--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Just as the migratory and nest-building…" description: "\"“Just as the migratory and nest-building instincts of birds were never learnt or acquired individually, man brings with him at birth the ground-plan of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/murray-stein-135008_birth_just-as-the-migratory-and-nest-building_553391.jpg" --- # Just as the migratory and nest-building instincts of birds… ![“Just as the migratory and nest-building instincts of birds were never learnt or acquired individually, man brings with him at birth the ground-plan of his nature, and not only of his individual nature but of his collective nature. These inherited systems correspond to the human situations that…” quote by Murray Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/murray-stein-135008_birth_just-as-the-migratory-and-nest-building_553391.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/murray-stein-135008_birth_just-as-the-migratory-and-nest-building_553391.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1da/murray-stein-135008_birth_just-as-the-migratory-and-nest-building_553391.jpg) > ““Just as the migratory and nest-building instincts of birds were never learnt or acquired individually, man brings with him at birth the ground-plan of his nature, and not only of his individual nature but of his collective nature. These inherited systems correspond to the human situations that have existed since primeval times: youth and old age, birth and death, sons and daughters, father and mothers, mating, and so on. Only the individual consciousness experiences these things for the first time, but not the bodily system and the unconscious.”” Murray Stein ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human nature has innate instincts shared across individuals, forming a collective blueprint of life stages and relationships. **In simple terms:** Innate instincts guide life’s universal patterns. Key Takeaway Recognize shared human instincts. Themes human nature instincts collective life stages Mood reflective analytical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - education - therapy - cross‑cultural study Key Concepts anthropology psychology evolutionary biology Questions to Reflect On - How do innate instincts shape behavior? - What is the balance between individuality and collective nature? A Different Perspective Complexity may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Birth and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth-and-death/) [Dual nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dual-nature/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Youth and old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth-and-old-age/) ## Related quotes > [“Confident that cast-iron walls separate our nature and situation from theirs, comfortable in the well-broken-in saddle of our high horse, we have exchanged our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/confident-that-cast-iron-walls-separate-our-nature-and-situation-from/) [Alain De Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [All things are parts of one single system, which is called nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeno-of-citium/all-things-are-parts-of-one-single-system-which-is-called-nature-the/) [Zeno of Citium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeno-of-citium/) > [ The order of nature \[is\] that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-order-of-nature-is-that-individual-happiness-shall-be-inseparable/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [We early arrive at the great discovery that there is one mind common to all individual men: that what is individual is less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-early-arrive-at-the-great-discovery-that-there-is-one-mind-common/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nature and animals, especially living with them for as long as I have - gives you the gift of yourself, gives you the opportunity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-treadwell/nature-and-animals-especially-living-with-them-for-as-long-as-i-have/) [Timothy Treadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-treadwell/) > [“This tower was a giant, standing with its back to the plight of the ants. 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