(FYI - I don't know if what I said was a direct quote or not). You have to consider so many "ifs". If the universe is 12-15 Billion years old, and if life on earth is 3-4 Billion years old, this means that there has been enough time for at least 3 or 4 other intelligent societies to have evolved, not withstanding the consideration of parallel evolution as well. So if life is enevitable on an Earthlike planet in an Earthlike solar system with an Earthlike star, then considering the size of the universe there has to be at least a few more, perhaps 3 or 4, Earthlike planets, where life should be either evolved or evolving. (none of this considers any other sort of "life-esistance," except that of organic based life - so it's very narrow in focus).
Now since there should be other intelligent life, and probably, statistically speaking, any intelligent life could be a few billion years a head of us, with technology a billion yars ahead of us, these societies could have easily come to our solar system by now. Furthermore, consider that humans, as we exist now as an intelligent beings, have the technology to easily make it across our own galaxy in a mere Billion years. If all of this is true, there should have been REAL contact by now by an other intelligent society.
Since there has not been any contact this leads to the reasonable conclusion that we are (1) either alone or (2) ahead of the rest of the universe.