The very general occurrence of the homosexual in ancient Greece, and its wide occurrence today in some cultures in which such activity is not taboo suggests that the capacity of an individual to respond erotically to any sort of stimulus, whether it is provided by another person of the same or opposite sex, is basic in the species.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the naturalness of diverse sexual orientations across cultures and history.
Alfred Kinsey's quote emphasizes that the capacity for erotic attraction can be directed towards individuals of either sex, which is a fundamental aspect of human nature. By referencing both ancient Greece and contemporary cultures, Kinsey suggests that sexual orientation is not merely a modern phenomenon or a taboo but an intrinsic part of human diversity that has always existed.
In practice
In a discussion about LGBTQ+ history during a panel.
If biologists so often forget the most universal of all biologic principles [variation], it is not surprising that men and women in general expect their fellows to think and behave according to the pattern that may fit the law-maker, or the imaginary ideals for which the legislation was fashioned, but which are ill-shaped for all real individuals who try to live under them.
The range of variation in the female far exceeds the range of variation in the male.
The only unnatural sex act is that which you cannot perform.
Few males achieve any real freedom in their sexual relations even with their wives. Few males realise how badly inhibited they are on these matters.
The heterosexuality or homosexuality of many individuals is not an all-or-none proposition.
If all persons with any trace of homosexual history, or those who were predominantly homosexual, were eliminated from the population today, there is no reason for believing that the incidence of the homosexual in the next generation would be materially reduced. The homosexual has been a significant part of human sexual activity since the dawn of history, primarily because it is an expression of capacities that are basic in the human animal.
In the confusion we stay with each other, happy to be together, speaking without uttering a single word.
Few things in life are more embarrassing than the necessity of having to inform an old friend that you have just got engaged to his fiancee.
His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we are both in the same boat tonight.
Our lives are shaped as much by those who leave us as they are by those who stay. Loss is our legacy. Insight is our gift. Memory is our guide
Squeeze marriage as much as you like, you will never extract anything from it but fun for bachelors and boredom for husbands.
There are subtle ways and overt ways of alienating a child from a parent, but either way it's evil
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