--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me that information is the…" description: "\"It seems to me that information is the thing which uses matter, uses light, uses spirit, uses whatever it can put its hands on to organize itself into ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png" --- # It seems to me that information is the thing which uses… ![“It seems to me that information is the thing which uses matter, uses light, uses spirit, uses whatever it can put its hands on to organize itself into higher and higher levels of self-reflection.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png) > “It seems to me that information is the thing which uses matter, uses light, uses spirit, uses whatever it can put its hands on to organize itself into higher and higher levels of self-reflection.” [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. Information organizes matter, light, spirit, and any medium into increasingly complex self‑reflective systems. **In simple terms:** Information structures everything into higher self‑reflection. Key Takeaway Study how information shapes reality. Themes philosophy systems theory consciousness Mood inquisitive philosophical Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - research - education - technology development - spiritual practice Key Concepts information theory complexity self‑organization Questions to Reflect On - How does information drive self‑reflection? - What limits exist in information organization? A Different Perspective Complex systems can be unpredictable and chaotic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Higher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher/) [Higher level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/higher-level/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Information Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information-thing-3270837/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Organize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organize/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-reflection/) [Self-Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-2/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Uses Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uses-matter-3805907/) ## Related quotes > [Information is just simply bootstrapping itself to higher and higher levels of self-reflection and self-coordination using whatever means are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/information-is-just-simply-bootstrapping-itself-to-higher-and-higher/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The same organizational principles which called us forth into self-reflection have called forth self-reflection out of the planet itself. And the problem then is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/the-same-organizational-principles-which-called-us-forth-into-self/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [If I had some information, the last thing I would ever do with it is send it to Wikileaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/if-i-had-some-information-the-last-thing-i-would-ever-do-with-it-is/) [Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/) > [“information is simultaneously a relationship, an action, and an area of shared mind. What it isn't is a noun. Information is not a thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/information-is-simultaneously-a-relationship-an-action-and-an-area-of/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [“Information is the only thing that can be lost in an imperishable universe. Mind is the only thing that truly dies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/information-is-the-only-thing-that-can-be-lost-in-an-imperishable/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [After a while, your coaching development ceases to be about finding newer ways to organize practice. In other words, you soon stop collecting drills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-dorrance/after-a-while-your-coaching-development-ceases-to-be-about-finding/) [Anson Dorrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-dorrance/) > [The decision to begin a new day should be out of constant self reflection and be sustained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awukuvillage-of-hope/the-decision-to-begin-a-new-day-should-be-out-of-constant-self/) [AwukuVillage Of Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/awukuvillage-of-hope/) > [Really good musicians don't think of "self-reflection."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-bejar/really-good-musicians-don-t-think-of-self-reflection/) [Dan Bejar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-bejar/) > [Examining your thoughts is an important part of the practice of self-reflections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryuho-okawa/examining-your-thoughts-is-an-important-part-of-the-practice-of-self/) [Ryuho Okawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryuho-okawa/) > [“I sometimes marvel at how far I’ve come - blissful, even, in the knowledge that I am slowly becoming a well-evolved human being -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-g-bowers/i-sometimes-marvel-at-how-far-i-ve-come-blissful-even-in-the/) [B.G. Bowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-g-bowers/) > [We have so committed ourselves in different ways that we have hardly any time for self-reflection, to observe, to study.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/we-have-so-committed-ourselves-in-different-ways-that-we-have-hardly/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“You rise above your fears by facing them, not by ignoring them. And you can do that because you’re not the fear or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-raj/you-rise-above-your-fears-by-facing-them-not-by-ignoring-them-and-you/) [Surya Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-raj/) > [Self reflection and growth is always important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-zarin/self-reflection-and-growth-is-always-important/) [Jill Zarin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-zarin/) > [What is incarnation? Incarnation is self-reflection. The universe that we are in is constructed, is a reflection of ourselves. We picked the dimension according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/what-is-incarnation-incarnation-is-self-reflection-the-universe-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Americans are notoriously ill-equipped for self-reflection. We're usually a very boisterous, outward-moving bunch of people, but we don't understand that much about ourselves or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-frost/americans-are-notoriously-ill-equipped-for-self-reflection-we-re/) [Mark Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-frost/) ## 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 Data quotes > [Information is money, but data is squat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-llama-butler/information-is-money-but-data-is-squat/) [Angela Llama-Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-llama-butler/) > [“ data analytics consulting Perceptive Analtyics is a data analytic company and a trusted advisor to its clients across domains. Click to know more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastianmax/data-analytics-consulting-perceptive-analtyics-is-a-data-analytic/) [SebastianMax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastianmax/) > [The information nation took their clues from all the sound bite gluttons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rem/the-information-nation-took-their-clues-from-all-the-sound-bite/) [REM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rem/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [But actually theory is very practical. Gravity is a theory, for example. It allows you to predict that if you step off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-christensen/but-actually-theory-is-very-practical-gravity-is-a-theory-for-example/) [Clayton Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-christensen/) > [Statistics are like miniskirts: They give you good ideas but hide the important things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebbe-skovdahl/statistics-are-like-miniskirts-they-give-you-good-ideas-but-hide-the/) [Ebbe Skovdahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebbe-skovdahl/) > [Unlike return, however, risk is no more quantifiable at the end of an investment that it was at its beginning. Risk simply cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/unlike-return-however-risk-is-no-more-quantifiable-at-the-end-of-an/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Finding patterns is easy in any kind of data-rich environment; that's what mediocre gamblers do. The key is in determining whether the patterns represent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/finding-patterns-is-easy-in-any-kind-of-data-rich-environment-that-s/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [ \[Brazil\] went to the UN and said, "We need new standards for this." We need to take a look at what they're calling "data… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/brazil-went-to-the-un-and-said-we-need-new-standards-for-this-we-need/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [We're living in a technological world. You cannot tell me we can't do a better job getting that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-re-living-in-a-technological-world-you-cannot-tell-me-we-can-t-do/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Web users ultimately want to get at data quickly and easily. They don't care as much about attractive sites and pretty design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-berners-lee/web-users-ultimately-want-to-get-at-data-quickly-and-easily-they-don/) [Tim Berners-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-berners-lee/) > [You cannot have 300-some million Americans - and really, right, the global citizenry be at risk of having their phone conversations intercepted with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/you-cannot-have-300-some-million-americans-and-really-right-the/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [An important finding is that by determining the genome sequences of an entire family, one can identify many DNA sequencing errors and thus greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/an-important-finding-is-that-by-determining-the-genome-sequences-of/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [“The amount of stored information grows four times faster than the world economy, while the processing power of computers grows nine times faster. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/the-amount-of-stored-information-grows-four-times-faster-than-the/) [Viktor Mayer-Schönberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-mayer-sch-nberger/) [Browse all 3,134 Data quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It seems to me that information is the thing which uses matter, uses light, uses spirit, uses whatever it can put its hands on to organize itself into higher and higher levels of self-reflection.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terence McKenna" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-thing-which-uses-matter-uses/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Data" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-thing-which-uses-matter-uses/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/terence-mckenna-287_data_it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-t_431950.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seems to me that information is the thing which uses matter, uses light, uses spirit, uses whatever it…” — 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": "It seems to me that information...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-thing-which-uses-matter-uses/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/it-seems-to-me-that-information-is-the-thing-which-uses-matter-uses/#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 } } ] } ```