---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is always the psychic and social…"
description: "\"It is always the psychic and social grounds, brought into play by each medium or technology, that readjust the balance of the hemispheres and of human ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png"
---

#  It is always the psychic and social grounds, brought into…

![“It is always the psychic and social grounds, brought into play by each medium or technology, that readjust the balance of the hemispheres and of human sensibilities into equilibrium with those grounds.” quote by Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png)

> “It is always the psychic and social grounds, brought into play by each medium or technology, that readjust the balance of the hemispheres and of human sensibilities into equilibrium with those grounds.”

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

## About This Quote

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

Technology reshapes how our brain hemispheres interact, balancing human perception with the medium’s influence.

**In simple terms:** Technology changes how we think and feel.

Key Takeaway

Recognize media’s impact on perception.

Themes

media perception technology culture

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- education
- marketing
- urban planning
- personal development
- media design

Key Concepts

cognitive balance media ecology human sensibility

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your primary device shape your worldview?
- Can you notice a shift when switching media?

A Different Perspective

The effect varies across individuals and cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Equilibrium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equilibrium/) [Hemisphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hemisphere/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Psychics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychics/) [Sensibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensibility/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/)

## Related quotes

> [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [“So in this Hemisphere when the moon goes down, I sit in one of those all-night-into-mornings cafes, watching short short skies below the skyscrapers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-maviglia/so-in-this-hemisphere-when-the-moon-goes-down-i-sit-in-one-of-those/)

Joseph Maviglia

> [The real stars of society are tired of appearing there. He who is curious to gaze at them must often migrate to another hemisphere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-real-stars-of-society-are-tired-of-appearing-there-he-who-is/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [The left hemisphere acts as an "interpreter," watching the actions and behaviors of the body and assigning a coherent narrative to these events. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/the-left-hemisphere-acts-as-an-interpreter-watching-the-actions-and/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [The hurricanes are following the tropical ocean temperature. The tropical ocean temperature is following the Northern Hemisphere. And it's very hard now to believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-emanuel/the-hurricanes-are-following-the-tropical-ocean-temperature-the/)

[Kerry Emanuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-emanuel/)

> [Genius is intensity of life; an overflowing vitality which floods and fertilizes a continent or a hemisphere of being; which makes a nature many-sided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-wright-mabie/genius-is-intensity-of-life-an-overflowing-vitality-which-floods-and/)

[Hamilton Wright Mabie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-wright-mabie/)

> [“As Gazzaniga put it, "these findings all suggest that the interpretive mechanism of the left hemisphere is always hard at work, seeking the meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eagleman/as-gazzaniga-put-it-these-findings-all-suggest-that-the-interpretive/)

[David Eagleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eagleman/)

> [Don't leave home without your left hemisphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gazzaniga/don-t-leave-home-without-your-left-hemisphere/)

[Michael Gazzaniga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gazzaniga/)

> [We can look forward to the day when the free flow of trade, from the southern reaches of Tierra del Fuego to the northern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/we-can-look-forward-to-the-day-when-the-free-flow-of-trade-from-the/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [What it comes down to is that modern society discriminates against the right hemisphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-wolcott-sperry/what-it-comes-down-to-is-that-modern-society-discriminates-against/)

[Roger Wolcott Sperry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-wolcott-sperry/)

> [It is time for the world, the hemisphere and the region to make sure that relevant institutions of civil society and relevant laws are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baldwin-spencer/it-is-time-for-the-world-the-hemisphere-and-the-region-to-make-sure/)

[Baldwin Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baldwin-spencer/)

> [From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hoeven/from-the-world-wars-of-europe-to-the-jungles-of-the-far-east-from-the/)

[John Hoeven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hoeven/)

> [I consider the differences between man and animals in propensities, feelings, and intellectual faculties, to be the result of the same cause as that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-lawrence-1st-baronet/i-consider-the-differences-between-man-and-animals-in-propensities/)

Sir William Lawrence, 1st Baronet

> [You begin by engaging the left hemisphere of the brain with the overall shape, the basic structure of the painting, and then eventually you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-molinari/you-begin-by-engaging-the-left-hemisphere-of-the-brain-with-the/)

[Guido Molinari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-molinari/)

## More by Marshall McLuhan

> [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Language always preserves a play or figure/ground relation between experience, and perception and its replay in expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/language-always-preserves-a-play-or-figure-ground-relation-between/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Electronic man has no physical body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/electronic-man-has-no-physical-body/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/with-the-arrival-of-electric-technology-man-has-extended-or-set/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“The constant broadcast and reception of ghostly images via radio and television, according to this notion, had weakened the sense, particularly among youth, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-constant-broadcast-and-reception-of-ghostly-images-via-radio-and/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by the electric media--movies, Telstar, flight--far surpassesany possible influence mom and dad can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-family-circle-has-widened-the-worldpool-of-information-fathered/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Like primitive, we now live in a global village of our own making, a simultaneous happening. It doesn't necessarily mean harmony and peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/like-primitive-we-now-live-in-a-global-village-of-our-own-making-a/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/professionalism-is-environmental-amateurism-is-anti-environmental/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The visual power of the phonetic alphabet is the translate other languages into itself is part of its power to invade right hemisphere (oral)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-visual-power-of-the-phonetic-alphabet-is-the-translate-other/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [New media may at first appear as mere codes of transmission for older achievement and established patterns of thought. But nobody could make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/new-media-may-at-first-appear-as-mere-codes-of-transmission-for-older/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Youth instinctively understand the present environment - the electric drama. It lives mythically and in depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/youth-instinctively-understand-the-present-environment-the-electric/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Our motor car is our supreme form of privacy when we are away from home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/our-motor-car-is-our-supreme-form-of-privacy-when-we-are-away-from/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The scientist rigorously defends his right to be ignorant of almost everything except his specialty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-scientist-rigorously-defends-his-right-to-be-ignorant-of-almost/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

[Explore all 433 Marshall McLuhan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

## More Balance quotes

> [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/)

[Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/)

> [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/)

[Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/)

> [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/)

[Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/)

> [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/)

[Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/)

> [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/)

[Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/)

> [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/)

[A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/)

> [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/)

[Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

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

> [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/)

[John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/)

> [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/)

[Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/)

> [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/)

[Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/)

> [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

> [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/)

[Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/)

[Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is always the psychic and social grounds, brought into play by each medium or technology, that readjust the balance of the hemispheres and of human sensibilities into equilibrium with those grounds.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marshall McLuhan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grounds-brought-into-play-by-each/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Balance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grounds-brought-into-play-by-each/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d9/marshall-mcluhan-641_balance_it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grou_2345440.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is always the psychic and social grounds, brought into play by each medium or technology, that readjust…” — Marshall McLuhan",
                "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": "Marshall McLuhan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is always the psychic and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grounds-brought-into-play-by-each/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/it-is-always-the-psychic-and-social-grounds-brought-into-play-by-each/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
