---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for…"
description: "\"Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for humans - who have experience from their ancestors - is the last step before conflict. So, in the park, every kind..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png"
---

#  Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for humans - who have…

![“Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for humans - who have experience from their ancestors - is the last step before conflict. So, in the park, every kind of visual contradiction has been eliminated.” quote by John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png)

> “Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for humans - who have experience from their ancestors - is the last step before conflict. So, in the park, every kind of visual contradiction has been eliminated.”

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

## About This Quote

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

Urban chaos reflects ancestral human conflict; orderly spaces like parks remove visual contradictions, offering calm.

**In simple terms:** Cities are chaotic; parks bring order.

Key Takeaway

Seek calm environments.

Themes

urban design conflict order

Mood

observational calming

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- city planning
- park visits
- meditation spaces

Key Concepts

sociology environmental psychology design

Questions to Reflect On

- What does visual order provide you?
- Can chaos be creative?

A Different Perspective

Order may feel artificial and limit spontaneity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Big cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-cities/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [In our prehistoric past, we would have lived in extended families, surrounded by kin whose interests we might have wanted to promote because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/in-our-prehistoric-past-we-would-have-lived-in-extended-families/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [We've achieved this feeling, for instance, with the colors. The colors in the park are harmonious with each other, not like in big cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/we-ve-achieved-this-feeling-for-instance-with-the-colors-the-colors/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [The fact is that automobiles no longer have a place in the big cities of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-delanoe/the-fact-is-that-automobiles-no-longer-have-a-place-in-the-big-cities/)

Bertrand Delanoe

> [Big cities and bright lights. Sleep all day; long nights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/big-cities-and-bright-lights-sleep-all-day-long-nights/)

[Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/)

> [Watch out for dark streets in big cities because there are a lot of strange beings that hang out there at night, let alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/watch-out-for-dark-streets-in-big-cities-because-there-are-a-lot-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I don't think you ever think of a big city as sweet or community, but there are cities that I think of as charming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rivers-siddons/i-don-t-think-you-ever-think-of-a-big-city-as-sweet-or-community-but/)

[Anne Rivers Siddons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rivers-siddons/)

> [I didn't want to be driving to work everyday and sending out my Starbucks order. I didn't want to be in New York or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-didn-t-want-to-be-driving-to-work-everyday-and-sending-out-my/)

[Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/)

> [It is the custom to sneer at the modern apartment-house, television, big-city Christmas, with its commercial taint . . . office parties, artificial .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/it-is-the-custom-to-sneer-at-the-modern-apartment-house-television/)

[Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/)

> [Don't feel you have to stick to plans, because something better might come up; and try to blend in, because you see more. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-urie/don-t-feel-you-have-to-stick-to-plans-because-something-better-might/)

[Michael Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-urie/)

> [If you go to a big city anywhere in the world and you need a doctor, just ask me. I can tell you who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffi-graf/if-you-go-to-a-big-city-anywhere-in-the-world-and-you-need-a-doctor/)

[Steffi Graf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffi-graf/)

> [My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting really interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-experiences-growing-up-my-father-lived-in-new-york-so-i-was-going/)

[Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/)

> [One thing that's really interesting is not only the magnitude of the recent immigration into this country, but also its distribution and its investment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-prewitt/one-thing-that-s-really-interesting-is-not-only-the-magnitude-of-the/)

Kenneth Prewitt

> [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. The city is designed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/when-you-live-in-new-york-or-any-big-city-it-is-easy-to-fail-at/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [“The two big cities of Australia are tonally as distinct from each other as Boston is from L.A. or Lyon from Marseilles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/the-two-big-cities-of-australia-are-tonally-as-distinct-from-each/)

[Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/)

> [It is a fact of big cities that one girl's darkest how is always another's moment of shining triumph, and New York is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/it-is-a-fact-of-big-cities-that-one-girl-s-darkest-how-is-always/)

[Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/)

## More by John Hench

> [Of course, it gave the studio an enormous power, because I don't know any other place who had that skill with images to communicate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/of-course-it-gave-the-studio-an-enormous-power-because-i-don-t-know/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [It's an enormous amount of work: there are 28 separate buildings, and I work on the choice of the colors for everything. Outside colors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/it-s-an-enormous-amount-of-work-there-are-28-separate-buildings-and-i/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [We were trained from cartoons. Everything who was on the screen was chosen. Anything who was not there was deliberately not there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/we-were-trained-from-cartoons-everything-who-was-on-the-screen-was/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [Walt had a marvelous intuition. And because he understood people very well, liked them and had great respect for people, there was nothing cynical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/walt-had-a-marvelous-intuition-and-because-he-understood-people-very/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [Well, it was never supposed to be like that. Walt died before we had finished. The original idea of Walt's was that you came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/well-it-was-never-supposed-to-be-like-that-walt-died-before-we-had/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [It was supposed to be in the second street project for Main Street. But who knows? Maybe it will be built one of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/it-was-supposed-to-be-in-the-second-street-project-for-main-street/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [Even in China. Children there, next to the Great Wall, who had never seen Mickey Mouse responded. So the studio did have that skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/even-in-china-children-there-next-to-the-great-wall-who-had-never/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [I did what we call dry for wet effects, some of the miniatures work and two animation sequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/i-did-what-we-call-dry-for-wet-effects-some-of-the-miniatures-work/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [But Walt and him shared the same kind of optimism. Walt believed in himself, and he was optimistic about what he wanted to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/but-walt-and-him-shared-the-same-kind-of-optimism-walt-believed-in/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [Walt's idea was that - as soon as the people who were dining got through their main course. They were supposed to all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/walt-s-idea-was-that-as-soon-as-the-people-who-were-dining-got/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [For instance, some early ideas for Florida were done only recently. The idea of a little village was there from the beginning and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/for-instance-some-early-ideas-for-florida-were-done-only-recently-the/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [I helped develop Disney's) special effects department at that time, which helped very much when we worked on "20000 Leagues under the Sea"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/i-helped-develop-disney-s-special-effects-department-at-that-time/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [I thought that it would be easier to learn that if I worked in motion pictures. So I went to work with one motion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/i-thought-that-it-would-be-easier-to-learn-that-if-i-worked-in-motion/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [We don't have too much ritual in our life anymore. And these life symbols which people rely on to keep their feeling of well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/we-don-t-have-too-much-ritual-in-our-life-anymore-and-these-life/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

> [Color is a very critical thing. I've found that architects don't like colors. Engineers too. And so somebody has to stand in. Because this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/color-is-a-very-critical-thing-i-ve-found-that-architects-don-t-like/)

[John Hench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

[Explore all 40 John Hench quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/)

## More Ancestor quotes

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [Food binds us to our roots as strongly as any song or poem. Many of us have learned more about our ancestors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-thomas/food-binds-us-to-our-roots-as-strongly-as-any-song-or-poem-many-of-us/)

[Anna Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-thomas/)

> [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/)

[Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/)

> [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/)

[Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/)

> [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/)

[Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/)

> [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/)

[Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/)

> [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [And I saw for the first time how, despite the isolation of our own lives, we are always connected to our ancestors; our bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-richman/and-i-saw-for-the-first-time-how-despite-the-isolation-of-our-own/)

[Alyson Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-richman/)

> [There is an ancient Indian saying: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." If we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/there-is-an-ancient-indian-saying-we-do-not-inherit-the-earth-from/)

[Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/)

> [It is how it has always been. We will accept the legacy of our ancestors,' Asha says, smiling, and in her smile I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/it-is-how-it-has-always-been-we-will-accept-the-legacy-of-our/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/)

Empress Dowager Cixi

> [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/)

[Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/)

[Browse all 767 Ancestor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for humans - who have experience from their ancestors - is the last step before conflict. So, in the park, every kind of visual contradiction has been eliminated.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Hench"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-humans-who-have-experience-from/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ancestor"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-humans-who-have-experience-from/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/388/john-hench-16223_ancestor_big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-hum_2201645.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Big cities are chaotic. And chaos for humans - who have experience from their ancestors - is the last step…” — John Hench",
                "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": "John Hench",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hench/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Big cities are chaotic. And chaos...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-humans-who-have-experience-from/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hench/big-cities-are-chaotic-and-chaos-for-humans-who-have-experience-from/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
