--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens…" description: "\"“Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was still an insignificant animal minding its own business in a corner of Africa. In the following millennia ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/yuval-noah-harari-100_creation-and-destruc_seventy-thousand-years-ago-homo-sapiens_451061.jpg" --- # Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was still an… ![“Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was still an insignificant animal minding its own business in a corner of Africa. In the following millennia it transformed itself into the master of the entire planet and the terror of the ecosystem. Today it stands on the verge of becoming a god, poised…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/yuval-noah-harari-100_creation-and-destruc_seventy-thousand-years-ago-homo-sapiens_451061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/yuval-noah-harari-100_creation-and-destruc_seventy-thousand-years-ago-homo-sapiens_451061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/697/yuval-noah-harari-100_creation-and-destruc_seventy-thousand-years-ago-homo-sapiens_451061.jpg) > ““Seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens was still an insignificant animal minding its own business in a corner of Africa. In the following millennia it transformed itself into the master of the entire planet and the terror of the ecosystem. Today it stands on the verge of becoming a god, poised to acquire not only eternal youth, but also the divine abilities of creation and destruction.”” [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. Humanity has evolved from a marginal species to a dominant force, now on the cusp of god‑like powers over life and death. **In simple terms:** Humans went from tiny to powerful. Key Takeaway Consider ethical responsibilities of future tech. Themes evolution technology power ethics future Mood concerned thoughtful Type philosophical speculative When to use this quote - policy making - scientific research - public discourse - education - global governance Key Concepts transhumanism anthropology existential risk Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards are needed for god‑like technologies? - How should humanity define its purpose now? A Different Perspective Potential misuse of emerging powers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creation and destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation-and-destruction/) [Eternal youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-youth/) [Homo sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homo-sapiens/) [Sapiens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sapiens/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ## Related quotes > [“In the early twenty-first century the train of progress is again pulling out of the station – and this will probably be the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-early-twenty-first-century-the-train-of-progress-is-again/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“The Cognitive Revolution that turned Homo sapiens from an insignificant ape into the master of the world did not require any noticeable change in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-cognitive-revolution-that-turned-homo-sapiens-from-an/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Humans nowadays completely dominate the planet not because the individual human is far smarter and more nimble-fingered than the individual chimp or wolf, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/humans-nowadays-completely-dominate-the-planet-not-because-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Timeline of History Years Before the Present 13.5 billion Matter and energy appear. Beginning of physics. Atoms and molecules appear. Beginning of chemistry. 4.5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/timeline-of-history-years-before-the-present-13-5-billion-matter-and/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Tinkering with our genes won’t necessarily kill us. But we might fiddle with Homo sapiens to such an extent that we would no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/tinkering-with-our-genes-won-t-necessarily-kill-us-but-we-might/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Whether Sapiens are to blame or not, no sooner had they arrived at a new location than the native population became extinct. The last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/whether-sapiens-are-to-blame-or-not-no-sooner-had-they-arrived-at-a/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Homo sapiens is a social being, and our well-being depends to a large extent on the quality and depth of our social and family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-is-a-social-being-and-our-well-being-depends-to-a-large/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Homo sapiens, you and me, we are basically the same as people 10,000 years ago. The next revolution will change that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-you-and-me-we-are-basically-the-same-as-people-10-000/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“It does not take much to provide the objective biological needs of Homo sapiens. After those needs are met, more money can be spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/it-does-not-take-much-to-provide-the-objective-biological-needs-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Homo sapiens does its best to forget the fact, but it is an animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-does-its-best-to-forget-the-fact-but-it-is-an-animal/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Homo sapiens drove to extinction about half of the planet’s big beasts long before humans invented the wheel, writing or iron tools.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/homo-sapiens-drove-to-extinction-about-half-of-the-planet-s-big/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [When the first humans reached Australia about 45,000 years ago, they quickly drove to extinction 90% of its large animals. This was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/when-the-first-humans-reached-australia-about-45-000-years-ago-they/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“To understand the rise of Christianity or the French Revolution, it is not enough to comprehend the interaction of genes, hormones and organisms. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/to-understand-the-rise-of-christianity-or-the-french-revolution-it-is/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [We are probably one of the last generations of Homo sapiens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/we-are-probably-one-of-the-last-generations-of-homo-sapiens/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Humans nowadays completely dominate the planet not because the individual human is far smarter and more nimble-fingered than the individual chimp or wolf, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/humans-nowadays-completely-dominate-the-planet-not-because-the-2/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) ## More by Yuval Noah Harari > [“For similar reasons, archaic humans did not initiate any revolutions. 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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 Creation and destruction quotes > [“Philosophy is the theory of multiplicities, each of which is composed of actual and virtual elements. Purely actual objects do not exist. Every actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/philosophy-is-the-theory-of-multiplicities-each-of-which-is-composed/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [“...the relationships between the five elements. What are the five elements? They are wood, fire, earth, metal, water. 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White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-v-white/) > [“In the twenty-first century, those who ride the train of progress will acquire divine abilities of creation and destruction, while those left behind will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/in-the-twenty-first-century-those-who-ride-the-train-of-progress-will/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Modern physics had shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/modern-physics-had-shown-that-the-rhythm-of-creation-and-destruction/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [Modern physics has... revealed that every sub-atomic particle not only performs an energy dance, but also is an energy dance; a pulsating process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/modern-physics-has-revealed-that-every-sub-atomic-particle-not-only/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [“Creation and destruction are one, to the eyes who can see beauty. 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