Do you see the slightest evidence anywhere in the universe that creation came to an end with the birth of man? Do you see the slightest evidence anywhere out there that man was the climax toward which creation had been straining from the beginning? ...Very far from it. The universe went on as before, the planet went on as before. Man's appearance caused no more stir than the appearance of jellyfish.
Daniel QuinnAnimism is not a belief system, but a worldview: The world is a sacred place and we are part of it. The factuality of this statement is not the issue. To say that the world is a sacred place is to make a statement about values, not facts. Itโs a statement about what you mean by โsacred,โ just as โMoney canโt buy happinessโ is a statement about what you mean by โhappiness.โ To put it all very simply, animism isnโt a belief system, itโs a value system.
Daniel QuinnOur lifestyle is evolutionarily unstable--and is therefore in the process of eliminating itself in the perfectly ordinary way.
Daniel QuinnThis law โฆ defines the limits of competition in the community of life. You may compete to the full extent of your capabilities, but you may not hunt down your competitors or destroy their food or deny them access to food. In other words, you may compete but you may not wage war.
Daniel QuinnThe world of the Takers is one vast prison, and except for a handful of Leavers scattered across the world, the entire human race is now inside that prison.
Daniel QuinnWe're straying from the path of salvation because we remember that we once belonged to the world and were content in that belonging.
Daniel Quinn[I]n Africa I was a member of a familyโof a sort of family that the people of your culture haven't known for thousands of years. If gorillas were capable of such an expression, they would tell you that their family is like a hand, of which they are the fingers. They are fully aware of being a family but are very little aware of being individuals. Here in the zoo there were other gorillasโbut there was no family. Five severed fingers do not make a hand.
Daniel Quinn