--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're trapped on this very thin slice of…" description: "\"We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing most of what's going on.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/david-eagleman-2079_home_we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of_5987.png" --- # We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception… ![“We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing most of what's going on.” quote by David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/david-eagleman-2079_home_we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of_5987.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/david-eagleman-2079_home_we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of_5987.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f9/david-eagleman-2079_home_we-re-trapped-on-this-very-thin-slice-of_5987.png) > “We're trapped on this very thin slice of perception ... But even at that slice of reality that we call home, we're not seeing most of what's going on.” [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our conscious experience captures only a narrow cross‑section of reality, leaving vast unseen processes unnoticed. **In simple terms:** Perception is limited. Key Takeaway Most of reality is invisible to us. Themes perception cognitive limits reality awareness unknown Mood curiosity humility wonder Type philosophical scientific reflective When to use this quote - scientific research - philosophical contemplation - creative brainstorming - technology design Key Concepts subjective experience neuroscience information filtering Practical Applications - designing interfaces that reveal hidden data - educational curricula on critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How does this limit affect decision‑making? - What methods can expand our perceptual slice? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Home Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-seeing-309692/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Reality Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-home-309690/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Slice Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slice-reality-309691/) [Trapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trapped/) ## Related quotes > [I juxtapose and slice up reality and fiction quite easily. I'm aware that it is up for grabs and a powerful tool to explain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/i-juxtapose-and-slice-up-reality-and-fiction-quite-easily-i-m-aware/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [What really makes a home a home is seeing the books of whoever lives there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonia-lofaso/what-really-makes-a-home-a-home-is-seeing-the-books-of-whoever-lives/) [Antonia Lofaso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonia-lofaso/) > [For me the first great joy of traveling is simply the luxury of leaving all my beliefs and certainties at home, and seeing everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/for-me-the-first-great-joy-of-traveling-is-simply-the-luxury-of/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [“This is reality, back home is routine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ikilikjan/this-is-reality-back-home-is-routine/) [George Ikilikjan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ikilikjan/) > [By the time I land in Iowa, I feel like my mind is more open to the reality of being back home and focusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-braley/by-the-time-i-land-in-iowa-i-feel-like-my-mind-is-more-open-to-the/) [Bruce Braley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-braley/) > [My life has become a reality show. When I am home, people are climbing trees with cameras. I feel that my personal space is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranbir-kapoor/my-life-has-become-a-reality-show-when-i-am-home-people-are-climbing/) [Ranbir Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranbir-kapoor/) > [“The now reality is our only home, where everything already is. There is no other home we came from, and we might think we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-zernoff/the-now-reality-is-our-only-home-where-everything-already-is-there-is/) [Raphael Zernoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-zernoff/) > [The one reality was this: He was home. How badly he wanted to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-one-reality-was-this-he-was-home-how-badly-he-wanted-to-stay/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [The deep secret of the brain is that not only the spinal cord but the entire central nervous system works this way: internally generated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-deep-secret-of-the-brain-is-that-not-only-the-spinal-cord-but-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Man is not himself only...He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources...He is the land, the lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hunter-austin/man-is-not-himself-only-he-is-all-that-he-sees-all-that-flows-to-him/) [Mary Hunter Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hunter-austin/) > [Those who are highly evolved, maintain an undiscriminating perception. Seeing everything, labeling nothing, they maintain their awareness of the Great Oneness. Thus they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/those-who-are-highly-evolved-maintain-an-undiscriminating-perception/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [television. It has changed the way that we perceive the world out there, and though we know that - have indeed been bombarded with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-janeway/television-it-has-changed-the-way-that-we-perceive-the-world-out/) [Elizabeth Janeway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-janeway/) > [The tremendous population increase has made meditation and psychic perception, things that come naturally to spiritually evolved people, difficult to practice and participate in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-tremendous-population-increase-has-made-meditation-and-psychic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/then-you-re-trapped-in-your-lovely-nest-and-the-things-you-used-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [For young people in the U.K. who find themselves without anywhere to live - perhaps they have left the family home after a relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-viner/for-young-people-in-the-u-k-who-find-themselves-without-anywhere-to/) [Katharine Viner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-viner/) ## More by David Eagleman > [Visual cortex is fundamentally a machine whose job is to generate a model of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/visual-cortex-is-fundamentally-a-machine-whose-job-is-to-generate-a/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [If you ever feel lazy or dull, take heart: you're the busiest, brightest thing on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-you-ever-feel-lazy-or-dull-take-heart-you-re-the-busiest-brightest/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [We are not conscious of most things until we ask ourselves questions about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/we-are-not-conscious-of-most-things-until-we-ask-ourselves-questions/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“with the knowledge that you cannot appreciate the destination without knowing the starting point; you cannot revel in the simplicity unless you remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/with-the-knowledge-that-you-cannot-appreciate-the-destination-without/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“If an epileptic seizure is focused in a particular sweet spot in the temporal lobe, a person won´t have motor seizures, but instead something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/if-an-epileptic-seizure-is-focused-in-a-particular-sweet-spot-in-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [The deep secret of the brain is that not only the spinal cord but the entire central nervous system works this way: internally generated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-deep-secret-of-the-brain-is-that-not-only-the-spinal-cord-but-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [When people fall in love, there´s period of up to three years during which the zeal and infatuation ride at a peak. The internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/when-people-fall-in-love-there-s-period-of-up-to-three-years-during/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [The majority of human beings live their whole lives unaware that they are only seeing a limited cone of vision at any moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-majority-of-human-beings-live-their-whole-lives-unaware-that-they/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Our ignorance of the cosmos is too vast to commit to atheism, and yet we know too much to commit to a particular religion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/our-ignorance-of-the-cosmos-is-too-vast-to-commit-to-atheism-and-yet/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“As Gazzaniga put it, "these findings all suggest that the interpretive mechanism of the left hemisphere is always hard at work, seeking the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/as-gazzaniga-put-it-these-findings-all-suggest-that-the-interpretive/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [I spent my adult life as a scientist, and science is, essentially, the most successful approach we have to try and understand the vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/i-spent-my-adult-life-as-a-scientist-and-science-is-essentially-the/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [When the brain activity is kindled in the right spot, people hear voices. If a physician prescribes an anti-epileptic medication, the seizures go away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/when-the-brain-activity-is-kindled-in-the-right-spot-people-hear/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [“Platoons and plays and stores and congresses do not end - they simply move on to a different dimension.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/platoons-and-plays-and-stores-and-congresses-do-not-end-they-simply/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [Awareness of your surroundings occurs only when sensory inputs violate expectations. When the world is successfully predicted away, awareness is not needed because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/awareness-of-your-surroundings-occurs-only-when-sensory-inputs/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) > [You gleefully say, "I just thought of something!", when in fact your brain performed an enormous amount of work before your moment of genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/you-gleefully-say-i-just-thought-of-something-when-in-fact-your-brain/) [David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) [Explore all 183 David Eagleman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/) ## More Home quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [If your life's at a juncture and you need to think about things, there's nowhere better than home. However old you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/if-your-life-s-at-a-juncture-and-you-need-to-think-about-things-there/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/) [Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. 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