No one may have the guts to say this, but if we could make better human beings by knowing how to add genes, why shouldn't we?
James D. WatsonRead
I have an odd theory on happiness, and it bothers people. My general theory is that happiness is a reward for an animal doing what it should be doing. So if a horse runs, it feels happy. Or if you are too thin, you can't be happy, because evolution wants you to be tense and anxious, trying to wake up in the morning looking for food.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is a natural reward for fulfilling one's purpose or needs.
James D. Watson's quote suggests that happiness is intrinsically linked to fulfilling biological and evolutionary roles. It implies that when creatures, including humans, are engaged in activities aligned with their natural instincts—like a horse running—they experience happiness. Conversely, he points out the tensions that arise when individuals stray too far from their natural state, indicating that true happiness comes from being grounded in one's own purpose and evolutionary needs.
Themes
HappinessEvolutionPurposeInstinctsAnimals
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational talk about pursuing one's true passions.
More from James D. Watson
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Science has always been my preoccupation and when you think a breakthrough is possible, it is terribly exciting.
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If you go into science, I think you better go in with a dream that maybe you, too, will get a Nobel Prize. It's not that I went in and I thought I was very bright and I was going to get one, but I'll confess, you know, I knew what it was.
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