The Earth’s crust is strongly depleted in the biological elements CNPS as well as water relative to primitive meteorites. These elements did not condense within the Earth’s accretion zone; they were volatilized to space during planetary collisions, and/or they sunk into the Earth’s iron core. The Earth’s inventories arrived within minor outer solar system objects. We can extrapolate that life does well with meagre supplies of biological elements and that the distal regions of stellar systems do provide these elements. Life strongly modulates the subsequent rock, ocean, and atmosphere cycles of these elements. These contingencies limit what details can be exported to earthlike exoplanets. With regard to C-rich exoplanets, a graphite rind develops during accretion. A rind of frozen metallic silicon develops on Si-rich planets. Even in these cases, the outer stellar system supplies the locally rare elements CHONPS. Life evolves to prosper in the conditions it actually faces. For example, the rinds are strongly reducing. Life will probably evolve ways to gather, create, store, and utilize oxidants that are far from equilibrium with the general environment.