We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.

Summary

This quote emphasizes the extraordinary odds of being alive. The speaker asserts that death is inevitable and, thus, a fortunate aspect of life. They argue that the number of potential individuals who could have existed far surpasses those who are actually born. Within this vast array of non-existent beings, the potential for exceptional talent and greatness is abundant. Despite these staggering odds, the speaker finds significance in the fact that ordinary individuals, like themselves and the listener, have come into existence. This quote invites contemplation about the preciousness and uniqueness of each individual's existence amidst the unimaginable possibilities of non-existence.

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