--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live on the leash of our senses." description: "\"We live on the leash of our senses.\" — Diane Ackerman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png" --- # We live on the leash of our senses. ![“We live on the leash of our senses.” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png) > “We live on the leash of our senses.” [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our perception is limited by the senses, shaping reality and freedom. **In simple terms:** Senses limit our view of reality. Key Takeaway Recognize sensory limits and seek deeper insight. Themes perception limits freedom Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - personal reflection - artistic creation - mindfulness practice - philosophical debate Key Concepts Phenomenology subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How do your senses shape your decisions? - Can you imagine beyond sensory input? A Different Perspective Sensory constraints can be overcome through imagination and critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [We live on the leash of our senses. There is no way in which to understand the world without first detecting it through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-there-is-no-way-in-which-to/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [An animal on a leash is not tamed by the owner. The owner is extending himself through the leash to that part of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/an-animal-on-a-leash-is-not-tamed-by-the-owner-the-owner-is-extending/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“The idea of safety had shrunk into particles - one snug moment, then the next. Meanwhile, the brain piped fugues of worry and staged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-idea-of-safety-had-shrunk-into-particles-one-snug-moment-then-the/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [The further we distance ourselves from the spell of the present, explored by our senses, the harder it will be to understand and protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-further-we-distance-ourselves-from-the-spell-of-the-present/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [When all is said and done, we exist only in relation to the world, and our senses evolved as scouts who bridge that divide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/when-all-is-said-and-done-we-exist-only-in-relation-to-the-world-and/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/when-i-think-about-it-the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [“The leash snaps loose and trails after the little white dog like a kite streamer; then the knot closes, sealing shut. In seconds, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/the-leash-snaps-loose-and-trails-after-the-little-white-dog-like-a/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [Took my cat Dexter for the first time, outside and on a leash tonight. Man, he's such a little rockstar, he did so good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-underwood/took-my-cat-dexter-for-the-first-time-outside-and-on-a-leash-tonight/) [Sara Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-underwood/) > [I'm no one's lap dog, you can't put me on a leash, and that was the attitude of it, fuck off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-m-no-one-s-lap-dog-you-can-t-put-me-on-a-leash-and-that-was-the/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [I saw...a kid on a leash. You seen these people? Kid on a leash? How horrible. Put him in the pound where he belongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-saw-a-kid-on-a-leash-you-seen-these-people-kid-on-a-leash-how/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [Never let your fiend off his leash unless there's lots of room to run (and no people around).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryjanice-davidson/never-let-your-fiend-off-his-leash-unless-there-s-lots-of-room-to-run/) [MaryJanice Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryjanice-davidson/) > [“Although my elephant is different than yours. Mine's bright purple and I like to lead him around on a leash and introduce him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/although-my-elephant-is-different-than-yours-mine-s-bright-purple-and/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [“The dog leash was still tied tight around the oak tree in the back, stretched worn and limp across the green grass as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/the-dog-leash-was-still-tied-tight-around-the-oak-tree-in-the-back/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/ever-wonder-where-you-d-end-up-if-you-took-your-dog-for-a-walk-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Pro wrestling was there, and I was good at it, thank God. I started getting a lot of offers, but unfortunately, at WWE I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-angle/pro-wrestling-was-there-and-i-was-good-at-it-thank-god-i-started/) [Kurt Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-angle/) ## More by Diane Ackerman > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Our lives together, our duet, also continues to evolve, and even if we can’t go back to how it was, we’re designing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/our-lives-together-our-duet-also-continues-to-evolve-and-even-if-we/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/hit-a-tripwire-of-smell-and-memories-explode-all-at-once-a-complex/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Horses have made civilization possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/horses-have-made-civilization-possible/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/look-at-your-feet-you-are-standing-in-the-sky-when-we-think-of-the/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Who would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the lawyer from the infant? ...We are all shape-shifters and magical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/who-would-deduce-the-dragonfly-from-the-larva-the-iris-from-the-bud/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Though we marry as adults, we don't marry adults. We marry children who have grown up and still rejoice in being children, especially if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/though-we-marry-as-adults-we-don-t-marry-adults-we-marry-children-who/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Libraries change lives. They are the soul of a people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/libraries-change-lives-they-are-the-soul-of-a-people/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“The etymology of the Hebrew word for prophet, navi, combines three processes: navach (to cry out), nava (to gush or flow), and navuv (to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-etymology-of-the-hebrew-word-for-prophet-navi-combines-three/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm, I’m stricken by the ricochet wonder of it all: the plain everythingness of everything, in cahoots with the everythingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/knee-deep-in-the-cosmic-overwhelm-i-m-stricken-by-the-ricochet-wonder/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [ Symbolic of life, hair bolts from our head\[s\]. Like the earth, it can be harvested, but it will rise again. We can change its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/symbolic-of-life-hair-bolts-from-our-head-s-like-the-earth-it-can-be/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Most people know that 30 to 40 percent of the world's Jews were killed during World War II, but not that 80 to 90…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/most-people-know-that-30-to-40-percent-of-the-world-s-jews-were/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Choice is a signature of our species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/choice-is-a-signature-of-our-species/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [The further we distance ourselves from the spell of the present, explored by our senses, the harder it will be to understand and protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-further-we-distance-ourselves-from-the-spell-of-the-present/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Culture is what people invent when they have lost nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/culture-is-what-people-invent-when-they-have-lost-nature/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) [Explore all 304 Diane Ackerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## More Leash quotes > [Pro wrestling was there, and I was good at it, thank God. I started getting a lot of offers, but unfortunately, at WWE I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-angle/pro-wrestling-was-there-and-i-was-good-at-it-thank-god-i-started/) [Kurt Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-angle/) > [Ever wonder where you'd end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/ever-wonder-where-you-d-end-up-if-you-took-your-dog-for-a-walk-and/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“The dog leash was still tied tight around the oak tree in the back, stretched worn and limp across the green grass as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/the-dog-leash-was-still-tied-tight-around-the-oak-tree-in-the-back/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“Although my elephant is different than yours. Mine's bright purple and I like to lead him around on a leash and introduce him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/although-my-elephant-is-different-than-yours-mine-s-bright-purple-and/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [Never let your fiend off his leash unless there's lots of room to run (and no people around).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryjanice-davidson/never-let-your-fiend-off-his-leash-unless-there-s-lots-of-room-to-run/) [MaryJanice Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryjanice-davidson/) > [I saw...a kid on a leash. You seen these people? Kid on a leash? How horrible. Put him in the pound where he belongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-saw-a-kid-on-a-leash-you-seen-these-people-kid-on-a-leash-how/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [I'm no one's lap dog, you can't put me on a leash, and that was the attitude of it, fuck off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-m-no-one-s-lap-dog-you-can-t-put-me-on-a-leash-and-that-was-the/) [John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/) > [Took my cat Dexter for the first time, outside and on a leash tonight. Man, he's such a little rockstar, he did so good,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-underwood/took-my-cat-dexter-for-the-first-time-outside-and-on-a-leash-tonight/) [Sara Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-underwood/) > [“The leash snaps loose and trails after the little white dog like a kite streamer; then the knot closes, sealing shut. In seconds, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/the-leash-snaps-loose-and-trails-after-the-little-white-dog-like-a/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [When I think about it, the happiest and most successful people I know don't just love what they do, they're obsessed with solving something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-houston/when-i-think-about-it-the-happiest-and-most-successful-people-i-know/) [Drew Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-houston/) > [“Dreams are ideas where the collar has been removed and the leash has been thrown away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/dreams-are-ideas-where-the-collar-has-been-removed-and-the-leash-has/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Underwear. It's like a goddamned leash. It also constantly reminds me of how funny I look naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-wentz/underwear-it-s-like-a-goddamned-leash-it-also-constantly-reminds-me/) [Pete Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-wentz/) > [Leash: n, a means by which animals, formerly running wild, are prevented from running tame, also.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/leash-n-a-means-by-which-animals-formerly-running-wild-are-prevented/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [I don't like running when I'm holding things in my hand, whether it's a dog leash or a baby jogger. My mechanics get all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-ryssdal/i-don-t-like-running-when-i-m-holding-things-in-my-hand-whether-it-s/) [Kai Ryssdal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-ryssdal/) > [An animal on a leash is not tamed by the owner. The owner is extending himself through the leash to that part of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/an-animal-on-a-leash-is-not-tamed-by-the-owner-the-owner-is-extending/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) Browse all 63 Leash quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live on the leash of our senses.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Ackerman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Leash" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13f/diane-ackerman-1035_leash_we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses-25329_2532989.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live on the leash of our senses.” — Diane Ackerman", "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": "Diane Ackerman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We live on the leash of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/we-live-on-the-leash-of-our-senses/#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 } } ] } ```