--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fish does not know it is wet. America…" description: "\"“The fish does not know it is wet. America is immersed in violence. The violence is in our souls. The enemy is within.”\" — Bryant McGill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/bryant-mcgill-108_america_the-fish-does-not-know-it-is-wet-america_871998.jpg" --- # The fish does not know it is wet. America is immersed in… ![“The fish does not know it is wet. America is immersed in violence. The violence is in our souls. The enemy is within.” quote by Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/bryant-mcgill-108_america_the-fish-does-not-know-it-is-wet-america_871998.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/bryant-mcgill-108_america_the-fish-does-not-know-it-is-wet-america_871998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/bryant-mcgill-108_america_the-fish-does-not-know-it-is-wet-america_871998.jpg) > ““The fish does not know it is wet. America is immersed in violence. The violence is in our souls. The enemy is within.”” [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unawareness of one's own violent tendencies mirrors the fish not knowing it's wet; internal conflict fuels external aggression. **In simple terms:** We often ignore our own inner violence. Key Takeaway Reflect on personal inner conflicts. Themes violence selfawareness psychology Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal therapy - conflict resolution - community dialogue - education programs Key Concepts cognitive dissonance inner conflict Questions to Reflect On - What internal biases do you overlook? - How can we become aware of hidden aggression? A Different Perspective Self-awareness is difficult to achieve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fish/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Wetness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wetness/) ## Related quotes > [By using violence to subjugate one another we are using violence against our own souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/by-using-violence-to-subjugate-one-another-we-are-using-violence/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“The laws of life are written into every atom, molecule and heartbeat. We are immersed in the sweet law of unfolding mystery called life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-laws-of-life-are-written-into-every-atom-molecule-and-heartbeat/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“We are what we think about and meditate on. Look around people! America is a buffet of violence; a total immersion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-are-what-we-think-about-and-meditate-on-look-around-people-america/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty. -Derek Zoolander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoolander/moisture-is-the-essence-of-wetness-and-wetness-is-the-essence-of-2/) [Zoolander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoolander/) > [Now and then sprays of rain flew over and misted our faces. Every time I refused to wipe away the wetness. It made the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/now-and-then-sprays-of-rain-flew-over-and-misted-our-faces-every-time/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Sometimes..." I stared at him, blinking back wetness. "Sometimes you say the most amazing things." "And I do love the sight of my hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/sometimes-i-stared-at-him-blinking-back-wetness-sometimes-you-say-the/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [By the age of six the average child will have completed the basic American education… From television, the child will have learned how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-the-age-of-six-the-average-child-will-have-completed-the-basic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whiteness is the color of death, you know, not black. Wetness is life, the breeder and shaper of life. In the beginning the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carroll/whiteness-is-the-color-of-death-you-know-not-black-wetness-is-life/) [Jim Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carroll/) > [This is the most precious gift anyone has ever received. You gave me back a memory that I will cherish forever. You gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/this-is-the-most-precious-gift-anyone-has-ever-received-you-gave-me/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [“O Heavenly Children, do not forget that God is here, there and everywhere. The birds are his eyes and the air is his ears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/o-heavenly-children-do-not-forget-that-god-is-here-there-and/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [The bogholes might be Atlantic seepage. The wet centre is bottomless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/the-bogholes-might-be-atlantic-seepage-the-wet-centre-is-bottomless/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) > [“The feel of the sticky wetness down there when she moved made her grimace. God, she wanted to get cleaned up. In a hurry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-feel-of-the-sticky-wetness-down-there-when-she-moved-made-her/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Pip's mother's lane was spongy with redwood needles dislodged and sodden with the rain, the sound of which surrounded her polyrhythmically, a steady background…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/pip-s-mother-s-lane-was-spongy-with-redwood-needles-dislodged-and/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [From "Wetness and Water" How does a part of the world leave the world? How can wetness leave water? Do not try to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/from-wetness-and-water-how-does-a-part-of-the-world-leave-the-world/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/moisture-is-the-essence-of-wetness-and-wetness-is-the-essence-of/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) ## More by Bryant McGill > [“Witnessing a selfless act brings tears to remind us how we should be treating others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/witnessing-a-selfless-act-brings-tears-to-remind-us-how-we-should-be/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The teacher can only provide the lessons, but the student ultimately decides what to learn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-teacher-can-only-provide-the-lessons-but-the-student-ultimately/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“You have permission to walk away from anything that doesn't feel right. Trust your instincts and listen to your inner-voice — it's trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-have-permission-to-walk-away-from-anything-that-doesn-t-feel/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“You cannot change another person's mind or educate them; this they must do themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-cannot-change-another-person-s-mind-or-educate-them-this-they/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The public good must come before private interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-public-good-must-come-before-private-interests/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Countries, states, cities, corporations and laws are all words on paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/countries-states-cities-corporations-and-laws-are-all-words-on-paper/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“We must remember that nature is the supreme cradle of life, and must be protected and treated with the highest respect and care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/we-must-remember-that-nature-is-the-supreme-cradle-of-life-and-must/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The world is not fair, and often fools, cowards, liars and the selfish hide in high places. (p 57)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-world-is-not-fair-and-often-fools-cowards-liars-and-the-selfish/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Even discomfort or pain delivers awareness of life, and an opportunity for gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/even-discomfort-or-pain-delivers-awareness-of-life-and-an-opportunity/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“The secret to unseating great power, is not to move the other direction, but to compete directly against their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-secret-to-unseating-great-power-is-not-to-move-the-other/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“In the moments of your deepest need, despair and desperation, what you need more than any other thing, is calm and faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/in-the-moments-of-your-deepest-need-despair-and-desperation-what-you/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“It is essential that you follow your own idea of passion, even if to others it looks like suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/it-is-essential-that-you-follow-your-own-idea-of-passion-even-if-to/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Joy is a practice, not an involuntary state.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/joy-is-a-practice-not-an-involuntary-state/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) [Explore all 1,286 Bryant McGill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. 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