--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are, after all, an animal that was…" description: "\"“We are, after all, an animal that was brought into being on this biosphere by these processes of sun and water and lead. And if we depart too far from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/gary-snyder-4502_depart_we-are-after-all-an-animal-that-was-brou_3022955.jpg" --- # We are, after all, an animal that was brought into being… ![“We are, after all, an animal that was brought into being on this biosphere by these processes of sun and water and lead. And if we depart too far from them, we're departing too far from the mother, from our heritage.” quote by Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/gary-snyder-4502_depart_we-are-after-all-an-animal-that-was-brou_3022955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/gary-snyder-4502_depart_we-are-after-all-an-animal-that-was-brou_3022955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/gary-snyder-4502_depart_we-are-after-all-an-animal-that-was-brou_3022955.jpg) > ““We are, after all, an animal that was brought into being on this biosphere by these processes of sun and water and lead. And if we depart too far from them, we're departing too far from the mother, from our heritage.”” [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings are part of Earth’s biosphere; disconnecting harms both self and planet. **In simple terms:** Humans belong to Earth’s biosphere. Key Takeaway Live in harmony with natural cycles. Themes environmentalism interdependence spiritual ecology Mood reflective earthy inspirational Type environmental philosophical When to use this quote - conservation - urban planning - education - personal lifestyle Key Concepts biosphere sustainability heritage Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance development with ecological harmony? - What practices reconnect us to Earth? A Different Perspective May romanticize nature, ignoring modern complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal Brought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-brought-3473679/) [Brought Biosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brought-biosphere-4902555/) [Depart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depart/) [Depart Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depart-far-4902556/) [Departing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departing/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Too far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-far/) ## Related quotes > [The day I set foot in Hyderabad, I saw an animal being hit by a vehicle. 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It was a narrow track,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/being-consistent-meant-not-departing-from-convictions-already/) [Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/) > [When we struggle for human rights, for freedom, for dignity, when we feel that it is a ministry of the church to concern itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-struggle-for-human-rights-for-freedom-for-dignity-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Consider the core of the mind to be a wagon, with will-power to be carried about in it. Push it to a place where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takuan-soho/consider-the-core-of-the-mind-to-be-a-wagon-with-will-power-to-be/) [Takuan Soho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takuan-soho/) > [Elevated locations imply elevated purposes, even in American cities departing as radically as Los Angeles does from the traditional planning patterns of the Eastern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-filler/elevated-locations-imply-elevated-purposes-even-in-american-cities/) [Martin Filler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-filler/) ## More by Gary Snyder > [The best thing you can do for the planet is to stay home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/the-best-thing-you-can-do-for-the-planet-is-to-stay-home/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [We . . . must try to live without causing unnecessary harm, not just to fellow humans but to all beings. We must try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/we-must-try-to-live-without-causing-unnecessary-harm-not-just-to/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [Doom scenarios, even though they might be true, are not politically or psychologically effective. The first step . . . is to make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/doom-scenarios-even-though-they-might-be-true-are-not-politically-or/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [Sometime in the last ten years the best brains of the Occident discovered to their amazement that we live in an Environment. This discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/sometime-in-the-last-ten-years-the-best-brains-of-the-occident/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [A great poet does not express his or her self; he expresses all of our selves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/a-great-poet-does-not-express-his-or-her-self-he-expresses-all-of-our/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [You should really know what the complete natural world of your region is and know what all its interactions are and how you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/you-should-really-know-what-the-complete-natural-world-of-your-region/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [“I have lived at Cold Mountain These thirty long years. Yesterday I called on friends and family: More than half had gone to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/i-have-lived-at-cold-mountain-these-thirty-long-years-yesterday-i/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [But if you do know what is taught by plants and weather, you are in on the gossip and can feel truly at home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/but-if-you-do-know-what-is-taught-by-plants-and-weather-you-are-in-on/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [In Paul Friedrich's book Proto-Indo-European Trees he identifies the "semantic primitives" of the Indo-European tribe of languages through a group of words that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/in-paul-friedrich-s-book-proto-indo-european-trees-he-identifies-the/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [Gratitude to the Great Sky who holds billions of stars - and goes yet beyond that - beyond all powers, and thoughts and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/gratitude-to-the-great-sky-who-holds-billions-of-stars-and-goes-yet/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [“In the mountains it's cold. Always been cold, not just this year. Jagged scarps forever snowed in Woods in the dark ravines spitting mist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/in-the-mountains-it-s-cold-always-been-cold-not-just-this-year-jagged/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [When the mind is exhausted of images, it invents its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/when-the-mind-is-exhausted-of-images-it-invents-its-own/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [Forests in the tropics are cut to make pasture to raise beef for the American market. Our distance from the source of our food…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/forests-in-the-tropics-are-cut-to-make-pasture-to-raise-beef-for-the/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [“The blue mountains are constantly walking." Dōgen is quoting the Chan master Furong. -- "If you doubt mountains walking you do not know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/the-blue-mountains-are-constantly-walking-d-gen-is-quoting-the-chan/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [Thought is just an apprehension of touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/thought-is-just-an-apprehension-of-touch/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) [Explore all 110 Gary Snyder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) ## More Depart quotes > [“To repent is depart from evil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/to-repent-is-depart-from-evil/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Train up a child in the way that he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-solomon/train-up-a-child-in-the-way-that-he-should-go-and-when-he-is-old-he/) [King Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-solomon/) > [“Depart then, impious one! Depart, accursed one! Depart with all your deceits, for God has willed that man should be his temple!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/depart-then-impious-one-depart-accursed-one-depart-with-all-your/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [Consider pleasures as they depart, not as they come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/consider-pleasures-as-they-depart-not-as-they-come/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [For the mountains shall depart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryn-terfel/for-the-mountains-shall-depart/) [Bryn Terfel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryn-terfel/) > [But we are here to depart from this world as finished as we can possibly become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/but-we-are-here-to-depart-from-this-world-as-finished-as-we-can/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [Do not say that I'll depart tomorrow because even today I still arrive. Look at me: I arrive in every second to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/do-not-say-that-i-ll-depart-tomorrow-because-even-today-i-still/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [The best measure of a successful life is the way we turn away, we renounce, and even by the way we depart it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/the-best-measure-of-a-successful-life-is-the-way-we-turn-away-we/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [“This is why I am continuing my travels—not to seek other, better teachings, for I know there are none, but to depart from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/this-is-why-i-am-continuing-my-travels-not-to-seek-other-better/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The true voyagers are those who go for the sake of traveling . . . and without quite knowing why, they say, 'Let us depart!'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-true-voyagers-are-those-who-go-for-the-sake-of-traveling-and/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“Do you know how you were created? Do you know who sustains you? Do you know when you shall depart?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/do-you-know-how-you-were-created-do-you-know-who-sustains-you-do-you/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Never depart from the way of martial arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/never-depart-from-the-way-of-martial-arts/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [Once you depart from the Ten Commandments as being the foundation of right and wrong, you are in a free fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-terry/once-you-depart-from-the-ten-commandments-as-being-the-foundation-of/) [Randall Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-terry/) > [“We come into this world alone, We depart alone, This also is illusion. I will teach you the way Not to come, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/we-come-into-this-world-alone-we-depart-alone-this-also-is-illusion-i/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [“You have sat here too long for any good you may be doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you! In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/you-have-sat-here-too-long-for-any-good-you-may-be-doing-depart-i-say/) [Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/) [Browse all 69 Depart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are, after all, an animal that was brought into being on this biosphere by these processes of sun and water and lead. 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