaylana > [The sheer quantity of brain power that hurled itself voluntarily and quixotically into the search for new baseball knowledge was either exhilarating or depressing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-sheer-quantity-of-brain-power-that-hurled-itself-voluntarily-and/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [Meaning and value depend on human mind space and the commitment of time and energy by very smart people to a creative enterprise. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/meaning-and-value-depend-on-human-mind-space-and-the-commitment-of/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [“When we are tired or preoccupied - what psychologists call 'resource-depleted' - we start to economise, to conserve those resources. 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Berkshireis full of people who have a peculiar passion for their own business. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/what-matters-most-passion-or-competence-that-was-born-in-berkshireis/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 66 Brain power quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain-power/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Scholars once proclaimed that the agricultural revolution was a great leap forward for humanity. They told a tale of progress fuelled by human brain power. Evolution gradually produced ever more intelligent people. Eventually, people were so smart that they were able to decipher nature’s secrets, enabling them to tame sheep and cultivate wheat. 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