--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are contemporary citizens living in a…" description: "\"We are contemporary citizens living in a technological world. Swimming in crosscultural waters can be dangerous, and if you are honest you can't stay t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/terry-tempest-williams-835_citizens_we-are-contemporary-citizens-living-in-a_1652101.png" --- # We are contemporary citizens living in a technological… ![“We are contemporary citizens living in a technological world. Swimming in crosscultural waters can be dangerous, and if you are honest you can't stay there very long. Sooner or later you have to look at your own reflection and decide what to do with yourself. We are urban people. We make periodic…” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/terry-tempest-williams-835_citizens_we-are-contemporary-citizens-living-in-a_1652101.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/terry-tempest-williams-835_citizens_we-are-contemporary-citizens-living-in-a_1652101.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/terry-tempest-williams-835_citizens_we-are-contemporary-citizens-living-in-a_1652101.png) > “We are contemporary citizens living in a technological world. Swimming in crosscultural waters can be dangerous, and if you are honest you can't stay there very long. Sooner or later you have to look at your own reflection and decide what to do with yourself. We are urban people. We make periodic pilgrimages to the country. . . . If we align ourselves with the spirit of place we will find humility fused with joy. The land holds stories.” [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living in a tech‑driven, multicultural world forces us to confront our identity, seek humility, and reconnect with place for deeper joy. **In simple terms:** Tech life pushes self‑reflection and connection to land for humility. Key Takeaway Find humility by reconnecting with place. Themes identity technology culture humility place joy Mood reflective nostalgic Type essay inspirational When to use this quote - urban living - travel - community building - environmental activism Key Concepts environmentalism cultural studies self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does technology shape your sense of self? - What does “spirit of place” mean to you? A Different Perspective Digital distractions can hinder deep reflection and place‑based humility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Humility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humility/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pilgrimage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrimage/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirit of place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit-of-place/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [It is time for us to take off our masks, to step out from behind our personas - whatever they might be: educators, activists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/it-is-time-for-us-to-take-off-our-masks-to-step-out-from-behind-our/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Urban people, of course, are terribly scared nowadays. They may yearn for society, but it is risky to go around talking to strangers, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/urban-people-of-course-are-terribly-scared-nowadays-they-may-yearn/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [Members of the Academy are mostly urban people. We are an urban nation. We are not a rural nation. It's not easy even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/members-of-the-academy-are-mostly-urban-people-we-are-an-urban-nation/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [ The Spirit of Place \[does not\] exert its full influence upon a newcomer until the old inhabitant is dead or absorbed. So America… The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-spirit-of-place-does-not-exert-its-full-influence-upon-a-newcomer/) [D. H. 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Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [“He would wake to see the towers and minarets printed on the exhausted, dust-powdered sky, and see as if en montage on them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-would-wake-to-see-the-towers-and-minarets-printed-on-the-exhausted/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Feeling at home with ourselves and being able to create a spirit of place that nourishes us physically, emotionally and spiritually is a goal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-stoddard/feeling-at-home-with-ourselves-and-being-able-to-create-a-spirit-of/) [Alexandra Stoddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-stoddard/) > [To me, the contemporary novel suffers from a lack of sense of place - or spirit of place, if you will. It's not important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-osborne/to-me-the-contemporary-novel-suffers-from-a-lack-of-sense-of-place-or/) [Lawrence Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-osborne/) > [In London, I've always lived within 10 miles of where I was born. You see, there is something called a spirit of place, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/in-london-i-ve-always-lived-within-10-miles-of-where-i-was-born-you/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“...man is only an extension of the spirit of place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/man-is-only-an-extension-of-the-spirit-of-place/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Spirit of place! It is for this we travel, to surprise its subtlety; and where it is a strong and dominant angel, that place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/spirit-of-place-it-is-for-this-we-travel-to-surprise-its-subtlety-and/) [Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/) ## More by Terry Tempest Williams > [I admire how she protects her energy and understands her limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-admire-how-she-protects-her-energy-and-understands-her-limitations/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/buddha-says-there-are-two-kinds-of-suffering-the-kind-that-leads-to/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I wonder how, among the Fremont, mothers and daughters shared their world. Did they walk side by side along the lake edge? What stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-wonder-how-among-the-fremont-mothers-and-daughters-shared-their/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [I believe the personal is the collective. One of the ironies of writing memoir is in using the "I" it becomes an alchemical "we."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-the-personal-is-the-collective-one-of-the-ironies-of/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts... I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-discover-i-write-to-uncover-i-write-to-meet-my-ghosts-i/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. 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Both are sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-accept-the-organic-trinity-of-mineral-vegetable-and-animal-with-as/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/good-writing-must-stay-open-to-the-questions-and-not-fall-prey-to-the/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“I believe we must do things in our lives for the right reasons, because we enjoy doing them, with no expectation of getting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-we-must-do-things-in-our-lives-for-the-right-reasons/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [A mother and daughter are an edge. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [No greater victory can be won by citizens or soldiers than to transform temporary foes into permanent friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jennings-bryan/no-greater-victory-can-be-won-by-citizens-or-soldiers-than-to/) [William Jennings Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jennings-bryan/) > [Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/let-us-at-all-times-remember-that-all-american-citizens-are-brothers/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [A free society depends upon a high degree of mutual trust. The public will not give that trust to officials who are not seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-cox/a-free-society-depends-upon-a-high-degree-of-mutual-trust-the-public/) [Archibald Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-cox/) > [My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/my-dreams-were-always-small-and-puny-all-i-ever-needed-was-a-little/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [I think most of us are raised with preconceived notions of the choices we're supposed to make. 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