Yuval Noah Harari

In modern society, currency notes usually display religious images, revered ancestors and corporate totems.

Just 6 million years ago, a single female ape had two daughters. One became the ancestor of all chimpanzees, the other is our own grandmother.

Animism is not a specific religion. It is a generic name for thousands of very different religions, cults and beliefs. What makes all of them 'animist' is this common approach to the world and man's place in it.

When humans domesticated fire, they gained control of an obedient and potentially limitless force.

The Stone Age should be more accurately be called the Wood Age, because most of the tools used by the ancient hunter-gatherers were made of wood.

The journey of the first humans to Australia is one of the most important events in history, at least as important as Columbus' journey to America or Apollo 11 expedition to the moon.

It (Gossip) comes so naturally to us that it seems as if our language evolved for the very purpose.

It may well be that when Sapines encountered Neanderthals, the result was the first and most significant ethnic-cleansing campaign in history.

Some human species may have made occasional use of fire as early as 800,000 years ago. By about 300,000 years ago, Homo erctus, Neanderthals and the forefathers of Homo sapiens were using fire on a daily basis.

The dog was the first animal domesticated by Homo sapiens, and this occurred before the Agricultural Revolution.

Tolerance is not a Sapiens trademark. In modern times, a small difference in skin colour, dialect or religion has been enough to prompt one group of Sapiens to set about exterminating another group.

Sapiens did not forage only for food and materials. They foraged for knowledge as well.