--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts…" description: "\"We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts us out is our own ignorance and folly.\" — Thomas Cole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg" --- # We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts us out is our… ![“We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts us out is our own ignorance and folly.” quote by Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg) > “We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts us out is our own ignorance and folly.” [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human ignorance and folly create barriers that isolate us from a pristine state. **In simple terms:** Ignorance builds walls separating us from ideal conditions. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge to dismantle self‑imposed barriers. Themes ignorance folly barriers Eden human nature Mood thoughtful critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - education reform - environmental policy - personal growth - social activism Key Concepts self‑deception environmental neglect philosophical insight Questions to Reflect On - What walls have you built? - How can you foster awareness? A Different Perspective Overcoming ignorance requires collective effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eden/) [Folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folly/) [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [A tree which has lost its head will never recover it again, and will survive only as a monument of the ignorance and folly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-william-curtis/a-tree-which-has-lost-its-head-will-never-recover-it-again-and-will/) [George William Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-william-curtis/) > [To Believe without evidence and demonstration is an act of ignorance and folly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/to-believe-without-evidence-and-demonstration-is-an-act-of-ignorance/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“Ignorance is the greatest poverty. Ignorance is death in life. There is no evil so great as ignorance. Folly is an incurable disease. A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wortabet/ignorance-is-the-greatest-poverty-ignorance-is-death-in-life-there-is/) [John Wortabet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wortabet/) > [“There are forces, Lucius, infinitely more powerful than reason and science." " What are they?" asked Cotta. "Ignorance and folly," replied Aristaeus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/there-are-forces-lucius-infinitely-more-powerful-than-reason-and/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Eden is the type of player who can make a big difference when he comes on, even for 20 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-zola/eden-is-the-type-of-player-who-can-make-a-big-difference-when-he/) [Gianfranco Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-zola/) > [“I do love you Eden, with all that I am. I don't believe there has been a more perfect love to ever exist in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-higginson/i-do-love-you-eden-with-all-that-i-am-i-don-t-believe-there-has-been/) [Rachel Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-higginson/) > [My parents preferred me not to be at the same club as Eden to avoid comparisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/my-parents-preferred-me-not-to-be-at-the-same-club-as-eden-to-avoid/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [“What brings you to our gorgeous, God-given paradise, our Eden of monsters and half-men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-yocum/what-brings-you-to-our-gorgeous-god-given-paradise-our-eden-of/) [Nathan Yocum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-yocum/) > [O thou beautiful And unimaginable ether! and Ye multiplying masses of increased And still increasing lights! what are ye? what Is this blue wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/o-thou-beautiful-and-unimaginable-ether-and-ye-multiplying-masses-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“Adam and Eve used to walk with Me in the garden, before their expulsion from Eden. I want you to walk with Me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-young/adam-and-eve-used-to-walk-with-me-in-the-garden-before-their/) [Sarah Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-young/) > [“Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess When did you feel your most euphoric kiss? Was I the source of your greatest bliss?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/wanderess-wanderess-when-did-you-feel-your-most-euphoric-kiss-was-i/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [No bird has ever uttered note That was not in some first bird's throat; Since Eden's freshness and man's fall No rose has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/no-bird-has-ever-uttered-note-that-was-not-in-some-first-bird-s/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) ## More by Thomas Cole > [The sky is the soul of all scenery. It makes the earth lovely at sunrise and splendid at sunset. In the one it breathes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/the-sky-is-the-soul-of-all-scenery-it-makes-the-earth-lovely-at/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [The ills of discrimination are still with us. We have to continue the tenacity and vigilance of the 1960s. Racial understanding is not something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/the-ills-of-discrimination-are-still-with-us-we-have-to-continue-the/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [Now nature is not at variance with art, nor art with nature; they being both the servants of his providence. Art is the perfection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/now-nature-is-not-at-variance-with-art-nor-art-with-nature-they-being/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [Nothing is invented and brought to perfection all at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/nothing-is-invented-and-brought-to-perfection-all-at-once/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [. . .nature is still predominant, and there are those who regret that with the improvements of cultivation the sublimity of the wilderness should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/nature-is-still-predominant-and-there-are-those-who-regret-that-with/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [Overall, rocks, wood and water, brooded the spirit of repose, and the silent energy of nature stirred the soul to its innermost depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/overall-rocks-wood-and-water-brooded-the-spirit-of-repose-and-the/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [And rural nature is full of the same quickening spirit-it is, in fact, the exhaustless mine from which the poet and the painter have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/and-rural-nature-is-full-of-the-same-quickening-spirit-it-is-in-fact/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [None know how often the hand of God is seen in a wilderness but them that rove it for a man's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/none-know-how-often-the-hand-of-god-is-seen-in-a-wilderness-but-them/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [I never succeed in painting scenes, however beautiful, immediately upon returning from them. I must wait for a time to draw a veil over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/i-never-succeed-in-painting-scenes-however-beautiful-immediately-upon/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [Amid those scenes of solitude... the mind is cast into the contemplation of eternal things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/amid-those-scenes-of-solitude-the-mind-is-cast-into-the-contemplation/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [To walk with nature as a poet is the necessary condition of a perfect artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/to-walk-with-nature-as-a-poet-is-the-necessary-condition-of-a-perfect/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [“Those scenes of solitude from which the hand of nature have never been lifted, affect the mind with a more deep-toned emotion than aught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/those-scenes-of-solitude-from-which-the-hand-of-nature-have-never/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [It was not that the jagged precipices were lofty, that the encircling woods were the dimmest shade, or that the waters were profoundly deep;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/it-was-not-that-the-jagged-precipices-were-lofty-that-the-encircling/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [It is the sky that makes the earth so lovely at sunrise, and so splendid at sunset. In the one it breathes over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/it-is-the-sky-that-makes-the-earth-so-lovely-at-sunrise-and-so/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) > [If I live to be old enough, I may sit down under some bush, the last left in the utilitarian world, and feel thankful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/if-i-live-to-be-old-enough-i-may-sit-down-under-some-bush-the-last/) [Thomas Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) [Explore all 19 Thomas Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/) ## More Eden quotes > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [No bird has ever uttered note That was not in some first bird's throat; Since Eden's freshness and man's fall No rose has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/no-bird-has-ever-uttered-note-that-was-not-in-some-first-bird-s/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [“Ô, Wanderess, Wanderess When did you feel your most euphoric kiss? Was I the source of your greatest bliss?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/wanderess-wanderess-when-did-you-feel-your-most-euphoric-kiss-was-i/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [“Adam and Eve used to walk with Me in the garden, before their expulsion from Eden. I want you to walk with Me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-young/adam-and-eve-used-to-walk-with-me-in-the-garden-before-their/) [Sarah Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-young/) > [Hayatın birliğini tecrübe eden kişi bütün canlıları kendinde, kendini de bütün canlılarda görür ve herşeye tarafsız bir gözle bakar. / He who experiences the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/hayat-n-birli-ini-tecr-be-eden-ki-i-b-t-n-canl-lar-kendinde-kendini/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [O thou beautiful And unimaginable ether! and Ye multiplying masses of increased And still increasing lights! what are ye? what Is this blue wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/o-thou-beautiful-and-unimaginable-ether-and-ye-multiplying-masses-of/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“What brings you to our gorgeous, God-given paradise, our Eden of monsters and half-men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-yocum/what-brings-you-to-our-gorgeous-god-given-paradise-our-eden-of/) [Nathan Yocum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-yocum/) > [My parents preferred me not to be at the same club as Eden to avoid comparisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/my-parents-preferred-me-not-to-be-at-the-same-club-as-eden-to-avoid/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [“I do love you Eden, with all that I am. I don't believe there has been a more perfect love to ever exist in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-higginson/i-do-love-you-eden-with-all-that-i-am-i-don-t-believe-there-has-been/) [Rachel Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-higginson/) > [Eden is the type of player who can make a big difference when he comes on, even for 20 minutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gianfranco-zola/eden-is-the-type-of-player-who-can-make-a-big-difference-when-he/) [Gianfranco Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gianfranco-zola/) > [“I stood like Adam in his lonely garden On that first morning, shaken out of sleep, Rubbing his eyes, listening, parting the leaves, Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/i-stood-like-adam-in-his-lonely-garden-on-that-first-morning-shaken/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [The plough of Time breaks up our Eden-land, And tramples down its fruitful flowery prime. Yet thro' the dust of ages living shoots O'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-massey/the-plough-of-time-breaks-up-our-eden-land-and-tramples-down-its/) [Gerald Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-massey/) > [Be patient, my friends; time rolls rapidly away; our longing has its end. The hour will strike, who knows how soon?- when the maternal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-wilhelm-krummacher/be-patient-my-friends-time-rolls-rapidly-away-our-longing-has-its-end/) Friedrich Wilhelm Krummacher > [“She picked up a handheld grenade launcher, cradling it like a baby.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/she-picked-up-a-handheld-grenade-launcher-cradling-it-like-a-baby/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) [Browse all 434 Eden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eden/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts us out is our own ignorance and folly.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts-us-out-is-our-own-ignorance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eden" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts-us-out-is-our-own-ignorance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/272/thomas-cole-28445_eden_we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts_2980695.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are still in Eden; the wall that shuts us out is our own ignorance and folly.” — Thomas Cole", "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": "Thomas Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are still in Eden; the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts-us-out-is-our-own-ignorance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-cole/we-are-still-in-eden-the-wall-that-shuts-us-out-is-our-own-ignorance/#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 } } ] } ```