# A Miserably Violent Species by Robert Sapolsky > “Now, as a species, we obviously have problems with violence. We use shower heads to deliver poison gas, letters with anthrax, airplanes as weapons, mass rape as a military strategy. We’re a miserably violent species.” > **— Robert Sapolsky**, *TED2017, “The Biology of Our Best and Worst Selves,” April 2017* ## Sources and Context - **Original or near-original source and full passage:** [TED2017, “The Biology of Our Best and Worst Selves,” April 2017](https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_sapolsky_the_biology_of_our_best_and_worst_selves) — Full talk recording and independent transcript at https://nntrn.github.io/read-tedx/transcripts/robert_sapolsky_the_biology_of_our_best_and_worst_selves.html; Sapolsky also emphasizes human compassion and behavioral change. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History|Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Now, as a species, we obviously have problems with violence. We use shower heads to deliver poison gas, letters with anthrax, airplanes as weapons, mass rape as a military strategy. We’re a miserably violent species.” — Robert Sapolsky, TED2017, “The Biology of Our Best and Worst Selves,” April 2017 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-robert-sapolsky-a-miserably-violent-species ```