--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live in a society whose whole policy…" description: "\"We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/thomas-merton-231_body_we-live-in-a-society-whose-whole-policy_517302.jpg" --- # We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every… ![“We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain every human desire to the limit and to create as many new desires and synthetic passions as possible, in order to cater to them with the products of…” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/thomas-merton-231_body_we-live-in-a-society-whose-whole-policy_517302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/thomas-merton-231_body_we-live-in-a-society-whose-whole-policy_517302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e2f/thomas-merton-231_body_we-live-in-a-society-whose-whole-policy_517302.jpg) > “We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch of artificial tension, to strain every human desire to the limit and to create as many new desires and synthetic passions as possible, in order to cater to them with the products of our factories and printing presses and movie studios and all the rest.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern society deliberately heightens desire and tension, feeding endless consumerism and synthetic passions. **In simple terms:** Society fuels endless desire and tension. Key Takeaway Seek simplicity, limit artificial cravings. Themes consumerism artificial desire modernity Mood critical concerned Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - marketing strategies - personal stress - media consumption Key Concepts psychology of desire social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can you recognize authentic vs. synthetic desire? - What small steps reduce artificial tension? A Different Perspective Not all desire is harmful; some drives progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Nerves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nerves/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Printing press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printing-press/) [Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [We live in a society whose whole policy is to excite every nerve in the human body and keep it at the highest pitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-live-in-a-society-whose-whole-policy-is-to-excite-every-nerve-in-2/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [An initiative was essentially led by civil society because the policy of the government was that Africans must not be taught to graze in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/an-initiative-was-essentially-led-by-civil-society-because-the-policy/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [ We're not in control \[of circumstances\], but that does not mean we don't exercise a certain kind of conditioned agency. 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