---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Seascapes are before human beings and…"
description: "\"The Seascapes are before human beings and after human beings. The Seascapes were there before our presence, and when our civilization is over, seascape..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg"
---

#  The Seascapes are before human beings and after human…

![“The Seascapes are before human beings and after human beings. The Seascapes were there before our presence, and when our civilization is over, seascapes will still exist. Our presence is temporary. Civilization is only 5,000 to 6,000 years. The history of ours, the material history of…” quote by Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg)

> “The Seascapes are before human beings and after human beings. The Seascapes were there before our presence, and when our civilization is over, seascapes will still exist. Our presence is temporary. Civilization is only 5,000 to 6,000 years. The history of ours, the material history of consciousness, is rather short.”

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The sea endures beyond human existence, highlighting humanity’s fleeting presence in geological time.

**In simple terms:** The ocean outlasts humans; our era is brief.

Key Takeaway

Recognize humanity’s transience and value nature.

Themes

transience nature humility

Mood

contemplative humble

Type

reflective inspirational

When to use this quote

- environmental education
- museum curation
- climate change discourse
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

geology philosophy art history

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this perspective change your view of legacy?
- What responsibilities arise from recognizing our temporality?

A Different Perspective

Human impact may alter ecosystems, challenging the notion of permanence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/)

## Related quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [“Success is always temporary. When all is said and done, the only thing you'll have left is your character.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-gill/success-is-always-temporary-when-all-is-said-and-done-the-only-thing/)

[Vince Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-gill/)

> [Just a tip if you have a big event to go to or an important meeting, if you cry enough your face swells up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mcfarlane/just-a-tip-if-you-have-a-big-event-to-go-to-or-an-important-meeting/)

[Bonnie McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mcfarlane/)

> [Rise above your temporary emotions. It's not your final destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/rise-above-your-temporary-emotions-it-s-not-your-final-destination/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [All salvation is temporary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/all-salvation-is-temporary/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Temporary happiness isnt worth long term pain¦](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/temporary-happiness-isnt-worth-long-term-pain/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Must whales and dolphins be subjected to deafening noise that will cause more than 3.5 million instances of temporary and/or permanent hearing loss? For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/must-whales-and-dolphins-be-subjected-to-deafening-noise-that-will/)

[Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/)

> [ As we have seen after every other \[Donald\] Trump controversy, this one only increased their enthusiasm for him. His supporters thought the idea of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/as-we-have-seen-after-every-other-donald-trump-controversy-this-one/)

[Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/)

> [Acquire worldly wisdom and adjust your behavior accordingly. If your new behavior gives you a little temporary unpopularity with your peer group then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/acquire-worldly-wisdom-and-adjust-your-behavior-accordingly-if-your/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [Nothing is permanent," Magnus said. "I know this from experience. But you can get new things. You can meet new people. You can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/nothing-is-permanent-magnus-said-i-know-this-from-experience-but-you/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Our thoughts are either focused on what's eternal, life-changing, and true, or lost in the details of our temporary, selfish, false beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/our-thoughts-are-either-focused-on-what-s-eternal-life-changing-and/)

[Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/)

> [ Donald Trump has opened \[ politically correct enforcement\] up wide. He's made a very bold statement and he's backed it back just a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/donald-trump-has-opened-politically-correct-enforcement-up-wide-he-s/)

[Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/)

> [No greater victory can be won by citizens or soldiers than to transform temporary foes into permanent friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/no-greater-victory-can-be-won-by-citizens-or-soldiers-than-to/)

[William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [Diets are a temporary solution to a permanent problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/diets-are-a-temporary-solution-to-a-permanent-problem/)

[Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/)

## More by Hiroshi Sugimoto

> [I have a strong feeling about this quick movement and changing of society and populations growing - something scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-a-strong-feeling-about-this-quick-movement-and-changing-of/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [If I already have a vision, my work is almost done. The rest is a technical problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/if-i-already-have-a-vision-my-work-is-almost-done-the-rest-is-a/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [Photography is like a found object. A photographer never makes an actual subject; they just steal the image from the world...Photography is a system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/photography-is-like-a-found-object-a-photographer-never-makes-an/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [I'm inviting the spirits into my photography. It's an act of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-m-inviting-the-spirits-into-my-photography-it-s-an-act-of-god/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [“We'll drive backwards in what will become your new car to the beach where we first slept side by side. The green waves will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/we-ll-drive-backwards-in-what-will-become-your-new-car-to-the-beach/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [I feel that I'm in a very interesting position, where I'm standing back to look at this change, at this moment in history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-feel-that-i-m-in-a-very-interesting-position-where-i-m-standing/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [Life is one passage and then you keep moving into another state. It's like you might be reborn, but the process of being born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/life-is-one-passage-and-then-you-keep-moving-into-another-state-it-s/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [ I have no policy for my collection. For example, there's a bunch of meteorite \[on the windowsill in my studio\]. I touch it and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-have-no-policy-for-my-collection-for-example-there-s-a-bunch-of/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [One night I had an idea while I was at the movies: to photograph the film itself. I tried to imagine photographing an entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/one-night-i-had-an-idea-while-i-was-at-the-movies-to-photograph-the/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [I don't know whether the future or 2018 exists or not, but if it exists, I'm offering a show to a museum in Australia…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-don-t-know-whether-the-future-or-2018-exists-or-not-but-if-it/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [My concept was, within the five-minute video, for people to see one million Buddhas. So I made a group of the images and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/my-concept-was-within-the-five-minute-video-for-people-to-see-one/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [When I wake up I just make it happen. My dreams come true- that is the artistic practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/when-i-wake-up-i-just-make-it-happen-my-dreams-come-true-that-is-the/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [Not any particular religion or school of religion, but being an artist, you have to be spiritual, in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/not-any-particular-religion-or-school-of-religion-but-being-an-artist/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [I came to California in 1970 and so many people were asking if I was a Buddhist or knew Zen theory, asking if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/i-came-to-california-in-1970-and-so-many-people-were-asking-if-i-was/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

> [To me, as a visual artist, I don't want to get into the theory of Buddhism. There are many Buddhism theories and they fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/to-me-as-a-visual-artist-i-don-t-want-to-get-into-the-theory-of/)

[Hiroshi Sugimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

[Explore all 47 Hiroshi Sugimoto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/)

## More Civilization quotes

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/)

[Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/)

> [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/)

[Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/)

> [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [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/)

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“The mission is, not to replace old world mindlessness with new world mindlessness, but to put an end to all forms of brainless authoritarianism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-mission-is-not-to-replace-old-world-mindlessness-with-new-world/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

> [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/)

[John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/)

> [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/)

[David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/)

[Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Seascapes are before human beings and after human beings. The Seascapes were there before our presence, and when our civilization is over, seascapes will still exist. Our presence is temporary. Civilization is only 5,000 to 6,000 years. The history of ours, the material history of consciousness, is rather short.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hiroshi Sugimoto"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-and-after-human-beings-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Civilization"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-and-after-human-beings-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/641/hiroshi-sugimoto-14343_civilization_the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-an_411639.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Seascapes are before human beings and after human beings. The Seascapes were there before our presence…” — Hiroshi Sugimoto",
                "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": "Hiroshi Sugimoto",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sugimoto/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Seascapes are before human beings...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-and-after-human-beings-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sugimoto/the-seascapes-are-before-human-beings-and-after-human-beings-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
