--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That big glorious mountain. For one…" description: "\"“That big glorious mountain. For one transitory moment, I think I may have actually seen it”. For one flash, the Mommy had seen the mountain without th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/chuck-palahniuk-37_adam-and-eve_that-big-glorious-mountain-for-one-trans_1252812.jpg" --- # That big glorious mountain. For one transitory moment, I… ![“That big glorious mountain. For one transitory moment, I think I may have actually seen it”. For one flash, the Mommy had seen the mountain without thinking of logging and ski resorts and avalanches, managed wildlife, plate tectonic geology, microclimates, rain shadow, or yin-yang locations. She’d…” quote by Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/chuck-palahniuk-37_adam-and-eve_that-big-glorious-mountain-for-one-trans_1252812.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/chuck-palahniuk-37_adam-and-eve_that-big-glorious-mountain-for-one-trans_1252812.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f59/chuck-palahniuk-37_adam-and-eve_that-big-glorious-mountain-for-one-trans_1252812.jpg) > ““That big glorious mountain. For one transitory moment, I think I may have actually seen it”. For one flash, the Mommy had seen the mountain without thinking of logging and ski resorts and avalanches, managed wildlife, plate tectonic geology, microclimates, rain shadow, or yin-yang locations. She’d seen the mountain without the framework of language. Without the cage of associations. She’d seen it without looking through the lens of everything she knew was true about mountains. What she’d seen in that flash wasn’t even a “mountain”. It wasn’t a natural resource. It had no name. “That’s the big goal”, she said. “To find a cure for knowledge”. For education. For living in our heads. Ever since the story of Adam and Eve in the bible, humanity had been a little too smart for its own good, the Mommy said. Ever since eating that apple. Her goal was to find, if not a cure, then at least a treatment that would give people back their innocence. “The cerebral cortex, the cerebellum”, she said, “that’s where your problem is”. If she could just get down to using only her brain stem, she’d be cured. This would be somewhere beyond happiness and sadness. You don’t see fish agonized by wild mood swings. Sponges never have a bad day.”” [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fleeting, pure perception of a mountain transcends language and utility, symbolizing a quest for innocence and untainted knowledge. **In simple terms:** Seeing beyond labels reveals deeper truth. Key Takeaway Seek clarity beyond familiar concepts. Themes perception knowledge innocence language philosophy Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - mindfulness practice - creative visualization - educational reform - psychological therapy Key Concepts cognitive freedom ontological inquiry spiritual yearning Questions to Reflect On - What does “cure for knowledge” mean to you? - How can we retain innocence while gaining wisdom? A Different Perspective Pure perception may be fleeting and hard to sustain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adam and eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam-and-eve/) [Bad day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-day/) [Happiness and sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-and-sadness/) [Mood swings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mood-swings/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Trichloroethane. All my extensive testing has shown this to be the best treatment for a dangerous excess of human knowledge... For one flash, mommy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/trichloroethane-all-my-extensive-testing-has-shown-this-to-be-the-2/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [My boyfriend's idea of a lesson was to take me on a black diamond run in the middle of a hail storm and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-black/my-boyfriend-s-idea-of-a-lesson-was-to-take-me-on-a-black-diamond-run/) [Claudia Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-black/) > [Not since Moses has anyone seen a mountain so greatly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/not-since-moses-has-anyone-seen-a-mountain-so-greatly/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [I have seen the top of the mountain. And it is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beavis-and-butthead/i-have-seen-the-top-of-the-mountain-and-it-is-good/) [Beavis And Butthead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beavis-and-butthead/) > [For the first time in longer than I can remember, I feel peaceful. Not happy. Not sad. Not anxious. Not horny. Just all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/for-the-first-time-in-longer-than-i-can-remember-i-feel-peaceful-not/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Adventure has to do with private, personal experiences. But, the possibilities, there are millions of unclimbed mountains - I have seen in the Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-messner/adventure-has-to-do-with-private-personal-experiences-but-the/) [Reinhold Messner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-messner/) > [A wise man from my home once told me that these mountains have seen far too much suffering and killing, and that each rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/a-wise-man-from-my-home-once-told-me-that-these-mountains-have-seen/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [You're almost 21 years old and you're really gonna sit there and break your plans because you're 'mommy said so...'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-almost-21-years-old-and-you-re-really-gonna-sit-there-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Oh Killian." Five immense cliffs rose up from the sea in marvelous grandeur. 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And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/his-saliva-tasted-like-the-wet-dicks-of-ten-thousand-lonely-truck/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“shoulder. They weigh that much. 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Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. 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Was I the source of your greatest bliss?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/wanderess-wanderess-when-did-you-feel-your-most-euphoric-kiss-was-i/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“The story of Adam and Eve has less to do with evil than the cosmic human sadness that relationships are never straightforward, never pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-steinke/the-story-of-adam-and-eve-has-less-to-do-with-evil-than-the-cosmic/) [Darcey Steinke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-steinke/) > [It doesn't embarrass me one bit to let you know that I believe Adam and Eve were real people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/it-doesn-t-embarrass-me-one-bit-to-let-you-know-that-i-believe-adam/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [“Arrogant worship is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Yet we see it throughout Scripture. The gospel was given to Adam and Eve. 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" The voice of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/ten-thousand-men-had-come-to-attend-solemn-service-heads-of-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) [Browse all 328 Adam and eve quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam-and-eve/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That big glorious mountain. For one transitory moment, I think I may have actually seen it”. For one flash, the Mommy had seen the mountain without thinking of logging and ski resorts and avalanches, managed wildlife, plate tectonic geology, microclimates, rain shadow, or yin-yang locations. She’d seen the mountain without the framework of language. Without the cage of associations. She’d seen it without looking through the lens of everything she knew was true about mountains. What she’d seen in that flash wasn’t even a “mountain”. It wasn’t a natural resource. It had no name. “That’s the big goal”, she said. “To find a cure for knowledge”. For education. For living in our heads. Ever since the story of Adam and Eve in the bible, humanity had been a little too smart for its own good, the Mommy said. Ever since eating that apple. Her goal was to find, if not a cure, then at least a treatment that would give people back their innocence. “The cerebral cortex, the cerebellum”, she said, “that’s where your problem is”. If she could just get down to using only her brain stem, she’d be cured. This would be somewhere beyond happiness and sadness. You don’t see fish agonized by wild mood swings. 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