--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each of us possesses five fundamental…" description: "\"“Each of us possesses five fundamental, enthralling maps to the natural world: sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell. As we unravel the threads that bind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/ellen-meloy-26824_natural-world_each-of-us-possesses-five-fundamental-en_904002.png" --- # Each of us possesses five fundamental, enthralling maps to… ![“Each of us possesses five fundamental, enthralling maps to the natural world: sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell. As we unravel the threads that bind us to nature, as denizens of data and artifice, amid crowds and clutter, we become miserly with these loyal and exquisite guides, we numb our…” quote by Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/ellen-meloy-26824_natural-world_each-of-us-possesses-five-fundamental-en_904002.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/ellen-meloy-26824_natural-world_each-of-us-possesses-five-fundamental-en_904002.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/088/ellen-meloy-26824_natural-world_each-of-us-possesses-five-fundamental-en_904002.png) > ““Each of us possesses five fundamental, enthralling maps to the natural world: sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell. As we unravel the threads that bind us to nature, as denizens of data and artifice, amid crowds and clutter, we become miserly with these loyal and exquisite guides, we numb our sensory intelligence. This failure of attention will make orphans of us all.”” [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We neglect our five senses in modern life, turning them into dull tools, which leads to a loss of deep connection with nature. **In simple terms:** We ignore our senses, losing connection to nature. Key Takeaway Reawaken sensory awareness. Themes nature attention senses technology art Mood reflective contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - urban living - digital work - education - creative practice Key Concepts embodied cognition mindfulness environmental perception Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate more sensory experiences into daily routines? - What habits numb your senses? A Different Perspective Sensory overload can still distract even when we try to focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Maps Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maps-natural-1267991/) [Natural world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Sensory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensory/) [Sensory Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensory-intelligence-1267990/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ## Related quotes > [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [How do we awaken to this true Self? By going within and putting our attention on the silent presence in our heart - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/how-do-we-awaken-to-this-true-self-by-going-within-and-putting-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Certainly, when you're dealing with more deep, emotional work and sensory work, for me, it helps me to just stay in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/certainly-when-you-re-dealing-with-more-deep-emotional-work-and/) [Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/) > [Physiology, in its analysis of the physiological functions of the sense organs, must use the results of subjective observation of sensations; and psychology, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-wundt/physiology-in-its-analysis-of-the-physiological-functions-of-the/) [Wilhelm Wundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-wundt/) > [The patterns of activity of neurons in sensory areas can be altered by patterns of attention. Experience coupled with attention leads to physical changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-merzenich/the-patterns-of-activity-of-neurons-in-sensory-areas-can-be-altered/) [Michael Merzenich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-merzenich/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Fly flight is just a great phenomenon to study. It has everything - from the most sophisticated sensory biology; really, really interesting physics; really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dickinson/fly-flight-is-just-a-great-phenomenon-to-study-it-has-everything-from/) [Michael Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dickinson/) > [“Sensory experience should not be draped on top of the story as sort of a last-minute decoration. Done right, it is woven into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/sensory-experience-should-not-be-draped-on-top-of-the-story-as-sort/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) ## More by Ellen Meloy > [There are people who have no engaged conversation with the land whatsoever, no sense of its beauty or extremes or limits and therefore no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/there-are-people-who-have-no-engaged-conversation-with-the-land/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“Everyone will tell you that genealogy serves two purposes: self-knowledge and social status, some sort of pedigree divined from names, locations, and achievements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/everyone-will-tell-you-that-genealogy-serves-two-purposes-self/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“Breathing, it seemed to me, was a proper attribute for the mountains... mountains that quietly functioned as a single thing with a rhythmic inhale-exhale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/breathing-it-seemed-to-me-was-a-proper-attribute-for-the-mountains/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“ Homo sapiens have left themselves few places and scant ways to witness other species in their own worlds, an estrangement that leaves us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/homo-sapiens-have-left-themselves-few-places-and-scant-ways-to/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [The complex human eye harvests light. It perceives seven to ten million colors through a synaptic flash: one-tenth of a second from retina to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/the-complex-human-eye-harvests-light-it-perceives-seven-to-ten/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [A map, it is said, organizes wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/a-map-it-is-said-organizes-wonder/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“I was a lowly puddle of plasma, trading “I am alive” for a vague “I tend to exist” and weeping for joy over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/i-was-a-lowly-puddle-of-plasma-trading-i-am-alive-for-a-vague-i-tend/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [...to slip beneath the surface and soar along the silent bottom of the sea agile and shining in water honeycombed with light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/to-slip-beneath-the-surface-and-soar-along-the-silent-bottom-of-the/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“A cavalry of sweaty but righteous blond gods chased pesky, unkempt people across an annoyingly leaky Mexican border. A grimy cowboy with a headdress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/a-cavalry-of-sweaty-but-righteous-blond-gods-chased-pesky-unkempt/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“How do I stop this misery?” I groaned, scanning the shelves for a cure. “Don’t go out there,” he said flatly. I contemplated this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/how-do-i-stop-this-misery-i-groaned-scanning-the-shelves-for-a-cure/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“ In genealogy you might say that interest lies in the eye of the gene holder. The actual descendants are far more intrigued with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/in-genealogy-you-might-say-that-interest-lies-in-the-eye-of-the-gene/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“This deranged jungle of ironies coinhabits my skull like feathers and fireworks. My heart fills with stones. I am the mad aunt who laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/this-deranged-jungle-of-ironies-coinhabits-my-skull-like-feathers-and/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“Its beauty stirs the imagination, and I wonder if the last refuge of all that is truly wild lies not on earth but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/its-beauty-stirs-the-imagination-and-i-wonder-if-the-last-refuge-of/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“In the hallowed tradition of squishy doughball liberals, I believe that science, reason, kindness, and understanding—maybe a little food—can set the world right. B”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/in-the-hallowed-tradition-of-squishy-doughball-liberals-i-believe/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) > [“My geography savors a delicious paradox: Home - a grounding - found in unearthly beauty. The predominant colors are blue, emerald, and terra-cotta. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-meloy/my-geography-savors-a-delicious-paradox-home-a-grounding-found-in/) [Ellen Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) [Explore all 21 Ellen Meloy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-meloy/) ## More Natural world quotes > [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [There is one, and only one solution, and we have almost no time to try it. We must turn all our resources to repairing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mollison/there-is-one-and-only-one-solution-and-we-have-almost-no-time-to-try/) [Bill Mollison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mollison/) > [The voice of the natural world would be, "Could you please give us space and leave us alone to get along with our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/the-voice-of-the-natural-world-would-be-could-you-please-give-us/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Science surrounds you. It's not something that you can step aside, step over or push out of your way because you were never good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-surrounds-you-it-s-not-something-that-you-can-step-aside-step/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Perhaps we have failed as human beings. Perhaps we have embarrassed ourselves to the natural world. We have been rigorous and willful in all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sufjan-stevens/perhaps-we-have-failed-as-human-beings-perhaps-we-have-embarrassed/) [Sufjan Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sufjan-stevens/) > [To care for the natural world is the most effective insurance policy we can have](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-harding/to-care-for-the-natural-world-is-the-most-effective-insurance-policy/) [Phil Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-harding/) > [“Redemption is not just about being saved \*from\* the consequences of sin, it is also about being saved \*to\* something- to resume the task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/redemption-is-not-just-about-being-saved-from-the-consequences-of-sin/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [“George didn't do quiet or subtle. His big paws kicked up rocks as he stretched into his own version of a freight train.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kaniut-cobb/george-didn-t-do-quiet-or-subtle-his-big-paws-kicked-up-rocks-as-he/) [Lisa Kaniut Cobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kaniut-cobb/) > [“Where I had expected to appreciate the monuments and love the natural environment, the reality was entirely the reverse. The immense beauty of many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-winton/where-i-had-expected-to-appreciate-the-monuments-and-love-the-natural/) [Tim Winton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-winton/) > [“huigan—causes us to turn inward and reflect as the liquor coats our tongues, shimmers down our throats, and then rises again as fragrance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/huigan-causes-us-to-turn-inward-and-reflect-as-the-liquor-coats-our/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [If we do not appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the human heart, how can we appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/if-we-do-not-appreciate-the-sensitivity-and-subtlety-of-the-human/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [In a way, human beings have never been part of the natural order; we're not biological in the normal sense. Normal biological animals stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/in-a-way-human-beings-have-never-been-part-of-the-natural-order-we-re/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [I think a healthy connection with the natural world actually makes us more human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-think-a-healthy-connection-with-the-natural-world-actually-makes-us/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) [Browse all 672 Natural world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Each of us possesses five fundamental, enthralling maps to the natural world: sight, touch, taste, hearing, smell. As we unravel the threads that bind us to nature, as denizens of data and artifice, amid crowds and clutter, we become miserly with these loyal and exquisite guides, we numb our sensory intelligence. 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