“Breeds There a Man…?” (pp. 420-421)
“
Look around you. Look at the planet, Earth. What kind of a ridiculous animal are we to be lords of the world after the dinosaurs had failed? Sure, we’re intelligent, but what’s intelligence? We think it is important because we have it. If the Tyrannosaurus could have picked out the one quality that he thought would ensure species domination, it would be size and strength. And he would make a better case for it. He lasted longer than we are likely to.
— Isaac Asimov
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Look around you. Look at the planet, Earth. What kind of a ridiculous animal are we to be lords of the world after the dinosaurs had failed? Sure, we’re intelligent, but what’s intelligence? We think it is important because we have it. If the Tyrannosaurus could have picked out the one quality that he thought would ensure species domination, it would be size and strength. And he would make a better case for it. He lasted longer than we are likely to." in the context of "“Breeds There a Man…?” (pp. 420-421)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Isaac Asimov" (Quotes, Short fiction, The Complete Stories, Volume 1 (1990): Page numbers from the trade paperback edition, published by Broadway Books in 2001, , (11th printing)
See Isaac Asimov's Internet Science Fiction Database page for original publication details )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov (c. 2 January 1920 – 6 April 1992) was a Russian-born American biochemist who was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, his works include the Foundation series and I, Robot.
About Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov (c. 2 January 1920 – 6 April 1992) was a Russian-born American biochemist who was a prolific writer of both fiction and non-fiction, his works include the Foundation series and I, Robot.
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