191 quotes
One of history's few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations. Once people get used to a certain luxury, they take it for granted. Then they begin to count on it. Finally, they reach a point where they can't live without it.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
In the late nineteenth century... [~]40 million Chinese, a tenth of the... population, were opium addicts.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
The capitalist and consumerist ethics are... a merger of commandments. The... rich... 'Invest!' The... rest... 'Buy!'
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Today... there is an irresistible urge to study the exact sciences - defined... 'exact' by their... mathematical tools.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Columbus's fleet... of three small ships manned by 120 sailors... was like a trio of mosquitoes compared to Zheng He's drove of dragons.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
[T]here is no mechanism to correct the text of the Bible.
The Collapse of Truth (2025)
Scientists believe that we will soon have bionic arms that will... be able to transmit signals back to the brain... enabling... the sense of touch.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries.., [~]10 million African slaves were imported to America. ...[~]70 per cent... worked on the sugar plantations.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Many Americans... maintain... a moral imperative to bring the Third World countries... benefits of democracy and human rights, even if... by cruise missiles and F-16s.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Obesity is a double victory... [E]ating little... will lead to economic contraction... [E]at too much and... buy diet products - contributing to economic growth twice over.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
The Scientific Revolution... has been above all a revolution of ignorance. The great discovery... was... that humans do not know the answers to their most important questions.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
For decades aluminium was much more expensive than gold. ...Napoleon III... commissioned aluminium cutlery... for... distinguished guests. Less important visitors had to make do with the gold...
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
For thousands of years after the Agricultural Revolution... liturgy consisted mainly of... sacrificing lambs, wine and cakes to divine powers... [for] promised abundant harvest and fecund flocks.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
The agricultural revolution is one of the most controversial events in history. Some... proclaim... it set humankind on the road to prosperity and progress. Others... that it has led to perdition.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Most past cultures have... fallen prey to the armies of some ruthless empire, which... consigned them to oblivion. Empires... ultimately fall, but... tend to leave behind rich.., enduring legacies.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
In 1847, British train companies put their heads together and agreed that henceforth all train timetables would be calibrated to Greenwich Observatory time. rather than the local times of Liverpool. Manchester and Glasgow.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
It's common today to explain anything and everything as the result of climate change, but the truth is that earth's climate never rests. It is in constant flux. Every event in history occurred against the background of some climate change. In particular, our planet has experienced numerous cycles of cooling and warming.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
In the Middle Ages, sugar was a rare luxury in Europe. It was imported from the Middle East at prohibitive prices and used sparingly...
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (2011)
Then you have people who say, "It must be a totalitarian society. Only a totalitarian system like Bolshevism or... Nazism. The immense powers of industry can only be controlled by a totalitarian society."
Next Phase of Intelligence (2026)
Not visiting any temples and not believing in any god is also a viable option. As the last few centuries have proved, we don’t need to invoke God’s name in order to live a moral life. Secularism can provide us with all the values we need.