--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once I thought that to be human was the…" description: "\"Once I thought that to be human was the highest aim a man could have, but I see now that it was meant to destroy me. To-day I am proud to say that I am..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/henry-miller-179_aim_once-i-thought-that-to-be-human-was-the_2488126.jpg" --- # Once I thought that to be human was the highest aim a man… ![“Once I thought that to be human was the highest aim a man could have, but I see now that it was meant to destroy me. To-day I am proud to say that I am inhuman, that I belong not to men and governments, that I have nothing to do with creeds and principles. I have nothing to do with the creaking…” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/henry-miller-179_aim_once-i-thought-that-to-be-human-was-the_2488126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/henry-miller-179_aim_once-i-thought-that-to-be-human-was-the_2488126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/henry-miller-179_aim_once-i-thought-that-to-be-human-was-the_2488126.jpg) > “Once I thought that to be human was the highest aim a man could have, but I see now that it was meant to destroy me. To-day I am proud to say that I am inhuman, that I belong not to men and governments, that I have nothing to do with creeds and principles. I have nothing to do with the creaking machinery of humanity - I belong to the earth!” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects humanity's lofty ideals as destructive, embracing a primal connection to nature over societal constructs. **In simple terms:** Reject human ideals, embrace nature. Key Takeaway Find freedom in nature, not society. Themes individualism nature rebellion Mood defiant reflective Type philosophical provocative When to use this quote - personal identity - political dissent - spiritual seeking Key Concepts existentialism anti‑humanism Questions to Reflect On - What does being “inhuman” mean to you? - Can rejecting society improve wellbeing? A Different Perspective Human ideals can imprison; nature may not sustain all. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [Belong Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belong-earth-391203/) [Creeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creeds/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Humanity Belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity-belong-936578/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Inhuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inhuman/) [Inhuman Belong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inhuman-belong-936579/) [Machinery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/machinery/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Say Inhuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-inhuman-936580/) ## Related quotes > [“Today I am proud to say that I am inhuman, that I belong not to men and governments, that I have nothing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/today-i-am-proud-to-say-that-i-am-inhuman-that-i-belong-not-to-men/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [One thing is certain, that when you die and are resurrected you belong to the earth and whatever is of the earth is yours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/one-thing-is-certain-that-when-you-die-and-are-resurrected-you-belong/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [You are whole and also part of larger and larger circles of wholeness you many not even know about. You are never alone. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/you-are-whole-and-also-part-of-larger-and-larger-circles-of-wholeness/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [If we could but recognize our common humanity, that we do belong together, that our destinies are bound up in one another's, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/if-we-could-but-recognize-our-common-humanity-that-we-do-belong/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Some pictures are in the gallery because they belong to humanity and others because they belong to the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/some-pictures-are-in-the-gallery-because-they-belong-to-humanity-and/) [Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/) > [Develop a sense of the brotherhood of man. Look upon each person as your own brother. There is only one caste, the caste of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/develop-a-sense-of-the-brotherhood-of-man-look-upon-each-person-as/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [Side by side with the human race there runs another race of beings, the inhuman ones, the race of artists who, goaded by unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/side-by-side-with-the-human-race-there-runs-another-race-of-beings/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [I am the son of the road , my country is a caravan and my life is the most unexpected of voyages. i belong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amin-maalouf/i-am-the-son-of-the-road-my-country-is-a-caravan-and-my-life-is-the/) [Amin Maalouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amin-maalouf/) > [“A place to show her children: and you belong to the earth, and the earth is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/a-place-to-show-her-children-and-you-belong-to-the-earth-and-the/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [You belong to the earth and the earth is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/you-belong-to-the-earth-and-the-earth-is-hard/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [The Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-earth-does-not-belong-to-us-we-belong-to-the-earth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We belong to this earth. Now I can see the truth ... I love you on this earth of ours. Love me, do!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/we-belong-to-this-earth-now-i-can-see-the-truth-i-love-you-on-this/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [Awkwaard moment when I suddenky feeel like I dnt belong on the earth :/](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolas-sixx/awkwaard-moment-when-i-suddenky-feeel-like-i-dnt-belong-on-the-earth/) [NIKOLAS SIXX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolas-sixx/) > [Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/earth-does-not-belong-to-us-we-belong-to-earth/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once I thought that to be human was the highest aim a man could have, but I see now that it was meant to destroy me. 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