--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not passive exhibitors of visual…" description: "\"We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. We have selves. We have a Me that is automatically present in our minds right no..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/antonio-damasio-9144_auditory_we-are-not-passive-exhibitors-of-visual_882386.png" --- # We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or… ![“We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. We have selves. We have a Me that is automatically present in our minds right now.” quote by Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/antonio-damasio-9144_auditory_we-are-not-passive-exhibitors-of-visual_882386.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/antonio-damasio-9144_auditory_we-are-not-passive-exhibitors-of-visual_882386.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cc7/antonio-damasio-9144_auditory_we-are-not-passive-exhibitors-of-visual_882386.png) > “We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. We have selves. We have a Me that is automatically present in our minds right now.” [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We actively construct a sense of self, not merely receive sensory input; the mind constantly generates an inner narrative. **In simple terms:** The mind creates a personal “Me” beyond raw sensations. Key Takeaway Recognize your inner narrative as a tool, not a fixed truth. Themes self-awareness consciousness identity perception Mood reflective introspective analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - mindfulness practice - psychotherapy - creative writing - decision making Key Concepts Neuroscience philosophy of mind embodied cognition Questions to Reflect On - How does your inner narrative shape your choices? - Can you observe thoughts without identifying with them? A Different Perspective The “Me” can be biased by emotions and memories, limiting objective perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Auditory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditory/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Images Selves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/images-selves-1064866/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Passive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passive/) [Present Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-minds-1064867/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-now/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Selves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selves/) [Selves Automatically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selves-automatically-1064868/) [Tactile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactile/) [Tactile Images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tactile-images-1064869/) [Visuals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visuals/) ## Related quotes > [You can look at things all your life and not see them really. This ‘seeing’ is, in a way, a ‘not seeing,’ if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-can-look-at-things-all-your-life-and-not-see-them-really-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [You know, mind allows us to portray in different sensory modalities, visual, auditory, olfactory, you name it, what we are like and what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/you-know-mind-allows-us-to-portray-in-different-sensory-modalities/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Just as water, gas, and electricity are brought into our houses from far off to satisfy our needs in response to a minimal effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/just-as-water-gas-and-electricity-are-brought-into-our-houses-from/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [We in the "developed" world seem to have many auditory strategies that insulate us from the presence of silence, simplicity, and solitude. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-in-the-developed-world-seem-to-have-many-auditory-strategies-that/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [“Some sounds are so exquisite - far more exquisite than anything seen. Daff's purr there on my rug, for instance - and the snap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/some-sounds-are-so-exquisite-far-more-exquisite-than-anything-seen/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [What's always struck me is how different the sensory, especially auditory, experience is when you're in the middle of the music with the musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-milk/what-s-always-struck-me-is-how-different-the-sensory-especially/) [Chris Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-milk/) > [It seems that the brain always has to be active, and if the auditory parts of the brain are not getting sufficient input, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/it-seems-that-the-brain-always-has-to-be-active-and-if-the-auditory/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [The health of a nation, a society, can be determined by the art it demands. We have insisted of television and our movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-health-of-a-nation-a-society-can-be-determined-by-the-art-it/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Maybe in music you're making an auditory environment and maybe you change your environment around you to suit your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/maybe-in-music-you-re-making-an-auditory-environment-and-maybe-you/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [Making a movie is the same as an orchestra; it's moving all the different instruments and the sounds, the kinetic and the auditory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/making-a-movie-is-the-same-as-an-orchestra-it-s-moving-all-the/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [It was the old psychosomatic side-step. Everyone in my family dances it at every opportunity. You've given me a splitting headache! You've given me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-was-the-old-psychosomatic-side-step-everyone-in-my-family-dances/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [I'll never forget it. I was starting to hike up the red rocks, and honestly, it was as if I heard the rock say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-ll-never-forget-it-i-was-starting-to-hike-up-the-red-rocks-and/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [I am not surprised that the president of the United States called this a phony scandal. I'm not surprised Secretary Clinton asked, "What difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-am-not-surprised-that-the-president-of-the-united-states-called/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [There are people who seem to be on the verge of going either way, and something kicks in to support either the visual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chippendale/there-are-people-who-seem-to-be-on-the-verge-of-going-either-way-and/) [Brian Chippendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chippendale/) > [The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-telephone-is-virtual-reality-in-that-you-can-meet-with-someone-as/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) ## More by Antonio Damasio > [We are not thinking machines that feel; rather, we are feeling machines that think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/we-are-not-thinking-machines-that-feel-rather-we-are-feeling-machines/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Consciousness begins when brains acquire the power, the simple power I must add, of telling a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/consciousness-begins-when-brains-acquire-the-power-the-simple-power-i/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [I got interested in the emotions after studying patients who had lost the ability to emote and feel under certain circumstances. Many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/i-got-interested-in-the-emotions-after-studying-patients-who-had-lost/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [In 'Self Comes to Mind' I pay a lot of attention to simple creatures without brains or minds, because those 'cartooned abstractions of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/in-self-comes-to-mind-i-pay-a-lot-of-attention-to-simple-creatures/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Rather than being a luxury, emotions are a very intelligent way of driving an organism toward certain outcomes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/rather-than-being-a-luxury-emotions-are-a-very-intelligent-way-of/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [Of necessity, the autobiographical self is not just about one individual but about all the others that an individual interacts with. Of necessity, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/of-necessity-the-autobiographical-self-is-not-just-about-one/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [A self that is very robust, that has many, many levels of organization, from simple to complex, and that functions as a sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/a-self-that-is-very-robust-that-has-many-many-levels-of-organization/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [A mind is so closely shaped by the body and destined to serve it that only one mind could possibly arise in it. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/a-mind-is-so-closely-shaped-by-the-body-and-destined-to-serve-it-that/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [When you deal with something like compassion for physical pain, which we know is very, very old in evolution - we can find evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/when-you-deal-with-something-like-compassion-for-physical-pain-which/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [You can be highly concentrated on a person, on a problem, and be so good at excluding all other material that that becomes not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/you-can-be-highly-concentrated-on-a-person-on-a-problem-and-be-so/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [ We may express them \[emotions\] physically slightly differently, and it's of course graded depending on the circumstance, but the essence of the process is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/we-may-express-them-emotions-physically-slightly-differently-and-it-s/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [The autobiographical self is built on the basis of past memories and memories of the plans that we have made; it's the lived past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/the-autobiographical-self-is-built-on-the-basis-of-past-memories-and/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [It's very interesting to think about the distinction with mind, which I just made in very general terms, but it can be made more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/it-s-very-interesting-to-think-about-the-distinction-with-mind-which/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [ What happens \[in a coma\] is that you lose the grounding of the self, you no longer have access to any feeling of your… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/what-happens-in-a-coma-is-that-you-lose-the-grounding-of-the-self-you/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [All of that is constantly operating when you not only learn, but when you recall. But as you recall in a different light, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/all-of-that-is-constantly-operating-when-you-not-only-learn-but-when/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) [Explore all 74 Antonio Damasio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) ## More Auditory quotes > [The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-telephone-is-virtual-reality-in-that-you-can-meet-with-someone-as/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [There are people who seem to be on the verge of going either way, and something kicks in to support either the visual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chippendale/there-are-people-who-seem-to-be-on-the-verge-of-going-either-way-and/) [Brian Chippendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chippendale/) > [I am not surprised that the president of the United States called this a phony scandal. I'm not surprised Secretary Clinton asked, "What difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-am-not-surprised-that-the-president-of-the-united-states-called/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [You can look at things all your life and not see them really. This ‘seeing’ is, in a way, a ‘not seeing,’ if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/you-can-look-at-things-all-your-life-and-not-see-them-really-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I'll never forget it. I was starting to hike up the red rocks, and honestly, it was as if I heard the rock say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-ll-never-forget-it-i-was-starting-to-hike-up-the-red-rocks-and/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [It was the old psychosomatic side-step. Everyone in my family dances it at every opportunity. You've given me a splitting headache! You've given me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-was-the-old-psychosomatic-side-step-everyone-in-my-family-dances/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Making a movie is the same as an orchestra; it's moving all the different instruments and the sounds, the kinetic and the auditory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/making-a-movie-is-the-same-as-an-orchestra-it-s-moving-all-the/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [Maybe in music you're making an auditory environment and maybe you change your environment around you to suit your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/maybe-in-music-you-re-making-an-auditory-environment-and-maybe-you/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [The health of a nation, a society, can be determined by the art it demands. We have insisted of television and our movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-health-of-a-nation-a-society-can-be-determined-by-the-art-it/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [It seems that the brain always has to be active, and if the auditory parts of the brain are not getting sufficient input, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/it-seems-that-the-brain-always-has-to-be-active-and-if-the-auditory/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [What's always struck me is how different the sensory, especially auditory, experience is when you're in the middle of the music with the musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-milk/what-s-always-struck-me-is-how-different-the-sensory-especially/) [Chris Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-milk/) > [“Some sounds are so exquisite - far more exquisite than anything seen. Daff's purr there on my rug, for instance - and the snap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/some-sounds-are-so-exquisite-far-more-exquisite-than-anything-seen/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [We in the "developed" world seem to have many auditory strategies that insulate us from the presence of silence, simplicity, and solitude. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-in-the-developed-world-seem-to-have-many-auditory-strategies-that/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Just as water, gas, and electricity are brought into our houses from far off to satisfy our needs in response to a minimal effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/just-as-water-gas-and-electricity-are-brought-into-our-houses-from/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [The essential function of the (design) profession in our society is to enhance and cultivate communications toward: Easier understanding of ideas and complex problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-burtin/the-essential-function-of-the-design-profession-in-our-society-is-to/) [Will Burtin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-burtin/) [Browse all 32 Auditory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. 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