---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps we have overrated roots as a…"
description: "\"“Perhaps we have overrated roots as a psychic need. Maybe the greater the urge, the deeper and more ancient is the need, the will, the hunger to be som..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg"
---

#  Perhaps we have overrated roots as a psychic need. Maybe…

![“Perhaps we have overrated roots as a psychic need. Maybe the greater the urge, the deeper and more ancient is the need, the will, the hunger to be somewhere else.” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg)

> ““Perhaps we have overrated roots as a psychic need. Maybe the greater the urge, the deeper and more ancient is the need, the will, the hunger to be somewhere else.””

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

## About This Quote

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

We may overvalue roots as a psychic need, but deeper urges drive us to seek new places

**In simple terms:** Rootedness may be less vital than the desire for change and exploration

Key Takeaway

Recognize and honor the drive for new experiences

Themes

literature psychology existentialism

Mood

thoughtful melancholic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- travel
- career change
- personal growth
- creative exploration

Key Concepts

rootedness wanderlust identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does longing for elsewhere shape identity?
- When is staying rooted beneficial?

A Different Perspective

May neglect the comfort of stability

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [It is an ancient need to be told stories. But the story needs a great storyteller. Thanks for all of it, Jo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rickman/it-is-an-ancient-need-to-be-told-stories-but-the-story-needs-a-great/)

[Alan Rickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rickman/)

> [I always felt that when I was photographing, I had a psychic need to see this, to photograph this. And I think if somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-clark/i-always-felt-that-when-i-was-photographing-i-had-a-psychic-need-to/)

[Larry Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-clark/)

> [I learned a lot. I really did. Millennium is a state of mind. I always thought of Frank Black as the greatest chess player…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/i-learned-a-lot-i-really-did-millennium-is-a-state-of-mind-i-always/)

[Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/)

> [LEGO has announced that they are shutting down their U.S. factory and moving it to Canada. LEGO employees say it's their fault because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/lego-has-announced-that-they-are-shutting-down-their-u-s-factory-and/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [“Leaving Germany and settling somewhere else would have been the easiest option,” he told the host. “We—and I am talking about whoever has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souad-mekhennet/leaving-germany-and-settling-somewhere-else-would-have-been-the/)

[Souad Mekhennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/souad-mekhennet/)

> [“I realized that most thoughts are impersonal happenings, like self-assembling machines. Unless we train ourselves, the thoughts passing through our mind have little involvement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/i-realized-that-most-thoughts-are-impersonal-happenings-like-self/)

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

> [If you don't know where you're going, you'll wind up somewhere else. Not all those who wander are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you-ll-wind-up-somewhere-else/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [A warrior, or any man for that matter, cannot possibly wish he were somewhere else; a warrior because he lives by challenge, an ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/a-warrior-or-any-man-for-that-matter-cannot-possibly-wish-he-were/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [I want the paintings to take me or the viewer out somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-want-the-paintings-to-take-me-or-the-viewer-out-somewhere-else/)

[Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/)

> [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I hate this feeling. Like Im here. But, Im not. Like someone cares. But, they dont. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-this-feeling-like-im-here-but-im-not-like-someone-cares-but/)

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

> [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/)

[Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/)

> [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/)

[Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/)

## More by John Steinbeck

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [Prayer never brought in no side-meat. Takes a shoat to bring in pork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/prayer-never-brought-in-no-side-meat-takes-a-shoat-to-bring-in-pork/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“And now submarines are armed with mass murder, our silly, only way of deterring mass murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-now-submarines-are-armed-with-mass-murder-our-silly-only-way-of/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“He was forever inventing a new way of doing an old thing and doing it better and quicker, but he never in his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-was-forever-inventing-a-new-way-of-doing-an-old-thing-and-doing-it/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“You come back a changed man. Samuel, you don’t change him. He changes you. I can see the look of him in your face.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/you-come-back-a-changed-man-samuel-you-don-t-change-him-he-changes/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I find out of long experience that I admire all nations and hate all governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-find-out-of-long-experience-that-i-admire-all-nations-and-hate-all/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I have noticed that there is no dissatisfaction like that of the rich. Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Who in his mind has not probe the dark water?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/who-in-his-mind-has-not-probe-the-dark-water/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [People like you to be something, preferably what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/people-like-you-to-be-something-preferably-what-they-are/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Suddenly he knew joy and sorrow felted into one fabric. Courage and fear were one thing too. He found that he had started to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/suddenly-he-knew-joy-and-sorrow-felted-into-one-fabric-courage-and/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I am writing this from what we Americans call Yurrp. In Yurrp writers are taken as seriously as Lana Turner's legs are in America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-am-writing-this-from-what-we-americans-call-yurrp-in-yurrp-writers/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I write because I like to write. I find joy in the texture and tone and rhythm of words. It is a satisfaction like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-write-because-i-like-to-write-i-find-joy-in-the-texture-and-tone/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

[Explore all 1,589 John Steinbeck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

## More Somewhere else quotes

> [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/)

[Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/)

> [Everyone in California is from somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wright-morris/everyone-in-california-is-from-somewhere-else/)

[Wright Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wright-morris/)

> [I hate this feeling. Like Im here. But, Im not. Like someone cares. But, they dont. Like I belong somewhere else, anywhere but here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-this-feeling-like-im-here-but-im-not-like-someone-cares-but/)

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

> [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [I want the paintings to take me or the viewer out somewhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-want-the-paintings-to-take-me-or-the-viewer-out-somewhere-else/)

[Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/)

> [A warrior, or any man for that matter, cannot possibly wish he were somewhere else; a warrior because he lives by challenge, an ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/a-warrior-or-any-man-for-that-matter-cannot-possibly-wish-he-were/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [If you don't know where you're going, you'll wind up somewhere else. Not all those who wander are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/if-you-don-t-know-where-you-re-going-you-ll-wind-up-somewhere-else/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [“I realized that most thoughts are impersonal happenings, like self-assembling machines. Unless we train ourselves, the thoughts passing through our mind have little involvement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/i-realized-that-most-thoughts-are-impersonal-happenings-like-self/)

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

> [“Leaving Germany and settling somewhere else would have been the easiest option,” he told the host. “We—and I am talking about whoever has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souad-mekhennet/leaving-germany-and-settling-somewhere-else-would-have-been-the/)

[Souad Mekhennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/souad-mekhennet/)

> [LEGO has announced that they are shutting down their U.S. factory and moving it to Canada. LEGO employees say it's their fault because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/lego-has-announced-that-they-are-shutting-down-their-u-s-factory-and/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“Okay; get out of here. Scram. Farewell . . . Go be short somewhere else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/okay-get-out-of-here-scram-farewell-go-be-short-somewhere-else/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [My brother's death picked up my life and put it down somewhere else. I had an image of myself in my mind as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yance-ford/my-brother-s-death-picked-up-my-life-and-put-it-down-somewhere-else-i/)

[Yance Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yance-ford/)

Browse all 1,191 Somewhere else quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Perhaps we have overrated roots as a psychic need. Maybe the greater the urge, the deeper and more ancient is the need, the will, the hunger to be somewhere else.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Steinbeck"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psychic-need-maybe-the-greater/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Somewhere else"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psychic-need-maybe-the-greater/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/john-steinbeck-71_somewhere-else_perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psy_2927273.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Perhaps we have overrated roots as a psychic need. Maybe the greater the urge, the deeper and more ancient…” — John Steinbeck",
                "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 Steinbeck",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Perhaps we have overrated roots as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psychic-need-maybe-the-greater/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/perhaps-we-have-overrated-roots-as-a-psychic-need-maybe-the-greater/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
