---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We often mistake the artificial chemical…"
description: "\"We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we often seek them out as a substitute for the re..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg"
---

#  We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological…

![“We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we often seek them out as a substitute for the reality of change, growth and exploration. Our minds and bodies help us in this, as they react much the same to this simulations as to the real world.” quote by Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg)

> “We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we often seek them out as a substitute for the reality of change, growth and exploration. Our minds and bodies help us in this, as they react much the same to this simulations as to the real world.”

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People chase artificial thrills, mistaking them for genuine growth, because simulations trigger the same brain responses as real experiences.

**In simple terms:** Fake thrills replace real change.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic experiences over simulations.

Themes

authenticity growth psychology simulation

Mood

reflective critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal development
- education
- media consumption
- addiction recovery

Key Concepts

neuroscience philosophy behavioral economics

Questions to Reflect On

- What real experiences are you avoiding?
- How can you differentiate genuine growth from simulated excitement?

A Different Perspective

Simulations cannot fully replace the depth of real-life challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Artificial Chemical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artificial-chemical-4756699/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-growth/) [Chemical Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemical-psychological-4756698/) [Edges Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/edges-real-4756696/) [Fake Edges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fake-edges-4756697/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Substitute Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/substitute-reality-1046118/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [The news automatically becomes the real world for the TV user and is not a substitute for reality, but is itself an immediate reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/the-news-automatically-becomes-the-real-world-for-the-tv-user-and-is/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Artists erase reality to a greater or lesser extent, and substitute their own reality - created by their brains, instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/artists-erase-reality-to-a-greater-or-lesser-extent-and-substitute/)

[Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/)

> [Rhetoric is no substitute for reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/rhetoric-is-no-substitute-for-reality/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Every fancy that we would substitute for a reality is, if we saw aright, and saw the whole, not only false, but every way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sterling/every-fancy-that-we-would-substitute-for-a-reality-is-if-we-saw/)

[John Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sterling/)

> [The picture is the imitation and converted reality of the goods, in short, an indirect substitute for reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-bayer/the-picture-is-the-imitation-and-converted-reality-of-the-goods-in/)

[Herbert Bayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-bayer/)

> [Change is growth. For me it has been a very spiritual and musical rebirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/change-is-growth-for-me-it-has-been-a-very-spiritual-and-musical/)

[Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/)

> [A relationship is like life. It isn't a process of preservation, but of change and growth. Unless you grow and change together, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-crawford/a-relationship-is-like-life-it-isn-t-a-process-of-preservation-but-of/)

[Bill Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-crawford/)

> [I have learn to remain humble and thankful. Boastful spirits are unable to see where change &amp; growth are needed. Being humble is the key!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-learn-to-remain-humble-and-thankful-boastful-spirits-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [We all change with time. Unless there is a change, there will not be any growth. So an individual must grow with time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-jayalalithaa/we-all-change-with-time-unless-there-is-a-change-there-will-not-be/)

[J. Jayalalithaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-jayalalithaa/)

> [“Conflict forces one to better oneself. It forces change, growth, adaption, evolution… or death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuthura-ban/conflict-forces-one-to-better-oneself-it-forces-change-growth/)

[Yuthura Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuthura-ban/)

> [“Your life is a sacred journey &amp; it is about change, growth, discovery... You are on the path &amp; from here you can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-joy-adams/your-life-is-a-sacred-journey-it-is-about-change-growth-discovery-you/)

[Caroline Joy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-joy-adams/)

> [Here's good news: God is even more committed to your change, your growth, and your transformation than you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/here-s-good-news-god-is-even-more-committed-to-your-change-your/)

[Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/)

> [Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-a-otto/change-and-growth-take-place-when-a-person-has-risked-himself-and/)

[Herbert A. Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-a-otto/)

> [Mere change is not growth. Growth is the synthesis of change and continuity, and where there is no continuity there is no growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mere-change-is-not-growth-growth-is-the-synthesis-of-change-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Change is not always growth, but growth is often rooted in change. Drizzt Do'Urden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/change-is-not-always-growth-but-growth-is-often-rooted-in-change/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Rick Tumlinson

> [To settle space, we will have to develop the ability to harvest and utilize the resources of the solar system, such as ores, ice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/to-settle-space-we-will-have-to-develop-the-ability-to-harvest-and/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [Whether your father, husband, son, or brother has been on the front lines, driving a computer or programming a tank, wielding a gun or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/whether-your-father-husband-son-or-brother-has-been-on-the-front/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [When President Kennedy set us on a path to the Moon in the 1960s, he knew exactly why - to produce a photo-op that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/when-president-kennedy-set-us-on-a-path-to-the-moon-in-the-1960s-he/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [On July 20th, 1969, Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong took the most expensive selfie in history. As the apex of an 8-year, $130 billion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/on-july-20th-1969-buzz-aldrin-and-neil-armstrong-took-the-most/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [We do not become an astronaut because we fear not only the risk of space, but we fear the risk of failure along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-do-not-become-an-astronaut-because-we-fear-not-only-the-risk-of/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [By reigniting the exploration role of our government Lewises and Clarks within and enabled by the infrastructure and economic drive of commercial space and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/by-reigniting-the-exploration-role-of-our-government-lewises-and/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [Vets are different than other people. Frontline or support, they carry themselves differently than the rest of us. It is as if they entered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/vets-are-different-than-other-people-frontline-or-support-they-carry/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [The exploration of space: Be it by humans or robots, based on the best choice for the mission and the most efficient means to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/the-exploration-of-space-be-it-by-humans-or-robots-based-on-the-best/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [Government paved the on-ramp to space. Now, the vehicles taking us up to the space highway are being built by citizens, leveraging off government-catalyzed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/government-paved-the-on-ramp-to-space-now-the-vehicles-taking-us-up/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [We face fear many times a day, in many ways, and usually we turn away from it. It often hides itself behind laziness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-face-fear-many-times-a-day-in-many-ways-and-usually-we-turn-away/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [It is in the failures of our striving that we find ourselves, and it is then, in the rising above them and trying again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/it-is-in-the-failures-of-our-striving-that-we-find-ourselves-and-it/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [It is time to declare that the goal of the United States in space is the settlement of the solar system, from low Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/it-is-time-to-declare-that-the-goal-of-the-united-states-in-space-is/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [Life comes forth for no other reason than to be and make more life. It will fight and crawl and do anything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/life-comes-forth-for-no-other-reason-than-to-be-and-make-more-life-it/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [The Moon! Mars! Asteroids! Rockets! Helium 3! Space solar power! Space tourism! We go through fads, swarm around the hero de jour, and spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/the-moon-mars-asteroids-rockets-helium-3-space-solar-power-space/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

> [I want the government to focus on the stuff we cannot yet do, like beginning to learn how we can live in space long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/i-want-the-government-to-focus-on-the-stuff-we-cannot-yet-do-like/)

[Rick Tumlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

[Explore all 81 Rick Tumlinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

[Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/)

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

[Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

[Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/)

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we often seek them out as a substitute for the reality of change, growth and exploration. Our minds and bodies help us in this, as they react much the same to this simulations as to the real world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rick Tumlinson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical-and-psychological-thrill-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical-and-psychological-thrill-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/rick-tumlinson-8365_adventure_we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical_2188416.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We often mistake the artificial chemical and psychological thrill of fake edges for the real. In fact we…” — Rick Tumlinson",
                "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": "Rick Tumlinson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-tumlinson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We often mistake the artificial chemical...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical-and-psychological-thrill-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-tumlinson/we-often-mistake-the-artificial-chemical-and-psychological-thrill-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
