--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one…" description: "\"“Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/loren-eiseley-3848_once-in-a-lifetime_once-in-a-lifetime-if-one-is-lucky-one-s_2547278.jpg" --- # Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with… ![“Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, might pass in a single afternoon without discomfort. ... You have probably never experienced in yourself the meandering roots of a whole watershed…” quote by Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/loren-eiseley-3848_once-in-a-lifetime_once-in-a-lifetime-if-one-is-lucky-one-s_2547278.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/loren-eiseley-3848_once-in-a-lifetime_once-in-a-lifetime-if-one-is-lucky-one-s_2547278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/loren-eiseley-3848_once-in-a-lifetime_once-in-a-lifetime-if-one-is-lucky-one-s_2547278.jpg) > ““Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, might pass in a single afternoon without discomfort. ... You have probably never experienced in yourself the meandering roots of a whole watershed or felt your outstretched fingers touching, by some clairvoyant extension, the brooks of snow-line glaciers at the same time you were flowing toward the Gulf over the eroded debris of worn-down mountains.”” [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote evokes a deep, almost mystical unity with nature, suggesting that in rare moments one can feel the vastness of geological time and ecosystems in a single, seamless experience. **In simple terms:** Feeling one with nature’s timeless flow. Key Takeaway Seek moments of deep connection with the natural world. Themes nature time interconnectedness transcendence Mood awe reflective inspirational Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - hiking - meditation - environmental education - creative writing - spiritual retreats Key Concepts deep ecology phenomenology cosmic perspective Questions to Reflect On - How can we cultivate a sense of timelessness in daily routines? - What practices help us feel connected to larger natural cycles? A Different Perspective Such unity may be romanticized and hard to achieve in everyday life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Once in a lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-in-a-lifetime/) ## Related quotes > [Once in a lifetime, perhaps, one escapes the actual confines of the flesh. 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Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-j-rodr-guez/) > [First of all, when you build a restaurant of that phenomenon-I really hate that word "set" and I hate the word "cast" -it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/first-of-all-when-you-build-a-restaurant-of-that-phenomenon-i-really/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [“The world may be running out of water, but it isn’t running low on music. Let the dancing flow!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/the-world-may-be-running-out-of-water-but-it-isn-t-running-low-on/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When your whole system, your whole civilized system goes down, this is pretty much what you get left with. We have no communications, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-blanco/when-your-whole-system-your-whole-civilized-system-goes-down-this-is/) [Kathleen Blanco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-blanco/) > [All are to be men of genius in their degree,--rivulets or rivers, it does not matter, so that the souls be clear and pure;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/all-are-to-be-men-of-genius-in-their-degree-rivulets-or-rivers-it/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [I never, ever romanticise life in the pit. It was a hard, dirty, noisy, tiring, dangerous job in a confined space, a very dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-skinner/i-never-ever-romanticise-life-in-the-pit-it-was-a-hard-dirty-noisy/) [Dennis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-skinner/) > [“You know, I should start thinking on names. I have to be over two months gone. A name is important. Especially for this baby.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/you-know-i-should-start-thinking-on-names-i-have-to-be-over-two/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [We want First Nations and these people to be like Canadians on a lot of points of view. Right now, that's not normal that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/we-want-first-nations-and-these-people-to-be-like-canadians-on-a-lot/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) ## More by Loren Eiseley > [“Taking a final pleasure in what the wind can neither proclaim nor destroy, I am a student of nightfall, I claim no other profession.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/taking-a-final-pleasure-in-what-the-wind-can-neither-proclaim-nor/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Perhaps a creature of so much ingenuity and deep memory is almost bound to grow alienated from his world, his fellows, and the objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/perhaps-a-creature-of-so-much-ingenuity-and-deep-memory-is-almost/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“The best way to be resurrected is to be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-best-way-to-be-resurrected-is-to-be-forgotten/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [To have dragons one must have change; that is the first principle of dragon lore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/to-have-dragons-one-must-have-change-that-is-the-first-principle-of/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [It is frequently the tragedy of the great artist, as it is of the great scientist, that he frightens the ordinary man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/it-is-frequently-the-tragedy-of-the-great-artist-as-it-is-of-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Every time we walk along a beach some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/every-time-we-walk-along-a-beach-some-ancient-urge-disturbs-us-so/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [The future is neither ahead nor behind, on one side or another. Nor is it dark or light. It is contained within ourselves; its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-future-is-neither-ahead-nor-behind-on-one-side-or-another-nor-is/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Out of the choked Devonian waters emerged sight and sound and the music that rolls invisible through the composer's brain. They are there still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/out-of-the-choked-devonian-waters-emerged-sight-and-sound-and-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [One could not pluck a flower without troubling a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/one-could-not-pluck-a-flower-without-troubling-a-star/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“I once saw, on a flower pot in my own living room, the efforts of a field mouse to build a remembered field. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/i-once-saw-on-a-flower-pot-in-my-own-living-room-the-efforts-of-a/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Lights come and go in the night sky. Men, troubled at last by the things they build, may toss in their sleep and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/lights-come-and-go-in-the-night-sky-men-troubled-at-last-by-the/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [The secret, if one may paraphrase a savage vocabulary, lies in the egg of night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-secret-if-one-may-paraphrase-a-savage-vocabulary-lies-in-the-egg/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [Without the gift of flowers and the infinite diversity of their fruits, man and bird, if they had continued to exist at all, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/without-the-gift-of-flowers-and-the-infinite-diversity-of-their/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [“Black magic, the magic of the primeval chaos, blots out or transmogrifies the true form of things. At the stroke of twelve the princess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/black-magic-the-magic-of-the-primeval-chaos-blots-out-or/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) [Explore all 121 Loren Eiseley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) ## More Once in a lifetime quotes > [“I know a feeling like that only comes once in a lifetime, and I think you should follow your heart’s desires. I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmad-ardalan/i-know-a-feeling-like-that-only-comes-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-think/) [Ahmad Ardalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmad-ardalan/) > [“A life is about twenty-five thousand days, and a finding occurs about once every twenty-five thousand days. In other news, once in a lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/a-life-is-about-twenty-five-thousand-days-and-a-finding-occurs-about/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Jessica, falling in love can’t always be a happily ever after or a once in a lifetime kind of story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-perez/jessica-falling-in-love-can-t-always-be-a-happily-ever-after-or-a/) [Kathryn Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-perez/) > [Love Is like Measles, It Only Happens Once In A Lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-kafata/love-is-like-measles-it-only-happens-once-in-a-lifetime/) Amos Kafata > [To find someone once in a lifetime, is a miracle... To find that same person in the same lifetime again… Makes me the luckiest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-wren-bryant/to-find-someone-once-in-a-lifetime-is-a-miracle-to-find-that-same/) R Wren-Bryant > [A once in a lifetime friendship<3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-once-in-a-lifetime-friendship-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's every other guitar player and then there's Chet. He transcended musical boundaries for more than fifty years. God only lays Chet Atkins on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-stuart/there-s-every-other-guitar-player-and-then-there-s-chet-he/) [Marty Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-stuart/) > [Cricketers like Jadeja come once in a lifetime, and I am sorry he didn’t play in my time. Could have added a few more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muttiah-muralitharan/cricketers-like-jadeja-come-once-in-a-lifetime-and-i-am-sorry-he-didn/) Muttiah Muralitharan > [I'm not one in a million kind of Girl... I'm a once in a lifetime kind of Women...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-one-in-a-million-kind-of-girl-i-m-a-once-in-a-lifetime-kind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My strength was taught and lived. I am once in a lifetime woman who is compassionate, fierce, and independent. I have built myself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafia-munir/my-strength-was-taught-and-lived-i-am-once-in-a-lifetime-woman-who-is/) Rafia Munir > [Many say that a man comes along with the moral courage of Nelson Mandela once in a lifetime. He was an extraordinary man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kielburger/many-say-that-a-man-comes-along-with-the-moral-courage-of-nelson/) [Craig Kielburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kielburger/) > [“Don't settle for less than you deserve but remind yourself every once in a while, that compromise is the ability to listen to both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-lawshe/don-t-settle-for-less-than-you-deserve-but-remind-yourself-every-once/) [Cathy Lawshe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-lawshe/) > [Once in a lifetime, you meet someone who takes your breath away. Not because you want them too, but because they were meant to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-in-a-lifetime-you-meet-someone-who-takes-your-breath-away-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You feel it too, don’t you?” I don’t have to ask her what she’s talking about. I felt it the moment I grabbed her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-saman/you-feel-it-too-don-t-you-i-don-t-have-to-ask-her-what-she-s-talking/) [J. Saman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-saman/) [Browse all 207 Once in a lifetime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-in-a-lifetime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, might pass in a single afternoon without discomfort. ... 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