---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can move no faster than the evolution…"
description: "\"We can move no faster than the evolution of our language, and this is certainly part of what the psychedelics are about: they force the evolution of la..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png"
---

#  We can move no faster than the evolution of our language…

![“We can move no faster than the evolution of our language, and this is certainly part of what the psychedelics are about: they force the evolution of language.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png)

> “We can move no faster than the evolution of our language, and this is certainly part of what the psychedelics are about: they force the evolution of language.”

[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.

Language changes as quickly as our tools and ideas; psychedelics accelerate that shift by reshaping perception and expression.

**In simple terms:** Language evolves with culture; psychedelics speed it up.

Key Takeaway

Embrace altered states to expand communication.

Themes

language culture psychedelics innovation

Mood

curious introspective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- artistic collaboration
- scientific brainstorming
- personal growth

Key Concepts

neuroplasticity semantic shift consciousness expansion

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we integrate new linguistic insights responsibly?
- What safeguards help maintain clarity?

A Different Perspective

Rapid change can outpace comprehension, causing confusion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Certainly Psychedelics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainly-psychedelics-5838993/) [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Evolution Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-language-1374995/) [Evolution of language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution-of-language-58506/) [Faster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faster/) [Faster Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faster-evolution-5838994/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Certainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-certainly-5838992/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Psychedelic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychedelic/) [Psychedelics Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychedelics-force-5838991/)

## Related quotes

> [The bicameral mind with its controlling gods was evolved as a final stage of the evolution of language. And in this development lies the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-jaynes/the-bicameral-mind-with-its-controlling-gods-was-evolved-as-a-final/)

[Julian Jaynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-jaynes/)

> [Memetics provides a new approach to the evolution of language in which we apply Darwinian thinking to two replicators, not one. On this theory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/memetics-provides-a-new-approach-to-the-evolution-of-language-in/)

[Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/)

> [It seems inconceivable that a species of human could possess fully modern language and not be fully modern in all other ways, too. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/it-seems-inconceivable-that-a-species-of-human-could-possess-fully/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [One way to think about what psychedelics are is as catalysts for language development. They literally force the evolution of language. You cannot evolve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/one-way-to-think-about-what-psychedelics-are-is-as-catalysts-for/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/)

[James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/)

> [Words have a genealogy and it's easier to trace the evolution of a single word than the evolution of a language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/words-have-a-genealogy-and-it-s-easier-to-trace-the-evolution-of-a/)

[Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/)

> [In our evolution language has been the greatest single contribution to our understanding and misunderstanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/in-our-evolution-language-has-been-the-greatest-single-contribution/)

[Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/)

## 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 Evolution quotes

> [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/)

[Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/)

> [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/)

[David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/)

> [If the polymer chain assumes a helicoidal conformation in the crystalline state, and if it does not contain asymmetric carbon atoms, it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-natta/if-the-polymer-chain-assumes-a-helicoidal-conformation-in-the/)

[Giulio Natta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giulio-natta/)

> [“Genetics is a science full of gods, Mr. Sanchez.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valeria-luiselli/genetics-is-a-science-full-of-gods-mr-sanchez/)

[Valeria Luiselli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valeria-luiselli/)

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [The fact -- not theory -- that evolution has occurred and the Darwinian theory as to how it occurred have become so confused in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gaylord-simpson/the-fact-not-theory-that-evolution-has-occurred-and-the-darwinian/)

[George Gaylord Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gaylord-simpson/)

> [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/)

[Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/)

> [The true nature of soul is right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. The soul, so long as it is subject to transmigration, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/the-true-nature-of-soul-is-right-knowledge-right-faith-and-right/)

[Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/)

> [“Toshiaki learned that all living organisms were governed by their DNA. He was impressed by perfection of this system.Why did existence have the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideaki-sena/toshiaki-learned-that-all-living-organisms-were-governed-by-their-dna/)

[Hideaki Sena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideaki-sena/)

> [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-m-all-about-evolution-i-m-the-first-person-to-judge-myself/)

[The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/)

> [The next evolution of content marketing is not more content; it's better distribution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-penn/the-next-evolution-of-content-marketing-is-not-more-content-it-s/)

[Chris Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-penn/)

[Browse all 6,185 Evolution quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We can move no faster than the evolution of our language, and this is certainly part of what the psychedelics are about: they force the evolution of language.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terence McKenna"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution-of-our-language-and-this-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Evolution"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution-of-our-language-and-this-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b1/terence-mckenna-287_evolution_we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution_1558080.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We can move no faster than the evolution of our language, and this is certainly part of what the…” — 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": "We can move no faster than...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution-of-our-language-and-this-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-can-move-no-faster-than-the-evolution-of-our-language-and-this-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
