--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whilst we want cities as the centres…" description: "\"Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.\" — Ralph Waldo Emerson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png" --- # Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things… ![“Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png) > “Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cities amplify trivial concerns, diminishing deeper values and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Cities magnify small problems, eroding depth. Key Takeaway Seek balance between urban life and inner peace. Themes urbanization values distraction Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - urban planning - mindfulness retreats - digital detox - local engagement Key Concepts materialism stress community Questions to Reflect On - How do you find depth in city life? - What practices keep you grounded? A Different Perspective Urban benefits can outweigh drawbacks for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) [Centre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centre/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cities Centres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-centres-1009719/) [Cities Degrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-degrade-1009717/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Degrade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrade/) [Degrade Magnifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrade-magnifying-1009720/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Magnifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnifying/) [Magnifying Trifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnifying-trifles-1009721/) [Things Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-cities-1009718/) [Trifles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trifles/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [Cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/cities-degrade-us-by-magnifying-trifles/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The city is always recruited from the country. The men in cities who are the centres of energy, the driving-wheels of trade, politics or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-city-is-always-recruited-from-the-country-the-men-in-cities-who/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Like all things, cities must change - even a city as enamoured of the past and memory as D.C.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzodinma-iweala/like-all-things-cities-must-change-even-a-city-as-enamoured-of-the/) [Uzodinma Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzodinma-iweala/) > [The trouble with those people is that they think all the best things are made in the cities. It is not so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-poole/the-trouble-with-those-people-is-that-they-think-all-the-best-things/) [Ernest Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-poole/) > [“It might seem odd that in cities teetering at the edge of the abyss young people still go to class—in this case an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-might-seem-odd-that-in-cities-teetering-at-the-edge-of-the-abyss/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [If we consider what happens in conversation, in reveries, in remorse, in times of passion, in surprises, in the instructions of dreams, wherein often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-consider-what-happens-in-conversation-in-reveries-in-remorse-in/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Worry is spiritual nearsightedness, a fumbling way of looking at little things, and of magnifying their value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-robertson-brown-lindsay/worry-is-spiritual-nearsightedness-a-fumbling-way-of-looking-at/) [Anna Robertson Brown Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-robertson-brown-lindsay/) > [“One magnifying glass and one moonlit night is not enough to light her ant-like heart on fire. So I’ll just have to approach it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/one-magnifying-glass-and-one-moonlit-night-is-not-enough-to-light-her/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [My passions, concentrated on a single point, resemble the rays of a sun assembled by a magnifying glass: they immediately set fire to whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/my-passions-concentrated-on-a-single-point-resemble-the-rays-of-a-sun/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [When I was little, I would burn ants with a magnifying glass. But now that I'm older, I'm more of a cat guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/when-i-was-little-i-would-burn-ants-with-a-magnifying-glass-but-now/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Albert and I would spend hours and hours looking at them. Cleo had this big magnifying glass on his desk, and we'd find centipedes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/albert-and-i-would-spend-hours-and-hours-looking-at-them-cleo-had/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [The presidency is a huge echo chamber magnifying every little thing he does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hess/the-presidency-is-a-huge-echo-chamber-magnifying-every-little-thing/) [Stephen Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hess/) > [A ship's engine far away on the water expands the summer-night horizon. Both joy and sorrow swell in the dew's magnifying glass. Without really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-transtromer/a-ship-s-engine-far-away-on-the-water-expands-the-summer-night/) [Tomas Transtromer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-transtromer/) > [“In quixotically trying to conquer death doctors all too frequently do no good for their patients’ “ease” but at the same time they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kevorkian/in-quixotically-trying-to-conquer-death-doctors-all-too-frequently-do/) [Jack Kevorkian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kevorkian/) > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) ## More by Ralph Waldo Emerson > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. 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When the mind is braced by labor and invention, the page of whatever book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-then-creative-reading-as-well-as-creative-writing-when-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The order of things consents to virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-order-of-things-consents-to-virtue/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Life only avails, not the having lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-only-avails-not-the-having-lived/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-child-reminds-us-that-playtime-is-an-essential-part-of-our-daily/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [No man can be criticised but by a greater than he. Do not, then, read the reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/no-man-can-be-criticised-but-by-a-greater-than-he-do-not-then-read/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I am; therefore, I had nothing better to do than to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-am-therefore-i-had-nothing-better-to-do-than-to-think/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Explore all 4,802 Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Best things quotes > [I need the best things in life, that's women, thats cars. Cigars in Venice, bottle on ice, thats priceless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-need-the-best-things-in-life-that-s-women-thats-cars-cigars-in/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The next best thing to being witty one's self, is to be able to be able to quote another's wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/the-next-best-thing-to-being-witty-one-s-self-is-to-be-able-to-be/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [I really believe that our past can really hold us back from growth, so the best thing that we can do is MOVE ON…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-harper/i-really-believe-that-our-past-can-really-hold-us-back-from-growth-so/) [Bob Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-harper/) > [The best thing for you to do is shop at your local farmer's market and support the organic growers who are there. Because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/the-best-thing-for-you-to-do-is-shop-at-your-local-farmer-s-market/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The best thing about the term 'performance artist' is that it includes just about everything you might want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-anderson/the-best-thing-about-the-term-performance-artist-is-that-it-includes/) [Laurie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-anderson/) > [The best things in life are free. Sunsets and sunrises are free. Air is free. Love is free. Death is free. The best things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-best-things-in-life-are-free-sunsets-and-sunrises-are-free-air-is/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I always wanted to be a player, but I never had the talent to make the big leagues. So I did the next best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-finley/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-player-but-i-never-had-the-talent-to-make-the/) [Charlie Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-finley/) > [I was a 36C or D, and at 5' 1'', I knew that being a small person with big boobs standing in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-was-a-36c-or-d-and-at-5-1-i-knew-that-being-a-small-person-with-big/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Each time I stop somewhere and look out, there are more people sitting there than there were the time I came before. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-giglio/each-time-i-stop-somewhere-and-look-out-there-are-more-people-sitting/) [Louie Giglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-giglio/) > [One of the best things that happened for me as a playwright is becoming a comic-book writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/one-of-the-best-things-that-happened-for-me-as-a-playwright-is/) [Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-aguirre-sacasa/) > [I don't really know who I am as an actor: the best thing would be to experiment with it for the next 30 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-don-t-really-know-who-i-am-as-an-actor-the-best-thing-would-be-to/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [The best thing about time passing is the privilege of running out of it, of watching the wave of mortality break over me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-best-thing-about-time-passing-is-the-privilege-of-running-out-of/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [What was the best thing before sliced bread?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/what-was-the-best-thing-before-sliced-bread/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The best thing about waking up early is seeing the sun rise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgit-mendler/the-best-thing-about-waking-up-early-is-seeing-the-sun-rise/) [Bridgit Mendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgit-mendler/) [Browse all 1,021 Best things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ralph Waldo Emerson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-where-the-best-things-are-found/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Best things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-where-the-best-things-are-found/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_best-things_whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-whe_2495576.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whilst we want cities as the centres where the best things are found, cities degrade us by magnifying trifles.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson", "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": "Ralph Waldo Emerson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whilst we want cities as the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-where-the-best-things-are-found/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/whilst-we-want-cities-as-the-centres-where-the-best-things-are-found/#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 } } ] } ```