The Greeks possessed a knowledge of human nature we seem hardly able to attain to without passing through the strengthening hibernation of a new barbarism.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
We cannot remember too often that when we observe nature, and especially the ordering of nature, it is always ourselves alone we are observing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Observing nature reflects our own inner selves and thoughts.
This quote highlights the idea that when we look at the natural world, we are not just observing external phenomena but are also reflecting on our own thoughts, feelings, and the essence of our humanity. It suggests a deep connection between ourselves and the environment, indicating that understanding nature can lead to self-discovery and insight into our own existence.
Themes
NatureSelf-ReflectionObservationHumanityEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about conservation to emphasize the connection between humans and nature.
More from Georg C. Lichtenberg
All quotes βMany things about our bodies would not seem to us so filthy and obscene if we did not have the idea of nobility in our heads.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
Astronomy is perhaps the science whose discoveries owe least to chance, in which human understanding appears in its whole magnitude, and through which man can best learn how small he is.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
The thoughts written on the walls of madhouses by their inmates might be worth publicizing.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
The noble simplicity in the works of nature only too often originates in the noble shortsightedness of him who observes it.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
Food probably has a very great influence on the condition of men. Wine exercises a more visible influence, food does it more slowly but perhaps just as surely. Who knows if a well-prepared soup was not responsible for the pneumatic pump or a poor one for a war?
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
Similar quotes
Scent is the soul of flowers, and sea flowers, as splendid as they may be, have no soul!
Jules VerneRead
It is a real wilderness, and those who go there should not feel too safe.
Ursula K. Le GuinRead
The grass as bristly and stout as chives and me wondering when the ground will break and me wondering how anything fragile survives
Anne SextonRead
Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Rachel CarsonRead
We are using resources as if we had two planets, not one. There can be no 'plan B' because there is no 'planet B.'
Ban Ki-MoonRead
"What's miraculous about a spider's web?" said Mrs. Arable. "I don't see why you say a web is a miracle--it's just a web."_x000D_ _x000D_ "Ever try to spin one?" asked Mr. Dorian.
E. B. WhiteRead