--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: imagine for a moment if we once again…" description: "\"“imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we’re eating. Where it came from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/michael-pollan-408_eating_imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-kn_1189037.png" --- # imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a… ![“imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we’re eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost. We could then talk about some other things at dinner. For we…” quote by Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/michael-pollan-408_eating_imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-kn_1189037.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/michael-pollan-408_eating_imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-kn_1189037.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/855/michael-pollan-408_eating_imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-kn_1189037.png) > ““imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we’re eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost. We could then talk about some other things at dinner. For we would no longer need any reminding that however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we’re eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world.”” [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. Understanding food origins and true cost reveals our dependence on nature rather than industry, prompting deeper conversation about consumption. **In simple terms:** Knowing food origins shows our reliance on nature. Key Takeaway Consider real cost of what you eat. Themes food awareness environment ethics consumer responsibility Mood thoughtful reflective Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - grocery shopping - home cooking - policy debates - educational workshops Key Concepts sustainability food systems economics Questions to Reflect On - How would you change your diet if you knew the full impact? - What role does nature play in your food choices? A Different Perspective Complex supply chains may obscure true costs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating/) [Eating Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-body-2438507/) [Eating Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eating-came-3506292/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Industry Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry-eating-2438509/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Things Eating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-eating-1711581/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Imagine for a moment if we once again knew, strictly as a matter of course, these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/imagine-for-a-moment-if-we-once-again-knew-strictly-as-a-matter-of-2/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [For we would no longer need any reminding that however we choose to feed ourselves, we eat by the grace of nature, not industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/for-we-would-no-longer-need-any-reminding-that-however-we-choose-to/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [Another thing cooking is, or can be, is a way to honor the things we're eating, the animals and plants and fungi that have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/another-thing-cooking-is-or-can-be-is-a-way-to-honor-the-things-we-re/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“Whatever my own practice may be, I have no doubt that it is part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/whatever-my-own-practice-may-be-i-have-no-doubt-that-it-is-part-of/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I came along at a time when the industry was eating its young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chely-wright/i-came-along-at-a-time-when-the-industry-was-eating-its-young/) [Chely Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chely-wright/) > [I know lots of people who eat raw, vegetarian, or vegan. I'm not into any of those things. I believe in eating enough so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-christensen/i-know-lots-of-people-who-eat-raw-vegetarian-or-vegan-i-m-not-into/) [Erika Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-christensen/) > [I'm an adventurer and I enjoy all types of things, and eating is a part of that. It's just too bad we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-carter/i-m-an-adventurer-and-i-enjoy-all-types-of-things-and-eating-is-a/) [Lynda Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-carter/) > [“Trevor liked to make eating out a full body experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trevor-liked-to-make-eating-out-a-full-body-experience/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything we eat begins with a plant turning solar energy into carbohydrates. Everything. 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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/) > [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/) ## 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. 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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 Eating quotes > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. 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People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/one-things-guys-have-to-remember-is-consistency-you-can-t-make-up-for/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [My mom cares that I tweeted a picture of my breakfast. She's knows I'm eating and I'm safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dorsey/my-mom-cares-that-i-tweeted-a-picture-of-my-breakfast-she-s-knows-i-m/) [Jack Dorsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dorsey/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [I have an intense dislike of doctrines, because you will always end up eating your words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/i-have-an-intense-dislike-of-doctrines-because-you-will-always-end-up/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) > [The worst thing for me is to not taste what I'm eating, to not know what I'm eating. 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