--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sexual reproduction is a lottery. (A…" description: "\"“Sexual reproduction is a lottery. (A famous – and probably apocryphal – anecdote tells of a meeting in 1923 between Nobel Prize laureate Anatole Franc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/yuval-noah-harari-100_children_sexual-reproduction-is-a-lottery-a-famou_1686670.jpg" --- # Sexual reproduction is a lottery. (A famous – and probably… ![“Sexual reproduction is a lottery. (A famous – and probably apocryphal – anecdote tells of a meeting in 1923 between Nobel Prize laureate Anatole France and the beautiful and talented dancer Isadora Duncan. Discussing the then popular eugenics movement, Duncan said, ‘Just imagine a child with my…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/yuval-noah-harari-100_children_sexual-reproduction-is-a-lottery-a-famou_1686670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/yuval-noah-harari-100_children_sexual-reproduction-is-a-lottery-a-famou_1686670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a4/yuval-noah-harari-100_children_sexual-reproduction-is-a-lottery-a-famou_1686670.jpg) > ““Sexual reproduction is a lottery. (A famous – and probably apocryphal – anecdote tells of a meeting in 1923 between Nobel Prize laureate Anatole France and the beautiful and talented dancer Isadora Duncan. Discussing the then popular eugenics movement, Duncan said, ‘Just imagine a child with my beauty and your brains!’ France responded, ‘Yes, but imagine a child with my beauty and your brains.’)”” [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. Sexual reproduction mixes genetic material randomly, making offspring traits unpredictable and often unrelated to parents' qualities. **In simple terms:** Reproduction is a random genetic lottery. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty in genetics. Themes biology genetics uncertainty human nature Mood thoughtful curious Type philosophical informative When to use this quote - family planning - genetic counseling - education about genetics - public health policy Key Concepts evolution randomness inheritance Questions to Reflect On - How does randomness affect our view of destiny? - Can we ethically influence genetic outcomes? A Different Perspective Randomness can be mitigated by technology but not eliminated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anatole-france/) [Breeding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breeding/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Eugenics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eugenics/) [Eugenics Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eugenics-movement-1012950/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isadora-duncan-222410/) [Nobel prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobel-prize/) [Popular Eugenics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/popular-eugenics-1012949/) [Reproduction Lottery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduction-lottery-1012947/) [Sexual Reproduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexual-reproduction-1012948/) ## Related quotes > [ It was these same families \[Rothschild, Rockefeller, Harriman, Bush, etc\] who funded the eugenics movement which is pledged to remove the lower genetic blood… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/it-was-these-same-families-rothschild-rockefeller-harriman-bush-etc/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) > [“the only ideological or political factions that have made any attempt at an ethics consistent with Darwinian science, to this point at least, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bentley-hart/the-only-ideological-or-political-factions-that-have-made-any-attempt/) [David Bentley Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bentley-hart/) > [“Some thirty miles east of the statue, with much less fanfare, another monument was nearing completion. At Cold Spring Harbor on Long Island, construction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-berard/some-thirty-miles-east-of-the-statue-with-much-less-fanfare-another/) [Adrienne Berard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-berard/) > [No practical biologist interested in sexual reproduction would be led to work out the detailed consequences experienced by organisms having three or more sexes;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-fisher/no-practical-biologist-interested-in-sexual-reproduction-would-be-led/) [Ronald Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-fisher/) > [“Unlike the clonal longevity of asexual organisms, sexually reproduced plants and animals usually have briefer, individual life cycles. In short, the enormous diversity afforded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-borden/unlike-the-clonal-longevity-of-asexual-organisms-sexually-reproduced/) [Richard J. Borden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-borden/) > [Sexual reproduction exists solely as a means to defeat parasites. By mixing male and female genes, sex produces offspring not exactly like either the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/sexual-reproduction-exists-solely-as-a-means-to-defeat-parasites-by/) [Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/) > [From the sexual, or amatorial, generation of plants new varieties, or improvements, are frequently obtained; as many of the young plants from seeds are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erasmus-darwin/from-the-sexual-or-amatorial-generation-of-plants-new-varieties-or/) [Erasmus Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erasmus-darwin/) > [The early giants of modern dance - Isadora Duncan, Ruth St. Denis - barely left traces of their art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/the-early-giants-of-modern-dance-isadora-duncan-ruth-st-denis-barely/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [A little Isadora Duncan and a little Butoh this was choreography and performing that was simultaneously both lush and spare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-dunning/a-little-isadora-duncan-and-a-little-butoh-this-was-choreography-and/) [Jennifer Dunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-dunning/) > [While other girls swooned over The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, I worshipped Rudolf Nureyev and Isadora Duncan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-imrie/while-other-girls-swooned-over-the-beatles-and-the-rolling-stones-i/) [Celia Imrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-imrie/) > [I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-shelton/i-believe-in-the-church-of-baseball-i-ve-tried-all-the-major/) [Ron Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-shelton/) > [The cubism of Braque or Picasso, the dissonant compositions of Schoenberg or Stravinsky, the free-flowing and often erotic choreography of Isadora Duncan and Nijinsky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-macmillan/the-cubism-of-braque-or-picasso-the-dissonant-compositions-of/) [Margaret MacMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-macmillan/) > [Well, there are always those who cannot distinguish between glitter and glamour . . . the glamour of Isadora Duncan came from her great,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/well-there-are-always-those-who-cannot-distinguish-between-glitter/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [“Adieu, mes amis. Je vais à la gloire. Farewell my friends. I go to glory. Isadora Duncan's last words before her scarf caught in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/adieu-mes-amis-je-vais-la-gloire-farewell-my-friends-i-go-to-glory/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [“Isadora Duncan Dancing Like sculpture at first. Then, as if the sun rose in her, long gesture. A small smile; then very much so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinga-fabo/isadora-duncan-dancing-like-sculpture-at-first-then-as-if-the-sun/) [Kinga Fabo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinga-fabo/) ## 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 Breeding quotes > [“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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-loconte/) > [Eugenic goals are most likely to be attained under another name than eugenics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-osborn/eugenic-goals-are-most-likely-to-be-attained-under-another-name-than/) [Frederick Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-osborn/) > [There are few defects in our nature so glaring as not to be veiled from observation by politeness and good-breeding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/there-are-few-defects-in-our-nature-so-glaring-as-not-to-be-veiled/) [Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Exchange of breeding individuals between two populations tends to homogenize their gene pools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-r-grant/exchange-of-breeding-individuals-between-two-populations-tends-to/) [Peter R. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-r-grant/) > [Good-breeding is not confined to externals, much less to any particular dress or attitude of the body; it is the art of pleasing, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/good-breeding-is-not-confined-to-externals-much-less-to-any/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [The right to live does not connote the right of each man to reproduce his kind ... As we lessen the stringency of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pearson/the-right-to-live-does-not-connote-the-right-of-each-man-to-reproduce/) [Karl Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pearson/) > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. 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