---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I started writing about food, my…"
description: "\"Before I started writing about food, my focus was really on the human relationship to plants. Not only do plants nourish us bodily - they nourish us ps..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png"
---

#  Before I started writing about food, my focus was really…

![“Before I started writing about food, my focus was really on the human relationship to plants. Not only do plants nourish us bodily - they nourish us psychologically.” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png)

> “Before I started writing about food, my focus was really on the human relationship to plants. Not only do plants nourish us bodily - they nourish us psychologically.”

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

## About This Quote

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

Plants affect both our bodies and minds, shaping human culture and identity.

**In simple terms:** Plants feed body and mind.

Key Takeaway

Consider plants' deeper impact.

Themes

food culture psychology environment

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

nonfiction inspirational

When to use this quote

- cooking
- gardening
- urban planning

Key Concepts

anthropology nutrition

Questions to Reflect On

- In what ways do plants influence your emotions?
- How can we honor plant contributions?

A Different Perspective

Food choices also involve taste and convenience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bodily Nourish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bodily-nourish-5578367/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Human relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relationship/) [Nourish Bodily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nourish-bodily-5578366/) [Nourish Psychologically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nourish-psychologically-5578365/) [Plants Nourish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plants-nourish-5578368/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationship Plants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-plants-1623707/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [I have always had a tumultuous relationship with plants. I fall head over heels, we start off so well but within days, sometimes even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/i-have-always-had-a-tumultuous-relationship-with-plants-i-fall-head/)

[Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/)

> [My relationship to plants becomes closer and closer. They make me quiet; I like to be in their company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-zumthor/my-relationship-to-plants-becomes-closer-and-closer-they-make-me/)

[Peter Zumthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-zumthor/)

> [“He needs "space" and "time," as if this were physics and not a human relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/he-needs-space-and-time-as-if-this-were-physics-and-not-a-human/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [More than in any other human relationship, overwhelmingly more, motherhood means being instantly interruptible, responsive, and responsible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-olsen/more-than-in-any-other-human-relationship-overwhelmingly-more/)

[Tillie Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-olsen/)

> [“In the absence of human relationships I formed bonds with paper characters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/in-the-absence-of-human-relationships-i-formed-bonds-with-paper/)

[Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/)

> [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“City wisdom became almost entirely centered on the problems of human relationships, in contrast to the wisdom of any natural tribal group, where relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lovelock/city-wisdom-became-almost-entirely-centered-on-the-problems-of-human/)

[James Lovelock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lovelock/)

> [At the critical juncture in all human relationships, there is only one question: What would love do now?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/at-the-critical-juncture-in-all-human-relationships-there-is-only-one/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [“Human relationships are binary: they are complete and fully loving when both people are authentic or they are not at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/human-relationships-are-binary-they-are-complete-and-fully-loving/)

[Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/)

> [I think if you write about human relationships, you're always exploring the psyche and the soul. I don't separate certain - perhaps more extreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-jones/i-think-if-you-write-about-human-relationships-you-re-always/)

[Sadie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-jones/)

> [ If \[people\] place such things as friendship and family ties above their own productive work, yes, then they are immoral. Friendship, family life and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/if-people-place-such-things-as-friendship-and-family-ties-above-their/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Against the suffering which may come upon one from human relationships the readiest safeguard is voluntary isolation, keeping oneself aloof from other people. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/against-the-suffering-which-may-come-upon-one-from-human/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [The most important thing in all human relationships is conversation, but people don’t talk anymore, they don’t sit down to talk and listen. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-most-important-thing-in-all-human-relationships-is-conversation/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/)

[Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/)

> [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

## More by Michael Pollan

> [“In the same way that the picturesque designers were always careful to include some reminder of our mortality in their gardens -- a ruin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-same-way-that-the-picturesque-designers-were-always-careful-to/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [The problem is that we let special-occasion food become everyday food. That goes for soda and french fries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-problem-is-that-we-let-special-occasion-food-become-everyday-food/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [Every peasant cuisine has incredible ingenious tricks for getting a lot of nutrition out of a small amount of ingredients. There are people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/every-peasant-cuisine-has-incredible-ingenious-tricks-for-getting-a/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [In the end I'm still a writer. I'm still a journalist, and my first responsibility is to my readers. That's where I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-the-end-i-m-still-a-writer-i-m-still-a-journalist-and-my-first/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“The bubble logic driving tulipomania has since acquired a name: “the greater fool theory.” Although by any conventional measure it is folly to pay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-bubble-logic-driving-tulipomania-has-since-acquired-a-name-the/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“Of the seven deadly sins, surely it is pride that most afflicts the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-surely-it-is-pride-that-most-afflicts-the/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn into food, has in no small measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/growing-corn-which-from-a-biological-perspective-had-always-been-a/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [Eat with consciousness. When you eat with consciousness, and you know what you're eating, and you eat it in full appreciation of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/eat-with-consciousness-when-you-eat-with-consciousness-and-you-know/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [This is part of human nature, the desire to change consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/this-is-part-of-human-nature-the-desire-to-change-consciousness/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“...whenever I hear people say clean food is expensive, I tell them it's actually the cheapest food you can buy. That always gets their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/whenever-i-hear-people-say-clean-food-is-expensive-i-tell-them-it-s/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“Imagine if we had a food system that actually produced wholesome food. Imagine if it produced that food in a way that restored the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-if-we-had-a-food-system-that-actually-produced-wholesome-food/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“CONSULT YOUR GUT.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/consult-your-gut/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

[Explore all 584 Michael Pollan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

## More Focus quotes

> [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/)

[Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/)

> [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. I actually discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flume/music-is-a-job-but-i-figured-out-ways-to-get-my-mind-into-a-place/)

[Flume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flume/)

> [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/)

[Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/)

> [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/)

[Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/)

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [“This is Galileo,” said Aristotle. “He advocates understanding the world through observation and experiment. He is an unimaginative thinker, but his results demand our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liu-cixin/this-is-galileo-said-aristotle-he-advocates-understanding-the-world/)

[Liu Cixin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liu-cixin/)

> [Too many times we flitter our energy into too many goals and in the process don't achieve much. Focus is very important in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishali-kasture/too-many-times-we-flitter-our-energy-into-too-many-goals-and-in-the/)

[Vaishali Kasture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishali-kasture/)

> [If you ask another competitor, they may tell you they felt very competitive towards me. But I can tell you that my biggest competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-kwan/if-you-ask-another-competitor-they-may-tell-you-they-felt-very/)

[Michelle Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-kwan/)

> [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/)

[Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

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

> [All I'm focused on is playing my game. Everything else will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/all-i-m-focused-on-is-playing-my-game-everything-else-will-take-care/)

[Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/)

> [Focus on being productive instead of busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/focus-on-being-productive-instead-of-busy/)

[Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/)

[Browse all 11,734 Focus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Before I started writing about food, my focus was really on the human relationship to plants. Not only do plants nourish us bodily - they nourish us psychologically.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Pollan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-focus-was-really-on-the-human/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Focus"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-focus-was-really-on-the-human/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1b/michael-pollan-408_focus_before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-f_705831.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Before I started writing about food, my focus was really on the human relationship to plants. Not only do…” — Michael Pollan",
                "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": "Michael Pollan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Before I started writing about food,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-focus-was-really-on-the-human/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/before-i-started-writing-about-food-my-focus-was-really-on-the-human/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
