Animal kingdom Quote by Naoki Higashida
““We do take pleasure in one thing that you probably won't be able to guess. Namely, making friends with nature. ... nature is always there at hand to wrap us up, gently: glowing, swaying, bubbling, rustling. Just by looking at nature, I feel as if I'm being swallowed up into it, and in that moment I get the sensation that my body's now a speck, a speck from long before I was born, a speck that is melting into nature herself. This sensation is so amazing that I forget that I'm a human being, and one with special needs to boot. Nature calms me down when I'm furious, and laughs with me when I'm happy. You might think that it's not possible that nature could be a friend, not really. But human beings are part of the animal kingdom too, and perhaps us people with autism still have some left-over awareness of this, buried somewhere deep down. I'll always cherish that part of me that thinks of nature as a friend.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Personal reflections on nature, 2015
Finding comfort and identity through a deep connection with the natural world, especially for neurodiverse individuals.
In simple terms: Nature feels like a friend that calms and unites.
Key Takeaway
Seek moments in nature to center yourself.
Themes
nature
comfort
identity
neurodiversity
mindfulness
Mood
calming
reflective
hopeful
Type
personal
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- stress relief
- creative inspiration
- emotional regulation
- social connection
Key Concepts
Ecopsychology
sensory integration
self‑acceptance
Questions to Reflect On
- How does nature help you process intense emotions?
- Can you integrate nature into daily routines?
A Different Perspective
Nature may not replace human relationships, and reliance on it can be isolating.
![“[Materialism] seeks the primary and most simple state of matter, and then tries to develop all the others from it; ascending from mere mechanism, to chemism, to polarity, to the vegetable and to the animal kingdom. And if we suppose this to have been done, the last link in the chain would be…” quote by Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/88c/arthur-schopenhauer-226_animal-kingdom_materialism-seeks-the-primary-and-most-s_50402.jpg)
