This inscription was suggested to the building committee by archaeologist James Breasted. The phrase itself was intended to complement a completely different theme for the Great Hall. George Hale wanted to depict eight episodes in the evolution of our galaxy: a spiral nebula; the sun; the earth; a carboniferous forest; a prehistoric animal; a Paleolithic man; the Ice Age; and earliest human civilization. This scheme was never realized, and the building committee chose to represent the eight scientific disciplines instead.