--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That thing the nature of which is totally…" description: "\"“That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you is usually what you need to find, and finding it is a matter of getting lost. The word ‘lost’..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-solnit-569_getting-lost_that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-totall_617028.jpg" --- # That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you… ![“That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you is usually what you need to find, and finding it is a matter of getting lost. The word ‘lost’ comes from the old Norse ‘los’ meaning the disbanding of an army…I worry now that people never disband their armies, never go beyond what they…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-solnit-569_getting-lost_that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-totall_617028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-solnit-569_getting-lost_that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-totall_617028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a22/rebecca-solnit-569_getting-lost_that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-totall_617028.jpg) > ““That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you is usually what you need to find, and finding it is a matter of getting lost. The word ‘lost’ comes from the old Norse ‘los’ meaning the disbanding of an army…I worry now that people never disband their armies, never go beyond what they know. Advertising, alarmist news, technology, incessant busyness, and the design of public and private life conspire to make it so. A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia described snow-covered yards in which the footprints of animals are abundant and those of children are entirely absent. Children seldom roam, even in the safest places… I wonder what will come of placing this generation under house arrest.”” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often overlook what we don’t understand, yet those mysteries are essential for growth; losing our familiar bearings is necessary to discover them. **In simple terms:** Unknown things drive discovery; getting lost helps us find what we need. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty to uncover hidden needs. Themes exploration growth unknown society children Mood reflective concerned thoughtful Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - urban planning - education reform - personal development - wildlife conservation - media consumption Key Concepts existential curiosity social critique environmental awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance safety with the need to explore? - What structures can encourage healthy wandering? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize loss, ignoring practical risks of aimlessness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Getting lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-lost/) [House arrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-arrest/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Old Norse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-norse/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Private life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-life/) [Wanderlust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanderlust/) ## Related quotes > [“The word "lost" comes from the Old Norse "los," meaning the disbanding of an army, and this origin suggests soldiers falling out of formation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-word-lost-comes-from-the-old-norse-los-meaning-the-disbanding-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [If the lost word is lost, if the spent word is spent If the unheard, unspoken Word is unspoken, unheard; Still is the spoken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-lost-word-is-lost-if-the-spent-word-is-spent-if-the-unheard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“With This Time Lost, Comes Time To Spend. To Spend On Love, Friends, Family, And Most Of All.. Time To Spend On Life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-holdeman/with-this-time-lost-comes-time-to-spend-to-spend-on-love-friends/) Jesse Holdeman > [But I'm lost when it comes to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-simon/but-i-m-lost-when-it-comes-to-you/) [Carly Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-simon/) > [“A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia described snow-covered yards in which the footprints of animals are abundant and those of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-recent-article-about-the-return-of-wildlife-to-suburbia-described/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Lost Things" There are many ways to understand the word lost, my love. When you were born, the last Pyrenean ibex, a tawny female…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-vermeersch/lost-things-there-are-many-ways-to-understand-the-word-lost-my-love/) Paul Vermeersch > [“Being in the Word is Far More Important than Being in a Ministry...If You Are in a Ministry Without Being in the Word, You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agu-jaachynma-n-e/being-in-the-word-is-far-more-important-than-being-in-a-ministry-if/) [Agu Jaachynma N.E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agu-jaachynma-n-e/) > [A single word has sometimes lost or won an empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardinal-richelieu/a-single-word-has-sometimes-lost-or-won-an-empire/) [Cardinal Richelieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardinal-richelieu/) > [“And" was the next word I lost, probably because it was so close to her name, what a simple word to say, what a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/and-was-the-next-word-i-lost-probably-because-it-was-so-close-to-her/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [Three things that never come back: the spent arrow; the spoken word; the lost opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/three-things-that-never-come-back-the-spent-arrow-the-spoken-word-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I do not know if there is a more dreadful word in the English language than that word "lost."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-do-not-know-if-there-is-a-more-dreadful-word-in-the-english/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [A trite word is an overused word which has lost its identity like an old coat in a second-hand shop. The familiar grows dull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/a-trite-word-is-an-overused-word-which-has-lost-its-identity-like-an/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“I love going out of my way, beyond what I know, and finding my way back a few extra miles, by another trail, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-love-going-out-of-my-way-beyond-what-i-know-and-finding-my-way-back/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“One soft humid early spring morning driving a winding road across Mount Tamalpais, the 2,500-foot mountain just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/one-soft-humid-early-spring-morning-driving-a-winding-road-across/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“The name of Ragnar's third wife was Aslaug (Aslög). Aslaug was said to be the daughter of the legendary Norse hero Sigurd (Old Norse:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/njord-kane/the-name-of-ragnar-s-third-wife-was-aslaug-asl-g-aslaug-was-said-to/) [Njord Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/njord-kane/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“To love someone is to put yourself in their place, we say, which is to put ourself in their story, or figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-love-someone-is-to-put-yourself-in-their-place-we-say-which-is-to/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Whose maps are we trying to read? And what are we trying to draw? 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It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Getting lost quotes > [Life, it seems, will fade away Drifting further every day Getting lost within myself Nothing matters, no one else I have lost the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-it-seems-will-fade-away-drifting-further-every-day-getting-lost/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“If you believe that success is inevitable, you’re less likely to work your tail off in order to achieve it. Hard problems are definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-greene/if-you-believe-that-success-is-inevitable-you-re-less-likely-to-work/) [Nat Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-greene/) > [“Some guy on the radio is asking me to take it slow, switches to a commercial and I wait for the next song. Feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayendra/some-guy-on-the-radio-is-asking-me-to-take-it-slow-switches-to-a/) Gayendra > [Do u have a map cuz I keep getting lost in ur lovely eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-hack/do-u-have-a-map-cuz-i-keep-getting-lost-in-ur-lovely-eyes/) [Kate Hack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-hack/) > [“All great myths and stories follow a similar pattern. The hero gets distracted and questions his power. He struggles and flounders until he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-main/all-great-myths-and-stories-follow-a-similar-pattern-the-hero-gets/) [Darren Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-main/) > [“I'm engulfed in her. I've never felt more right in my whole life as in this moment. And I know it's going to hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gernentz-hanson/i-m-engulfed-in-her-i-ve-never-felt-more-right-in-my-whole-life-as-in/) Amanda Gernentz Hanson > [This is your LIFE do what you love, and do it often. If you don't like something, change it. If you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-your-life-do-what-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Choosing to be an artist . . . is choosing to mine deep caverns. It's like getting lost in the darkness and spending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-zackheim/choosing-to-be-an-artist-is-choosing-to-mine-deep-caverns-it-s-like/) Michele Zackheim > [If you are in the country, you should notice landmarks - that is, objects which help you to find your way or prevent you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-baden-powell/if-you-are-in-the-country-you-should-notice-landmarks-that-is-objects/) [Robert Baden-Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-baden-powell/) > [“It's important to investigate the nature of anger because it is such a powerful energy and can be so destructive. 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Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-porter/) [Browse all 228 Getting lost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-lost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you is usually what you need to find, and finding it is a matter of getting lost. The word ‘lost’ comes from the old Norse ‘los’ meaning the disbanding of an army…I worry now that people never disband their armies, never go beyond what they know. Advertising, alarmist news, technology, incessant busyness, and the design of public and private life conspire to make it so. A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia described snow-covered yards in which the footprints of animals are abundant and those of children are entirely absent. 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