Circle of life Quote by Elizabeth Gilbert
““I live in nature where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is the planet around the sun. The course of water over the earth is circular coming down from the sky and circulating through the world to spread life and then evaporating up again. I live in a circular teepee and build my fire in a circle. The life cycles of plants and animals are circular. I live outside where I can see this. The ancient people understood that our world is a circle, but we modern people have lost site of that. I don’t live inside buildings because buildings are dead places where nothing grows, where water doesn’t flow, and where life stops. I don’t want to live in a dead place. People say that I don’t live in a real world, but it’s modern Americans who live in a fake world, because they have stepped outside the natural circle of life. Do people live in circles today? No. They live in boxes. They wake up every morning in a box of their bedrooms because a box next to them started making beeping noises to tell them it was time to get up. They eat their breakfast out of a box and then they throw that box away into another box. Then they leave the box where they live and get into another box with wheels and drive to work, which is just another big box broken into little cubicle boxes where a bunch of people spend their days sitting and staring at the computer boxes in front of them. When the day is over, everyone gets into the box with wheels again and goes home to the house boxes and spends the evening staring at the television boxes for entertainment. They get their music from a box, they get their food from a box, they keep their clothing in a box, they live their lives in a box. Break out of the box! This not the way humanity lived for thousands of years.””
About This Quote
The speaker emphasizes the natural cycles and interconnectedness of life, contrasting them with modern society's compartmentalized, box‑like existence that severs those rhythms.
In simple terms: Nature is circular; modern life is boxed.
Reclaim natural cycles over artificial compartments.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- living in a teepee
- working in an office
- commuting in a car
- watching TV
- eating meals
Key Concepts
Practical Applications
- designing sustainable housing
- creating community rituals
Questions to Reflect On
- How might we integrate circular principles into urban design?
- What small changes can break the 'box' habit in daily life?
Some argue that technology and structured environments can enhance human well‑being, providing safety and efficiency that natural settings alone may not guarantee.