--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My desire for knowledge is intermittent…" description: "\"My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to commune with the spirit of the universe, to be intoxicated with the fumes, call it, of that d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg" --- # My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to… ![“My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to commune with the spirit of the universe, to be intoxicated with the fumes, call it, of that divine nectar, to bear my head through atmospheres and over heights unknown to my feet, is perennial and constant.” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg) > “My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to commune with the spirit of the universe, to be intoxicated with the fumes, call it, of that divine nectar, to bear my head through atmospheres and over heights unknown to my feet, is perennial and constant.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A relentless quest for knowledge and spiritual communion drives a lifelong, ever‑present yearning for transcendence. **In simple terms:** Seek knowledge and spirit. Key Takeaway Pursue lifelong curiosity. Themes philosophy spirituality exploration Mood contemplative inspired Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - education - travel - creative pursuits Key Concepts transcendence inner yearning Questions to Reflect On - What spiritual experience fuels you? - How do you balance yearning with daily life? A Different Perspective Obsessive pursuit may neglect practical needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Communes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communes/) [Constant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constant/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire for knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-for-knowledge/) [Desire Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-knowledge/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Divine Nectar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine-nectar-4052299/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height/) [Intermittent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intermittent/) [Intermittent Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intermittent-desire-4052298/) [Intoxicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxicated/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Knowledge Intermittent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-intermittent-3304364/) [Nectar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nectar/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Intoxicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-intoxicated-4052300/) [Yearning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearning/) ## Related quotes > [My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to bathe my head in atmospheres unknown to my feet is perennial and constant. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-bathe-my/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“My desire for knowledge is intermittent, but my desire to bathe my head in atmospheres unknown to my feet is perennial and constant. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-bathe-my-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The highest that we can attain to is not Knowledge, but Sympathy with Intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-highest-that-we-can-attain-to-is-not-knowledge-but-sympathy-with/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Music never stops; it is only the listening that is intermittent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/music-never-stops-it-is-only-the-listening-that-is-intermittent/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Music is perpetual, and only the hearing is intermittent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/music-is-perpetual-and-only-the-hearing-is-intermittent/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [ Wonder \[admiratio astonishment, marvel\] is a kind of desire for knowledge. The situation arises when one sees an effect and does not know its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/wonder-admiratio-astonishment-marvel-is-a-kind-of-desire-for/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [The search for truth is, as it always has been, the noblest expression of the human spirit. Man's insatiable desire for knowledge about himself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-b-fosdick/the-search-for-truth-is-as-it-always-has-been-the-noblest-expression/) [Raymond B. Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-b-fosdick/) > [Kant ... was also quite aware that "the urgent need" of reason is both different from and "more than mere quest and desire for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/kant-was-also-quite-aware-that-the-urgent-need-of-reason-is-both/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [There are certain things that our age needs, and certain things that it should avoid. It needs compassion and a wish that mankind should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-are-certain-things-that-our-age-needs-and-certain-things-that/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Man did not address his inquiries to the earth on which he stood until a remarkably late stage in the development of his desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-heinrich-ralph-von-koenigswald/man-did-not-address-his-inquiries-to-the-earth-on-which-he-stood/) [Gustav Heinrich Ralph von Koenigswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-heinrich-ralph-von-koenigswald/) > [The two explorers are given fictional names. But as in real life, they travel to the Amazon roughly a generation apart, in the early-to-mid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cole/the-two-explorers-are-given-fictional-names-but-as-in-real-life-they/) [Tom Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cole/) > [Exploration is the physical expression of the Intellectual Passion. And I tell you, if you have the desire for knowledge and the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apsley-cherry-garrard/exploration-is-the-physical-expression-of-the-intellectual-passion/) [Apsley Cherry-Garrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apsley-cherry-garrard/) > [The origin of all science is the desire to know causes, and the origin of all false science is the desire to accept false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-origin-of-all-science-is-the-desire-to-know-causes-and-the-origin/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [Humanities deepest desire for knowledge is justification enough for continuing our quest. and our goal is nothing less than a complete description of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/humanities-deepest-desire-for-knowledge-is-justification-enough-for/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Ardent desire for knowledge, in fact, is the one motive attracting and supporting investigators in their efforts; and just this knowledge, really grasped and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-bernard/ardent-desire-for-knowledge-in-fact-is-the-one-motive-attracting-and/) [Claude Bernard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-bernard/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Atmosphere quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Pause before you get home and prepare your heart. A peaceful heart leads to a peaceful atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-burns/pause-before-you-get-home-and-prepare-your-heart-a-peaceful-heart/) [Jim Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-burns/) > [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. There are times when you finish with ten seconds left, and one extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/sometimes-a-minute-is-really-the-difference-between-success-and/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“Atmosphere" is a massive song. A lot of people say it's their favorite Joy Division song, but it's not mine; it reminds me too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hook/atmosphere-is-a-massive-song-a-lot-of-people-say-it-s-their-favorite/) [Peter Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hook/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [It was clear to me that the White House's solemn atmosphere would not civilize Trump. But the merciless nepotism with which he conducts politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-white-house-s-solemn-atmosphere-would-not/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) [Browse all 1,572 Atmosphere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to commune with the spirit of the universe, to be intoxicated with the fumes, call it, of that divine nectar, to bear my head through atmospheres and over heights unknown to my feet, is perennial and constant.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-commune-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atmosphere" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-commune-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ada/henry-david-thoreau-20_atmosphere_my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent_2889796.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My desire for knowledge is intermittent; but my desire to commune with the spirit of the universe, to be…” — Henry David Thoreau", "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": "Henry David Thoreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My desire for knowledge is intermittent;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-commune-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/my-desire-for-knowledge-is-intermittent-but-my-desire-to-commune-with/#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 } } ] } ```