--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know we are a species obsessed with…" description: "\"“We know we are a species obsessed with itself and its own past and origins. We know we are capable of removing from the sanctuary of the earth shards ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/kathleen-jamie-58350_civilization_we-know-we-are-a-species-obsessed-with-i_934355.jpg" --- # We know we are a species obsessed with itself and its own… ![“We know we are a species obsessed with itself and its own past and origins. We know we are capable of removing from the sanctuary of the earth shards and fragments, and gently placing them in museums. Great museums in great cities—the hallmarks of civilisation.” quote by Kathleen Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/kathleen-jamie-58350_civilization_we-know-we-are-a-species-obsessed-with-i_934355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/kathleen-jamie-58350_civilization_we-know-we-are-a-species-obsessed-with-i_934355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/kathleen-jamie-58350_civilization_we-know-we-are-a-species-obsessed-with-i_934355.jpg) > ““We know we are a species obsessed with itself and its own past and origins. We know we are capable of removing from the sanctuary of the earth shards and fragments, and gently placing them in museums. Great museums in great cities—the hallmarks of civilisation.”” [Kathleen Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jamie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans preserve history in museums, reflecting civilization’s desire to protect and display its past. **In simple terms:** We keep history in museums as a sign of civilization. Key Takeaway Value and protect cultural heritage. Themes history culture preservation Mood reflective contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - heritage tourism - archaeological research - urban planning Key Concepts anthropology museum studies Questions to Reflect On - Why do we need to preserve the past? - How can museums become more inclusive? A Different Perspective Museums can become elitist, excluding broader public access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When I was a teenager, I never knew anything about art. I think in South Africa at that stage, no one was really exposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/when-i-was-a-teenager-i-never-knew-anything-about-art-i-think-in/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [Museums have these great collections and the reality is they attract a regional audience not a national audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scotty-cameron/museums-have-these-great-collections-and-the-reality-is-they-attract/) Scotty Cameron > [Small museums are great. Big museums are a drag.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/small-museums-are-great-big-museums-are-a-drag/) [Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/) > [That's the beauty of the Web: You can roll around in a stranger's obsession without having to smell his or her house. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/that-s-the-beauty-of-the-web-you-can-roll-around-in-a-stranger-s/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [ I \[do not know\] when the end of science will come. ... What I do know is that our species is dumber than we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-do-not-know-when-the-end-of-science-will-come-what-i-do-know-is/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Thomas Wollaston, in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, complained that Darwin did no seem to know what a species actually was. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-clements/thomas-wollaston-in-the-annals-and-magazine-of-natural-history/) [Jonathan Clements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-clements/) > [“There are few better ways to get to know how a species thinks than to learn their art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-chambers/there-are-few-better-ways-to-get-to-know-how-a-species-thinks-than-to/) [Becky Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-chambers/) > [As far as we know, as a species, the only reason we were put on this planet is to help continue life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-evangelista/as-far-as-we-know-as-a-species-the-only-reason-we-were-put-on-this/) [Allen Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-evangelista/) > [The more you know about a species, the more you understand about how better to help protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-clark/the-more-you-know-about-a-species-the-more-you-understand-about-how/) [Alan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-clark/) > [We don't even know what species are out there, for the most part, particularly when you get down to the microbes and very small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/we-don-t-even-know-what-species-are-out-there-for-the-most-part/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [It may be argued that to know one kind of beetle is to know them all. But a species is not like a molecule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/it-may-be-argued-that-to-know-one-kind-of-beetle-is-to-know-them-all/) [E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“To know a species, look at its fears. To know yourself, look at your fears. Fear in itself is not important, but fear stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/to-know-a-species-look-at-its-fears-to-know-yourself-look-at-your/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [In some ways, I lament the introduction of civilisation on such a huge scale, because it has given us a lot of room to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-harper/in-some-ways-i-lament-the-introduction-of-civilisation-on-such-a-huge/) [Roy Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-harper/) > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) ## More by Kathleen Jamie > [“You are placed in landscape, you are placed in time. But, within that, there’s a bit of room for manoeuvre. To some extent, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jamie/you-are-placed-in-landscape-you-are-placed-in-time-but-within-that/) [Kathleen Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jamie/) > [“Isn't that a kind of prayer? The care and maintenance of the web of our noticing, the paying heed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jamie/isn-t-that-a-kind-of-prayer-the-care-and-maintenance-of-the-web-of/) [Kathleen Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jamie/) > [“There was a time—until very recently in the scheme of things—when there were no wild animals, because every animal was wild; and humans were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jamie/there-was-a-time-until-very-recently-in-the-scheme-of-things-when/) [Kathleen Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jamie/) > [“We couldn't see the real dark for the metaphorical dark. Because of the metaphorical dark, the death-dark, we were constantly concerned to banish the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-jamie/we-couldn-t-see-the-real-dark-for-the-metaphorical-dark-because-of/) [Kathleen Jamie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jamie/) [Explore all 5 Kathleen Jamie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-jamie/) ## More Civilisation quotes > [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [In some ways, I lament the introduction of civilisation on such a huge scale, because it has given us a lot of room to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-harper/in-some-ways-i-lament-the-introduction-of-civilisation-on-such-a-huge/) [Roy Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-harper/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [“There is a great deal of ruin in a nation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/there-is-a-great-deal-of-ruin-in-a-nation/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [The slow rhythm of the body, the insistent rhythm of the wit, were they becoming irreconcilable in modern civilisation? The sedentary life, frustration and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-slow-rhythm-of-the-body-the-insistent-rhythm-of-the-wit-were-they/) [Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/) > [The idea that war should be conducted within a moral framework may seem like a quaint medieval practice, but as speech separates humans from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-idea-that-war-should-be-conducted-within-a-moral-framework-may/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It crosses my mind that our generation may leave problems that are simply too hard for human society in the generations that follow. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-garnaut/it-crosses-my-mind-that-our-generation-may-leave-problems-that-are/) [Ross Garnaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-garnaut/) > [“the march of civilisation has given the modern girl a vocabulary and an ability to use it which her grandmother never had”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse-2/the-march-of-civilisation-has-given-the-modern-girl-a-vocabulary-and/) [P. G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse-2/) > [But the ear, let us not forget, starts operating on the forty-fifth day of the pregnancy of a woman. Seven and a half months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-barenboim/but-the-ear-let-us-not-forget-starts-operating-on-the-forty-fifth-day/) [Daniel Barenboim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-barenboim/) > [I love fashion, beauty, glamour. It's the mark of civilisation,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/i-love-fashion-beauty-glamour-it-s-the-mark-of-civilisation/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [Civilisation is never so charming as when it is an island in the middle of simplicity, or of a civilisation of an alien kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurrell-mallock/civilisation-is-never-so-charming-as-when-it-is-an-island-in-the/) [William Hurrell Mallock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurrell-mallock/) > [Western civilisation needs a complete overhaul or it will fall apart one day or another. It has realised the most complete perversion of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/western-civilisation-needs-a-complete-overhaul-or-it-will-fall-apart/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [If the truth be told, we are a society that is dripping in racism. This is not in the least surprising. For the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-jacques/if-the-truth-be-told-we-are-a-society-that-is-dripping-in-racism-this/) [Martin Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-jacques/) > [On this waterlogged landscape…are scattered palaces and hovels…It is here that the human spirit becomes perfect, and at the same time brutalised, that civilisation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/on-this-waterlogged-landscape-are-scattered-palaces-and-hovels-it-is/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [If we ever talk to aliens, their civilisation will be far more advanced than ours (because of distances involved). They won't be religious!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-we-ever-talk-to-aliens-their-civilisation-will-be-far-more/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 392 Civilisation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilisation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We know we are a species obsessed with itself and its own past and origins. We know we are capable of removing from the sanctuary of the earth shards and fragments, and gently placing them in museums. 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