A Really Short History of Nearly Everything Quotes

“We have a universe. It is a place of most wondrous and gratifying possibility, and beautiful, too. And it was all done in about the time it takes to make a sandwich.”
― Bill Bryson, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

“For you to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you.”
― Bill Bryson, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

“Because they are so long-lived, atoms really get around. Every atom you possess has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming you. We are each so atomically numerous and so vigorously recycled at death that a significant number of our atoms—up to a billion for each of us, it has been suggested—probably once belonged to Shakespeare. A billion more each came from Buddha and Genghis Khan and Beethoven, and any other historical figure you care to name. (The personages have to be historical, apparently, as it takes the atoms some decades to become thoroughly redistributed; however much you may wish it, you are not yet one with Elvis Presley.) So we are all reincarnations—though short-lived ones. When we die our atoms will disassemble and move off to find new uses elsewhere—as part of a leaf or other human being or drop of dew. Atoms, however, go on practically forever.”
― Bill Bryson, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

“To be sure, Wegener made mistakes. He asserted that Greenland is drifting west at about 1.6 kilometres a year, a clear nonsense. (Its more like a centimetre.)”
― Bill Bryson, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

“In ways that we have barely begun to understand, trillions upon trillions of reflexive chemical reactions add up to a mobile, thinking, decision-making you—or, come to that, a rather less reflective but still incredibly organized dung beetle. Every living thing, never forget, is a wonder of atomic engineering.”
― Bill Bryson, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

“Selain memiliki umur yang sangat panjang, atom juga mengembara ke mana-mana. Setiap atom dalam tubuhmu hampir pasti pernah melewati beberapa buah bintang dan menjadi bagian dari jutaan organisme dalam perjalanannya menjadi dirimu. Kita masing-masing mengandung begitu banyak atom dan menjalani daur ulang lengkap ketika kita mati sehingga sebagian atom kita—yang mencapai satu miliar pada tiap orang—tidak mustahil pernah berada di tubuh Shakespeare. Satu miliar yang lain mungkin pernah di tubuh Buddha, Genghis Khan, Beethoven, atau tokoh sejarah lainnya. Ketika kita mati, atom-atom kita akan terurai dan pergi mencari pengguna-pengguna baru di tempat lain—sebagai bagian dari sehelai daun atau setitik embun, atau bahkan di tubuh seseorang. Atom-atom praktis hidup selama-lamanya. Sungguh tidak ada yang tahu berapa lama sebuah atom mampu bertahan hidup, tetapi tidak mustahil mencapai miliaran tahun.”
― Bill Bryson, A Really Short History of Nearly Everything