“A man is the sum of his ancestors; to reform him you must begin with a dead ape and work downward through a million graves. He is like the lower end of a suspended chain; you can sway him slightly to the right or the left, but remove your hand and he falls into line with the other links.” MenEndsHandsFallLeftLinesMillionsGravesChainsReformRemoveLinksAncestorApesSuspended Book:Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated) Source: Delphi Complete Works of Ambrose Bierce (Illustrated)
“Has it ever occurred to you how lucky you are to be alive? More than 99 percent of all the creatures that have ever lived have died without progeny, but not a single one of your ancestors falls into that group! ... Not a single one of your ancestors, all the way back to the bacteria, succumbed to predation before reproducing, or lost out in the competition for a mate.” WayFallLostAliveGroupsAtheismLuckyCreaturesPercentDiedCompetitionPositive AtheismMatesAncestorBacteriaLucky YouProgenyReproducing Author:Daniel Dennett
“I dream of songs. I dream they fall down through the centuries, from my distant ancestors, and come to me. I dream of lullabies and sea shanties and keening cries and rhythms and stories and backbeats.” StoriesDreamSongFallMusicSeaCenturyCrySingingRhythmAncestorFalling DownLullaby Book:Composed: A Memoir Source: Composed: A Memoir