--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: True, hundreds of millions may…" description: "\"“True, hundreds of millions may nevertheless go on believing in Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. But numbers alone don’t count for much in history. His..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/yuval-noah-harari-100_christianity_true-hundreds-of-millions-may-neverthele_1449011.jpg" --- # True, hundreds of millions may nevertheless go on… ![“True, hundreds of millions may nevertheless go on believing in Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. But numbers alone don’t count for much in history. History is often shaped by small groups of forward-looking innovators rather than by the backward-looking masses. Ten thousand years ago most people…” quote by Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/yuval-noah-harari-100_christianity_true-hundreds-of-millions-may-neverthele_1449011.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/yuval-noah-harari-100_christianity_true-hundreds-of-millions-may-neverthele_1449011.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/546/yuval-noah-harari-100_christianity_true-hundreds-of-millions-may-neverthele_1449011.jpg) > ““True, hundreds of millions may nevertheless go on believing in Islam, Christianity or Hinduism. But numbers alone don’t count for much in history. History is often shaped by small groups of forward-looking innovators rather than by the backward-looking masses. Ten thousand years ago most people were hunter-gatherers and only a few pioneers in the Middle East were farmers. Yet the future belonged to the farmers. In 1850 more than 90 per cent of humans were peasants, and in the small villages along the Ganges, the Nile and the Yangtze nobody knew anything about steam engines, railroads or telegraph lines. Yet the fate of those peasants had already been sealed in Manchester and Birmingham by the handful of engineers, politicians and financiers who spearheaded the Industrial Revolution. Steam engines, railroads and telegraphs transformed the production of food, textiles, vehicles and weapons, giving industrial powers a decisive edge over traditional agricultural societies.”” [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. History is driven more by visionary minorities than by the majority, as small innovators shape transformative change. **In simple terms:** Small groups of innovators shape history more than masses. Key Takeaway Support and learn from forward‑thinking pioneers. Themes innovation history progress Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - education reform - startup ecosystems - policy making - community leadership Key Concepts Social change technological diffusion Questions to Reflect On - Who are today’s innovators? - How can societies nurture forward‑looking groups? A Different Perspective Mass movements can resist change, slowing adoption of new ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Hinduism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hinduism/) [Industrial revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industrial-revolution/) [Middle east](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-east/) [Peasants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peasants/) [Small groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-groups/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ## Related quotes > [“The stress of farming had far-reaching consequences. It was the foundation of large-scale political and social systems. Sadly, the diligent peasants almost never achieved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-stress-of-farming-had-far-reaching-consequences-it-was-the/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Until the late modern era, more than 90 per cent of humans were peasants who rose each morning to till the land by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/until-the-late-modern-era-more-than-90-per-cent-of-humans-were/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Until the late modern era, more than 90 percent of humans were peasants”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/until-the-late-modern-era-more-than-90-percent-of-humans-were-peasants/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. 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It has demonstrated again and again that there is no limit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/at-heart-the-industrial-revolution-has-been-a-revolution-in-energy/) [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. 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. 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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 Christianity quotes > [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [“God hates Hell. 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