--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are talking only to ourselves. We are…" description: "\"We are talking only to ourselves. We are not talking to the rivers, we are not listening to the wind and stars. We have broken the great conversation. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/thomas-berry-7391_autism_we-are-talking-only-to-ourselves-we-are_1113055.jpg" --- # We are talking only to ourselves. We are not talking to… ![“We are talking only to ourselves. We are not talking to the rivers, we are not listening to the wind and stars. We have broken the great conversation. By breaking that conversation we have shattered the universe. All the disasters that are happening now are a consequence of that spiritual 'autism.'” quote by Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/thomas-berry-7391_autism_we-are-talking-only-to-ourselves-we-are_1113055.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/thomas-berry-7391_autism_we-are-talking-only-to-ourselves-we-are_1113055.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/thomas-berry-7391_autism_we-are-talking-only-to-ourselves-we-are_1113055.jpg) > “We are talking only to ourselves. We are not talking to the rivers, we are not listening to the wind and stars. We have broken the great conversation. By breaking that conversation we have shattered the universe. All the disasters that are happening now are a consequence of that spiritual 'autism.'” [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizing humanity's disconnection from nature and the resulting spiritual emptiness. **In simple terms:** We’ve lost dialogue with nature. Key Takeaway Reconnect with natural world to heal spirit. Themes environment spirituality communication Mood somber inspired Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - environmental activism - mindful walking - stargazing - community rituals Key Concepts ecology philosophy cosmology Questions to Reflect On - How can we listen to natural cues? - What practices restore our sense of wonder? A Different Perspective Reconnection may be hindered by modern technology and urban life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autism/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Not talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-talking/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [“I was on the point of breaking off the conversation, for nothing puts me so completely out of patience as the utterance of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-was-on-the-point-of-breaking-off-the-conversation-for-nothing-puts/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [At AT&T, I learned an awful lot about people, and how important it is to have the right people in the right jobs. 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I go somewhere and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-bouquet/acting-is-our-job-not-talking-about-it-in-france-they-know-me-like-i/) [Carole Bouquet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-bouquet/) > [“... not talking about things she doesn't understand to people who do or about things she does to people who don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-crowninshield/not-talking-about-things-she-doesn-t-understand-to-people-who-do-or/) [Frank Crowninshield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-crowninshield/) > [Music is my one opportunity to let out how I'm feeling when I'm not talking to a chick or my mom, you know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-faiyaz/music-is-my-one-opportunity-to-let-out-how-i-m-feeling-when-i-m-not/) [Brent Faiyaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-faiyaz/) > [Silence is something that comes from your heart, not from outside. 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But I'm not talking about one Earth race, Jewish or non-Jewish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-icke/the-families-in-positions-of-great-financial-power-obsessively/) [David Icke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-icke/) ## More by Thomas Berry > [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [All human activities, professions, programs, and institutions must henceforth be judged primarily by the extent to which they inhibit, ignore, or foster a mutually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/all-human-activities-professions-programs-and-institutions-must/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [The universe must be experienced as the Great Self. 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