--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Actually, the highest form of human…" description: "\"Actually, the highest form of human organization is not realized in the democratic individual. It is realized in a dimension none of us have ever penet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png" --- # Actually, the highest form of human organization is not… ![“Actually, the highest form of human organization is not realized in the democratic individual. It is realized in a dimension none of us have ever penetrated, which is the mind of the species, which is actually the hand at the tiller of history. . . . It is an organized entelechy of some sort, and…” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png) > “Actually, the highest form of human organization is not realized in the democratic individual. It is realized in a dimension none of us have ever penetrated, which is the mind of the species, which is actually the hand at the tiller of history. . . . It is an organized entelechy of some sort, and human history is its signature on the primates.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human progress is driven by a collective consciousness that guides history beyond individual actions. **In simple terms:** History follows a shared mind, not just individuals. Key Takeaway Cultivate collective thinking. Themes collective consciousness history human nature Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical visionary When to use this quote - social movements - policy making - global cooperation - education reform Key Concepts eleutheria teleology anthropology Questions to Reflect On - How can we nurture a shared vision? - What structures support collective decision making? A Different Perspective Individual actions alone cannot shape large-scale change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) [Democratic Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic-individual-5486596/) [Dimensions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dimensions/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Highest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/highest/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-organized-1084623/) [Human history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-history/) [Human Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-organization-1607124/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Organization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organization/) [Organized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organized/) [Primates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/primates/) [Realized Democratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-democratic-5486597/) [Signatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signatures/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) ## Related quotes > [History is organized memory, and the organization is all important!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/history-is-organized-memory-and-the-organization-is-all-important/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [What is missing from the policy analyst's tool kit -- and from the set of accepted, well-developed theories of human organization -- is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elinor-ostrom/what-is-missing-from-the-policy-analyst-s-tool-kit-and-from-the-set/) [Elinor Ostrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elinor-ostrom/) > [Equality...is the result of human organization. We are not born equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/equality-is-the-result-of-human-organization-we-are-not-born-equal/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [If we were to place our power at the service of our imaginations rather than our primate politics we would create a civilization worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/if-we-were-to-place-our-power-at-the-service-of-our-imaginations/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This unique strategy that the advanced primates created, the strategy of using language to bind time, is what the process we call 'civilization' has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-unique-strategy-that-the-advanced-primates-created-the-strategy/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Marriage probably originated as a straightforward food-for-sex deal among foraging primates. Compatibility was not a big issue, nor, of course, was there any tension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/marriage-probably-originated-as-a-straightforward-food-for-sex-deal/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [We're just a conceited naked ape, but in our minds we're some 'divine legend' and we see ourselves as some sort of god, thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/we-re-just-a-conceited-naked-ape-but-in-our-minds-we-re-some-divine/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“As I sit, my back leaning against a damp, moss-covered tree trunk, my eyes sweeping the canopy above, my ears straining to catch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/birute-m-f-galdikas/as-i-sit-my-back-leaning-against-a-damp-moss-covered-tree-trunk-my/) [Birute M.F. Galdikas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/birute-m-f-galdikas/) > [The only option is politeness-remember always that you are dealing with other primates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/the-only-option-is-politeness-remember-always-that-you-are-dealing/) [Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/) > [Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty, was successfully practised; honours, gifts, and immunities were offered and accepted as the price of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/corruption-the-most-infallible-symptom-of-constitutional-liberty-was/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [I had bought two male chimps from a primate colony in Holland. They lived next to each other in separate cages for several months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiaan-barnard/i-had-bought-two-male-chimps-from-a-primate-colony-in-holland-they/) [Christiaan Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiaan-barnard/) > [The Jackdaw sat in the Cardinal's chair! Bishop and Abbot and Prior were there, Many a monk and many a friar, Many a knight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris-barham/the-jackdaw-sat-in-the-cardinal-s-chair-bishop-and-abbot-and-prior/) [Richard Harris Barham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris-barham/) > [No, nothing is sacred. And even if there were to be something called sacred, we mere primates wouldn't be able to decide which book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/no-nothing-is-sacred-and-even-if-there-were-to-be-something-called/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Unlike the primate hand, the elephant's grasping organ is also its nose. Elephants use their trunks not only to reach food but also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/unlike-the-primate-hand-the-elephant-s-grasping-organ-is-also-its/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [The only way to stave off boredom, in a complex domesticated primate like humankind, is to increase one's intelligence. This is not appealing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/the-only-way-to-stave-off-boredom-in-a-complex-domesticated-primate/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. Just as the history of yourself that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-history-of-man-that-you-don-t-know-is-what-your-unconscious-is/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are consciousness. We may not always be monkeys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-consciousness-we-may-not-always-be-monkeys/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What is happening here is we are living past the age, by the millions, living past the age where cultural values make any sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-is-happening-here-is-we-are-living-past-the-age-by-the-millions/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [What history is, essentially, is a careening, out-of-control effort to find our way back to this state of primordial balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/what-history-is-essentially-is-a-careening-out-of-control-effort-to/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [And what is the primary datum? It's the felt presence of immediate experience. In other words, being here now is the primary datum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/and-what-is-the-primary-datum-it-s-the-felt-presence-of-immediate/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This is the message of your life and my life - it’s that nothing lasts. Heraclitus said it: Panta Rhei. All flows, nothing lasts.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/this-is-the-message-of-your-life-and-my-life-it-s-that-nothing-lasts/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Knowledge, or verbal facility, is no proof that you know what you're talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/knowledge-or-verbal-facility-is-no-proof-that-you-know-what-you-re/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [No culture on earth is as heavily narcotized as the industrial West in terms of being inured to the consequences of maladaptive behavior. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/no-culture-on-earth-is-as-heavily-narcotized-as-the-industrial-west/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Man was not put on this planet to toil in the mud. Or the god who put us on this planet to toil in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/man-was-not-put-on-this-planet-to-toil-in-the-mud-or-the-god-who-put/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [If you take psychedelics and the Internet and music and put all of that together you have the basis for a new community that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/if-you-take-psychedelics-and-the-internet-and-music-and-put-all-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) [Explore all 745 Terence McKenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## More Democratic quotes > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Further more Yemen is leading pioneer in democratic practice, lots of brothers and friends testified on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-abdullah-saleh/further-more-yemen-is-leading-pioneer-in-democratic-practice-lots-of/) [Ali Abdullah Saleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-abdullah-saleh/) > [If Robert Heinlein is more to your taste than George Lucas: “If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-drum/if-robert-heinlein-is-more-to-your-taste-than-george-lucas-if-you-are/) [Kevin Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-drum/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We fight to defend our democratic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/we-fight-to-defend-our-democratic-ideals/) [Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/) > [I'm going to do everything I can to get myself elected, but that's not enough. I'm going to try to help move the Senate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-going-to-do-everything-i-can-to-get-myself-elected-but-that-s-not/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [While not widely reported, our victories in Iraq are plentiful. National elections, a democratic parliament and the drafting of a constitution are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/while-not-widely-reported-our-victories-in-iraq-are-plentiful/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [While living in America when I attended Harvard in the early 1970s, I saw for myself the awesome, almost miraculous, power of a people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benazir-bhutto/while-living-in-america-when-i-attended-harvard-in-the-early-1970s-i/) [Benazir Bhutto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benazir-bhutto/) > [As the longest serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress, as somebody who came into office by defeating an incumbent Democratic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/as-the-longest-serving-independent-in-the-history-of-the-united/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The creatives, they want to connect with people. These artists, the clothing designers, they want to connect with people the same way that music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/the-creatives-they-want-to-connect-with-people-these-artists-the/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) [Browse all 2,850 Democratic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democratic/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Actually, the highest form of human organization is not realized in the democratic individual. It is realized in a dimension none of us have ever penetrated, which is the mind of the species, which is actually the hand at the tiller of history. . . . It is an organized entelechy of some sort, and human history is its signature on the primates.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terence McKenna" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organization-is-not-realized-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Democratic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organization-is-not-realized-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/terence-mckenna-287_democratic_actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organ_690456.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Actually, the highest form of human organization is not realized in the democratic individual. It is…” — Terence McKenna", "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": "Terence McKenna", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Actually, the highest form of human...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organization-is-not-realized-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/actually-the-highest-form-of-human-organization-is-not-realized-in/#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 } } ] } ```