---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For progress, we have eaten our souls up…"
description: "\"“For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing matters anymore.”\" — Claire North"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg"
---

#  For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing…

![“For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing matters anymore.” quote by Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg)

> ““For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing matters anymore.””

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Society’s relentless pursuit of advancement can erode humanity, leaving life empty and meaningless.

**In simple terms:** Progress can strip away humanity.

Key Takeaway

Guard your humanity against blind progress.

Themes

technology humanity meaninglessness

Mood

cynical reflective

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- social media use
- urban living
- environmental policy

Key Concepts

existentialism consumerism

Questions to Reflect On

- What values are you sacrificing for progress?
- How can we balance advancement with humanity?

A Different Perspective

Progress without purpose can lead to emptiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Eaten Souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eaten-souls-1328035/) [Matters Anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-anymore-1328037/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Progress Eaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress-eaten-1328034/) [Souls Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/souls-matters-1328036/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [Ive come to the point where nothing matters anymore, and things I used to care about arent worth fighting for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/ive-come-to-the-point-where-nothing-matters-anymore-and-things-i-used/)

[Hemantsmarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hemantsmarty/)

> [Nothing really matters anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangfroid-stalker/nothing-really-matters-anymore/)

[SangFroid Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangfroid-stalker/)

> [According to Jains the soul in pure form has infiniteness in terms of its knowledge and power. These faculties are obstructed for its exhibition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/according-to-jains-the-soul-in-pure-form-has-infiniteness-in-terms-of/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [Well of course there's been a great deal of progress over the last 40 years. We don't have laws that segregate black people within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/well-of-course-there-s-been-a-great-deal-of-progress-over-the-last-40/)

[Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/)

> [Don't compare your progress with that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance at our own pace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/don-t-compare-your-progress-with-that-of-others-we-all-need-our-own/)

[London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/)

> [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [To try and act like we haven't had great progress is not true. Obama didn't fail - he changed the psyche of the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/to-try-and-act-like-we-haven-t-had-great-progress-is-not-true-obama/)

[Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

[Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/)

> [People will pay a price for putting political obstruction over progress in a time that is so critical and urgent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/people-will-pay-a-price-for-putting-political-obstruction-over/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

> [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/)

[Lanie Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanie-lane/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

[Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

## More by Claire North

> [“She smiled and understood my meaning without it needing to be said. She leaned in close and murmured in my ear, ‘The world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/she-smiled-and-understood-my-meaning-without-it-needing-to-be-said/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“alone with the endless morning, and knew that the world was beautiful beyond naming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/alone-with-the-endless-morning-and-knew-that-the-world-was-beautiful/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“My loss of faith was not revelatory, nor intensely distressing. It was a prolonged growth of resignation, one which the events of my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/my-loss-of-faith-was-not-revelatory-nor-intensely-distressing-it-was/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“Everyone who dies was once a child; every child once had a dream of something else; every child must die. It is important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/everyone-who-dies-was-once-a-child-every-child-once-had-a-dream-of/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“No one’s really racist any more, just as no one’s really sexist. They’ve just got their view about things, you see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/no-one-s-really-racist-any-more-just-as-no-one-s-really-sexist-they/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“If you forget the joy of this day, then what joy you give to others will also be forgotten, and your life has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/if-you-forget-the-joy-of-this-day-then-what-joy-you-give-to-others/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“Until you have not been free, you cannot understand what freedom means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/until-you-have-not-been-free-you-cannot-understand-what-freedom-means/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“What I don’t understand is that when the British public voted to name a research vessel Boaty McBoatface, the government said no. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/what-i-don-t-understand-is-that-when-the-british-public-voted-to-name/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“She was crying, silently, holding my arm, crying. I let her cry a while, held her close, felt her snot and tears on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/she-was-crying-silently-holding-my-arm-crying-i-let-her-cry-a-while/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“Time was simple, is simple. We can divide it into simple parts, measure it, arrange dinner by it, drink whisky to its passage. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/time-was-simple-is-simple-we-can-divide-it-into-simple-parts-measure/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“As a boy, I grew up in a time of invention, of aspiration and wonderful dreams, and to be a scientist, a doctor, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/as-a-boy-i-grew-up-in-a-time-of-invention-of-aspiration-and-wonderful/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“No, it’s … sometimes it’s that, but sometimes … I’m sent for an idea. In Greenland I was sent for a man, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/no-it-s-sometimes-it-s-that-but-sometimes-i-m-sent-for-an-idea-in/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“Have you ever or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage, or in terrorist activities, or genocide? I think we can put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/have-you-ever-or-are-you-now-involved-in-espionage-or-sabotage-or-in/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“In the end, he turned the radio on, and fell asleep to the sounds of either country or Western—he could never work out which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/in-the-end-he-turned-the-radio-on-and-fell-asleep-to-the-sounds-of/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

> [“We all die. We don't have to live our lives fearing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/we-all-die-we-don-t-have-to-live-our-lives-fearing-it/)

[Claire North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

[Explore all 68 Claire North quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/)

## More Progress quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

[Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [But I already saw no great difference between the psyche and spirituality. To amass knowledge without becoming wise is not my idea of progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/but-i-already-saw-no-great-difference-between-the-psyche-and/)

[M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [If you learn something that changes you, you've made progress. If you learn something that changes others, you've helped change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanie-lane/if-you-learn-something-that-changes-you-you-ve-made-progress-if-you/)

[Lanie Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanie-lane/)

> [People will pay a price for putting political obstruction over progress in a time that is so critical and urgent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/people-will-pay-a-price-for-putting-political-obstruction-over/)

[Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/)

> [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/)

[Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/)

> [To try and act like we haven't had great progress is not true. Obama didn't fail - he changed the psyche of the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/to-try-and-act-like-we-haven-t-had-great-progress-is-not-true-obama/)

[Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/)

> [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [Don't compare your progress with that of others. We all need our own time to travel our own distance at our own pace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/don-t-compare-your-progress-with-that-of-others-we-all-need-our-own/)

[London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/)

> [Well of course there's been a great deal of progress over the last 40 years. We don't have laws that segregate black people within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-davis/well-of-course-there-s-been-a-great-deal-of-progress-over-the-last-40/)

[Angela Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-davis/)

> [Progress is the injustice each generation commits with regard to its predecessors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/progress-is-the-injustice-each-generation-commits-with-regard-to-its/)

[Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/)

> [If our homes should provide anything, they should provide a sense of who we are and how we got here, a sense of connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/if-our-homes-should-provide-anything-they-should-provide-a-sense-of/)

[Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/)

> [Progress should mean that we are always changing the world to fit the vision, instead we are always changing the vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/progress-should-mean-that-we-are-always-changing-the-world-to-fit-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 6,043 Progress quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing matters anymore.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Claire North"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up-and-nothing-matters-anymore/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Progress"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up-and-nothing-matters-anymore/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d9/claire-north-10078_spirituality_for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up_910298.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For progress, we have eaten our souls up, and nothing matters anymore.” — Claire North",
                "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": "Claire North",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-north/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For progress, we have eaten our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up-and-nothing-matters-anymore/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-north/for-progress-we-have-eaten-our-souls-up-and-nothing-matters-anymore/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
