--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Real consciousness is touch. Thought is…" description: "\"“Real consciousness is touch. Thought is getting out of touch. The crux of the whole problem lies here, in the duality of man's consciousness. Touch, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_modern-man_real-consciousness-is-touch-thought-is-g_585207.jpg" --- # Real consciousness is touch. Thought is getting out of… ![“Real consciousness is touch. Thought is getting out of touch. The crux of the whole problem lies here, in the duality of man's consciousness. Touch, the being in touch, is the basis of all consciousness, and it is the basis of enduring happiness. Thought is a secondary form of consciousness, Mind…” quote by D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_modern-man_real-consciousness-is-touch-thought-is-g_585207.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_modern-man_real-consciousness-is-touch-thought-is-g_585207.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed8/d-h-lawrence-2-1397_modern-man_real-consciousness-is-touch-thought-is-g_585207.jpg) > ““Real consciousness is touch. Thought is getting out of touch. The crux of the whole problem lies here, in the duality of man's consciousness. Touch, the being in touch, is the basis of all consciousness, and it is the basis of enduring happiness. Thought is a secondary form of consciousness, Mind is a secondary form of existence, a getting out of touch, a standing clear, in order to come to a better adjustment in touch. Man, poor man, has to learn to function in these two ways of consciousness. When a man is in touch, he is non-mental, his mind is quiescent, his bodily centres are active. When a man's mind is active in real mental activity, the bodily centres are quiescent, switched off, the man is out of touch. The animals remain always in touch. And man, poor modern man, with his worship of his own god, which is his own mind glorified, is permanently out of touch. To be always irrevocably in touch is to feel sometimes imprisoned. But to be permanently out of touch is at last excruciatingly painful, it is a state of being nothing, and being nowhere, and at the same time being conscious and capable of extreme discomfort and ennui.”” [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Consciousness splits into direct sensory contact and detached mental activity, causing modern humans to feel disconnected and unhappy. **In simple terms:** Being in touch vs. thinking creates a split that leads to pain. Key Takeaway Balance sensory presence with reflective thought. Themes consciousness duality modernity happiness pain Mood reflective somatic philosophical Type aphilosophical reflective When to use this quote - daily mindfulness - creative work - therapy - education - spiritual practice Key Concepts sensory perception mental abstraction existential alienation Questions to Reflect On - How can you stay present without losing critical analysis? - What activities help you reconnect with your body? A Different Perspective Pure sensory immersion can be impractical in complex tasks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Modern man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-man/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Poor man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-man/) ## Related quotes > [Consciousness is the basis of all life and the field of all possibilities. Its nature is to expand and unfold its full potential. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/consciousness-is-the-basis-of-all-life-and-the-field-of-all/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [Since consciousness is the basis of all reality, any shift in consciousness changes every aspect of our reality. Reality is created by consciousness differentiating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/since-consciousness-is-the-basis-of-all-reality-any-shift-in/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“The sight made her ache. How can I not touch you? she thought hopelessly, and then she was doing it, her fingers on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisa-de-los-santos/the-sight-made-her-ache-how-can-i-not-touch-you-she-thought/) [Marisa de los Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisa-de-los-santos/) > [“It was after sex, when there was still heat and mostly breathing, when there was still touch and mostly thought... it was as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/it-was-after-sex-when-there-was-still-heat-and-mostly-breathing-when/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Very touch thought:Here are many people who are ready to cry when you die...but The one who is made from you,is the one who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/very-touch-thought-here-are-many-people-who-are-ready-to-cry-when-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When awareness is completely balanced, communicating with the outside world is instantaneous and automatic. It happens with the touch of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/when-awareness-is-completely-balanced-communicating-with-the-outside/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Touch me, he thought, my arm, my hand, a finger. Let me know it's all right for me to have these feelings for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lavyrle-spencer/touch-me-he-thought-my-arm-my-hand-a-finger-let-me-know-it-s-all/) [LaVyrle Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lavyrle-spencer/) > [I guess what all artists want is for their work to touch someone or for it to be thought provoking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/i-guess-what-all-artists-want-is-for-their-work-to-touch-someone-or/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [Man's consciousness is the basic source of his worries but without it, he can't grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/man-s-consciousness-is-the-basic-source-of-his-worries-but-without-it/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [“A man’s consciousness is all that he thinks and desires and loves, all that he believes is true and consents to. That is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville/a-man-s-consciousness-is-all-that-he-thinks-and-desires-and-loves-all/) [Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville/) > [The unconsciousness of man is the consciousness of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-unconsciousness-of-man-is-the-consciousness-of-god/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Man’s consciousness not only reflects the objective world, but creates it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/man-s-consciousness-not-only-reflects-the-objective-world-but-creates/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/anarchism-is-the-only-philosophy-which-brings-to-man-the/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [In the consciousness of eternity, time is not, neither is space. In man's consciousness there appears so much mercy, so much love, that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/in-the-consciousness-of-eternity-time-is-not-neither-is-space-in-man/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [To the enlightened man... whose consciousness embraces the universe, to him the universe becomes his 'body', while the physical body becomes the manifestation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/to-the-enlightened-man-whose-consciousness-embraces-the-universe-to/) [Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/) ## More by D.H. Lawrence > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. 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What did it matter if the mother talked Polish and cried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/a-new-degree-of-anger-came-over-him-what-did-it-all-matter-what-did/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [“But I will have it. I will love — it is my birthright. I will love the man I marry — that is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/but-i-will-have-it-i-will-love-it-is-my-birthright-i-will-love-the/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) [Explore all 235 D.H. Lawrence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) ## More Modern man quotes > [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [“Modern man’s misfortune lies not in having to live a mediocre life, but in believing that he could live one that is not mediocre.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/modern-man-s-misfortune-lies-not-in-having-to-live-a-mediocre-life/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [I am actually a perfectly capable modern man who can cook, clean, wash, and find my way to places, but nobody believes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/i-am-actually-a-perfectly-capable-modern-man-who-can-cook-clean-wash/) [James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/) > [“Rather than humanizing technology, modern man prefers to technify man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/rather-than-humanizing-technology-modern-man-prefers-to-technify-man/) [Nicolás Gómez Dávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [Modern man is too impatient and wants to master the art of meditation immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rama-swami/modern-man-is-too-impatient-and-wants-to-master-the-art-of-meditation/) [Rama Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rama-swami/) > [Modern man, seeking a middle position in the evaluation of sense impression and thought, can, following Plato , interpret the process of understanding nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-pauli/modern-man-seeking-a-middle-position-in-the-evaluation-of-sense/) [Wolfgang Pauli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-pauli/) > [Modern man is educated to understand foreign languages and misunderstand foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/modern-man-is-educated-to-understand-foreign-languages-and/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [By his very success in inventing labor-saving devices, modern man has manufactured an abyss of boredom that only the privileged classes in earlier civilizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/by-his-very-success-in-inventing-labor-saving-devices-modern-man-has/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Mythologies were the earliest dreams of mankind, and in the psychotic delusions of his patients, Jung believed he was encountering those dreams again. Freud,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-valentine/mythologies-were-the-earliest-dreams-of-mankind-and-in-the-psychotic/) Gary Valentine > [“Modern man has too many masks to wear. We must unmask and be ourselves, sincerely, earnestly and live truly as we are,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyomay-m-kubose/modern-man-has-too-many-masks-to-wear-we-must-unmask-and-be-ourselves/) [Gyomay M. 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Thought is a secondary form of consciousness, Mind is a secondary form of existence, a getting out of touch, a standing clear, in order to come to a better adjustment in touch. Man, poor man, has to learn to function in these two ways of consciousness. When a man is in touch, he is non-mental, his mind is quiescent, his bodily centres are active. When a man's mind is active in real mental activity, the bodily centres are quiescent, switched off, the man is out of touch. The animals remain always in touch. And man, poor modern man, with his worship of his own god, which is his own mind glorified, is permanently out of touch. To be always irrevocably in touch is to feel sometimes imprisoned. But to be permanently out of touch is at last excruciatingly painful, it is a state of being nothing, and being nowhere, and at the same time being conscious and capable of extreme discomfort and ennui.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D.H. 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