--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the price of intelligence as we now…" description: "\"For the price of intelligence as we now know it is chronic anxiety, anxiety which appears to increase—oddly enough—to the very degree that human life i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg" --- # For the price of intelligence as we now know it is chronic… ![“For the price of intelligence as we now know it is chronic anxiety, anxiety which appears to increase—oddly enough—to the very degree that human life is subjected to intelligent organization.” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg) > “For the price of intelligence as we now know it is chronic anxiety, anxiety which appears to increase—oddly enough—to the very degree that human life is subjected to intelligent organization.” [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intelligence brings chronic anxiety, especially as societies become more organized and complex. **In simple terms:** Intelligence creates anxiety in organized life. Key Takeaway Cultivate balance to manage mental stress. Themes anxiety intelligence societal structure Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - modern work life - urban living - technological dependence Key Concepts psychology philosophy social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment affect your stress? - Can anxiety be a useful signal? A Different Perspective Anxiety can also drive innovation and problem‑solving. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) ## Related quotes > [“You can use your intelligence to fuel chronic anxiety and self-criticism, or you can use it to understand yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/you-can-use-your-intelligence-to-fuel-chronic-anxiety-and-self/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [“Chronic anxiety is a form of illness. It's not something you bring on yourself by how you feel on any given day. 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Shiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-shiller/) ## More by Alan Watts > [“The self-conscious feedback mechanism of the cortex allows us the hallucination that we are two souls in one body -a rational soul and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-self-conscious-feedback-mechanism-of-the-cortex-allows-us-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-more-we-try-to-catch-hold-of-the-present-moment-the-more-elusive/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. 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If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For the price of intelligence as we now know it is chronic anxiety, anxiety which appears to increase—oddly enough—to the very degree that human life is subjected to intelligent organization.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now-know-it-is-chronic-anxiety/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anxiety" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now-know-it-is-chronic-anxiety/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/668/alan-watts-587_anxiety_for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now_3103119.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For the price of intelligence as we now know it is chronic anxiety, anxiety which appears to increase—oddly…” — Alan Watts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For the price of intelligence as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now-know-it-is-chronic-anxiety/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/for-the-price-of-intelligence-as-we-now-know-it-is-chronic-anxiety/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```