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We try to exile ourselves more and more from nature - not always consciously: We build houses; we dismiss nature; nature has to be outside, because we're inside. God forbid something like a cockroach comes inside, or some dust.
Diane Ackerman
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote highlights humanity's tendency to distance ourselves from nature while seeking comfort indoors.

In this quote, Diane Ackerman reflects on how modern society has increasingly separated itself from the natural world. We create physical barriers, such as houses, that keep nature out, resulting in a disconnect from the environment that surrounds us. This estrangement is often unconscious, as we prioritize indoor comfort and cleanliness over the beauty and wildness of nature, which we fear might intrude upon our man-made spaces.

Themes

NatureDisconnectSocietyEnvironmentComfort

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about environmental awareness, one could use this quote to emphasize the need for reconnection with nature.

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There is a way of beholding nature which is a form of prayer, a way of minding something with such clarity and aliveness that the rest of the world recedes. It . . . gives the brain a small vacation.
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