--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is of first-class importance that our…" description: "\"It is of first-class importance that our answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx should be in step with how we conduct our civilisation, and this should in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png" --- # It is of first-class importance that our answer to the… ![“It is of first-class importance that our answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx should be in step with how we conduct our civilisation, and this should in turn be in step with the actual workings of living systems.” quote by Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png) > “It is of first-class importance that our answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx should be in step with how we conduct our civilisation, and this should in turn be in step with the actual workings of living systems.” [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human progress should align with natural processes and societal evolution, reflecting living system principles. **In simple terms:** Align civilization with nature and living systems. Key Takeaway Integrate ecological awareness into societal development. Themes systems ecology civilization philosophy science Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - urban planning - education reform - environmental policy Key Concepts feedback loops adaptation holism Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance technological growth with ecological limits? - What examples show successful integration of living system principles? A Different Perspective Complex systems resist simple alignment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Conduct Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conduct-civilisation-3135625/) [First class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-class/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Importance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance/) [Importance Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance-answer-3135626/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riddle/) [Riddle Sphinx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riddle-sphinx-1636611/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sphinx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sphinx/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [It is to the Riddle of the Sphinx that I have devoted fifty years of professional life as an anthropologist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/it-is-to-the-riddle-of-the-sphinx-that-i-have-devoted-fifty-years-of/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [A major difficulty is that the answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx is partly a product of the answers that we already have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/a-major-difficulty-is-that-the-answer-to-the-riddle-of-the-sphinx-is/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [The population question is the real riddle of the sphinx, to which no political Oedipus has as yet found the answer. In view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/the-population-question-is-the-real-riddle-of-the-sphinx-to-which-no/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [It's like the riddle of the Sphinx... why are there so many great unmarried women, and no great unmarried men?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/it-s-like-the-riddle-of-the-sphinx-why-are-there-so-many-great/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [“The sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler. Do you knows what that means? No. Is it a riddle?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-sphinx-is-the-riddle-not-the-riddler-do-you-knows-what-that-means/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“Sphinx is the riddle, not the riddler.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/sphinx-is-the-riddle-not-the-riddler/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [The Sphinx-riddle. Solve it, or be torn to bits, is the decree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-sphinx-riddle-solve-it-or-be-torn-to-bits-is-the-decree/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [What is the little one thinking about? Very wonderful things, no doubt; Unwritten history! Unfathomed mystery! Yet he laughs and cries, and eats and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-holland/what-is-the-little-one-thinking-about-very-wonderful-things-no-doubt/) [J. G. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-holland/) > [Every period of time is a sphinx that throws itself into the abyss as soon as its riddle has been solved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/every-period-of-time-is-a-sphinx-that-throws-itself-into-the-abyss-as/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [We cut these numerous windings in our destinies daily with our own hands, while we imagine that we are pursuing a track on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/we-cut-these-numerous-windings-in-our-destinies-daily-with-our-own/) [H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/) > [I never saw a pyramid, but I've seen photographs; I know what a pyramid or a sphinx looks like. There are pictures that do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-never-saw-a-pyramid-but-i-ve-seen-photographs-i-know-what-a-pyramid/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [You are afraid of me, because I talk like a sphinx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-are-afraid-of-me-because-i-talk-like-a-sphinx/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“What sphinx of cement and aluminium bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? - Howl ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/what-sphinx-of-cement-and-aluminium-bashed-open-their-skulls-and-ate/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [Sometimes I think I am going mad. I live for days in the mystery and tears of things so that the commonest object, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-n-p-barbellion/sometimes-i-think-i-am-going-mad-i-live-for-days-in-the-mystery-and/) [W.N.P. Barbellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-n-p-barbellion/) > [For I am I: ergo, the truth of myself; my own sphinx, conflict, chaos, vortex—asymmetric to all rhythms, oblique to all paths. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare/for-i-am-i-ergo-the-truth-of-myself-my-own-sphinx-conflict-chaos/) [Austin Osman Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare/) ## More by Gregory Bateson > [Number is different from quantity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/number-is-different-from-quantity/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [We do not know enough about how the present will lead into the future. We shall never be able to say, "Ha! My perception,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/we-do-not-know-enough-about-how-the-present-will-lead-into-the-future/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Synaptic summation is the technical term used in neurophysiology for those instances in which some neuron C is fired only by a combination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/synaptic-summation-is-the-technical-term-used-in-neurophysiology-for/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Somebody was saying to Picasso that he ought to make pictures of things the way they are-objective pictures. He mumbled that he wasn't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/somebody-was-saying-to-picasso-that-he-ought-to-make-pictures-of/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [What is true is that the idea of power corrupts. Power corrupts most rapidly those who believe in it, and it is they who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/what-is-true-is-that-the-idea-of-power-corrupts-power-corrupts-most/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“A little hypocrisy and a little compromise oils the wheels of social life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/a-little-hypocrisy-and-a-little-compromise-oils-the-wheels-of-social/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Science, like art, religion, commerce, warfare, and even sleep, is based on presuppositions. It differs, however, from most other branches of human activity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/science-like-art-religion-commerce-warfare-and-even-sleep-is-based-on/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Desired substance, things, patterns, or sequences of experience that are in some sense "good" for the organism - items of diet, conditions of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/desired-substance-things-patterns-or-sequences-of-experience-that-are/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [No organism can afford to be conscious of matters with which it could deal at unconscious levels. Broadly, we can afford to sink those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/no-organism-can-afford-to-be-conscious-of-matters-with-which-it-could/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Wisdom is the intelligence of the system as a whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/wisdom-is-the-intelligence-of-the-system-as-a-whole/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-we-call/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [The pathology is to want control, not that you ever get it, because of course you never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/the-pathology-is-to-want-control-not-that-you-ever-get-it-because-of/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Our initial sensory data are always "first derivatives," statements about differences which exist among external objects or statements about changes which occur either in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/our-initial-sensory-data-are-always-first-derivatives-statements/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [Multiple descriptions are better than one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/multiple-descriptions-are-better-than-one/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) [Explore all 94 Gregory Bateson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) [Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is of first-class importance that our answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx should be in step with how we conduct our civilisation, and this should in turn be in step with the actual workings of living systems.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gregory Bateson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our-answer-to-the-riddle-of-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our-answer-to-the-riddle-of-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/210/gregory-bateson-7135_answers_it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our_2756065.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is of first-class importance that our answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx should be in step with how we…” — Gregory Bateson", "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": "Gregory Bateson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is of first-class importance that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our-answer-to-the-riddle-of-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/it-is-of-first-class-importance-that-our-answer-to-the-riddle-of-the/#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 } } ] } ```