--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet there is also something curiously…" description: "\"“Yet there is also something curiously exhilarating about the contemplation of deep time. True, you learn yourself to be a blip in the larger projects ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/robert-macfarlane-11240_exist_yet-there-is-also-something-curiously-ex_2894283.jpg" --- # Yet there is also something curiously exhilarating about… ![“Yet there is also something curiously exhilarating about the contemplation of deep time. True, you learn yourself to be a blip in the larger projects of the universe. But you are also rewarded with the realization that you do exist – as unlikely as it may seem, you do exist.” quote by Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/robert-macfarlane-11240_exist_yet-there-is-also-something-curiously-ex_2894283.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/robert-macfarlane-11240_exist_yet-there-is-also-something-curiously-ex_2894283.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31b/robert-macfarlane-11240_exist_yet-there-is-also-something-curiously-ex_2894283.jpg) > ““Yet there is also something curiously exhilarating about the contemplation of deep time. True, you learn yourself to be a blip in the larger projects of the universe. But you are also rewarded with the realization that you do exist – as unlikely as it may seem, you do exist.”” [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contemplating deep time makes us feel both small and awe‑inspired, yet it affirms our existence within the vast universe. **In simple terms:** Deep time makes us feel small but alive. Key Takeaway Embrace humility and wonder about our place in the cosmos. Themes existence cosmos humility wonder Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - stargazing - philosophical reflection - creative writing - education Key Concepts deep time existential awareness scale of universe Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing our smallness affect your purpose? - What practices help you feel connected despite the vastness? A Different Perspective Feeling small can lead to nihilism if not balanced with meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contemplation Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation-deep-4080495/) [Exhilarating Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhilarating-contemplation-4080497/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Exist Unlikely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-unlikely-4080496/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Realization Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realization-exist-4080498/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [You can never be absolutely certain that anything doesn't exist. But you can show that it's unlikely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/you-can-never-be-absolutely-certain-that-anything-doesn-t-exist-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Is when you can not exist without your loves smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff/is-when-you-can-not-exist-without-your-loves-smile/) [Jeff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff/) > [Happiness, I do not know where to turn to discover you on earth, in the air or the sky; yet I know you exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia-de-castro/happiness-i-do-not-know-where-to-turn-to-discover-you-on-earth-in-the/) [Rosalia de Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia-de-castro/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. 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I don't think in pro ball they exist, and they shouldn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/i-don-t-believe-in-moral-victories-i-don-t-think-in-pro-ball-they/) [Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/) > [You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/you-would-not-exist-if-you-did-not-have-something-to-bring-to-the/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) ## More by Robert Macfarlane > [“The association of the wild and the wood also run deep in etymology. The two words are thought to have grown out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/the-association-of-the-wild-and-the-wood-also-run-deep-in-etymology/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [“We are adept, if occasionally embarrassed, at saying what we make of places - but we are far less good at saying what places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/we-are-adept-if-occasionally-embarrassed-at-saying-what-we-make-of/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [Anyone who lives in a city will know the feeling of having been there too long. 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It is not, on the whole, that natural phenomena and entities themselves are disappearing; rather that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/meaning-indifferent-to-the-distinction-between-things-it-is-not-on/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [“When the lark sing he feels invulnerable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/when-the-lark-sing-he-feels-invulnerable/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [“...he suggested that paths were imprinted with the 'dreams' of each traveler who had walked it and that his own experiences would in course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/he-suggested-that-paths-were-imprinted-with-the-dreams-of-each/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) > [ “Although the disappearance of the true wildwood \[in the British Isles\] occurred in the Neolithic period, before humanity began to record its own history,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-macfarlane/although-the-disappearance-of-the-true-wildwood-in-the-british-isles/) [Robert Macfarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) [Explore all 60 Robert Macfarlane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-macfarlane/) ## More Exist quotes > [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [You would not exist if you did not have something to bring to the table of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/you-would-not-exist-if-you-did-not-have-something-to-bring-to-the/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [I don't believe in moral victories. I don't think in pro ball they exist, and they shouldn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-witten/i-don-t-believe-in-moral-victories-i-don-t-think-in-pro-ball-they/) [Jason Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-witten/) > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [“Must a people disappear for us to know they exist? Mano Dayak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-dayak/must-a-people-disappear-for-us-to-know-they-exist-mano-dayak/) [Mano Dayak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-dayak/) > [A monkey is unaware that atoms exist. Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [“And then again, maybe people and things are the same as emotions: Even when you can't see them or feel them or be with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-henriquez/and-then-again-maybe-people-and-things-are-the-same-as-emotions-even/) [Cristina Henriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-henriquez/) > [When you rely on incentives, you undermine virtues. Then when you discover that you actually need people who want to do the right thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-schwartz/when-you-rely-on-incentives-you-undermine-virtues-then-when-you/) [Barry Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-schwartz/) > [When good media takes a bounded form, and comes once in a period of time, it begs to be consumed as a whole -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/when-good-media-takes-a-bounded-form-and-comes-once-in-a-period-of/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“Human race had never planned to show up in this universe. I wonder whether current human efforts are relevant to its sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/human-race-had-never-planned-to-show-up-in-this-universe-i-wonder/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [If you ask why I do what I do - I want to make a difference. 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