--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instinct is action taken in pursuance of…" description: "\"Instinct is action taken in pursuance of a purpose, but without conscious perception of what the purpose is\" — Van Hartmann" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg" --- # Instinct is action taken in pursuance of a purpose, but… ![“Instinct is action taken in pursuance of a purpose, but without conscious perception of what the purpose is” quote by Van Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg) > “Instinct is action taken in pursuance of a purpose, but without conscious perception of what the purpose is” Van Hartmann ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes instinct as purposeful action lacking conscious awareness of the purpose, suggesting subconscious drives shape behavior. **In simple terms:** Instinct acts without knowing why. Key Takeaway Trust subconscious impulses. Themes instinct purpose consciousness Mood thoughtful analytical Type Instinct:1 Philosophy of Mind:1 Conscious Perception:0 Purpose Conscious:0 Instinct Action:1 Perception Purpose:0 When to use this quote - decision making - creative work - emotional reactions - habit formation Key Concepts psychology behavioral science Questions to Reflect On - When should you question instinct? - How do you reconcile instinct with rational goals? A Different Perspective Overreliance on instinct can ignore ethical considerations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Instinct](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) ## Related quotes > [The idea of suicide, understandable as it is, does not seem commendable to me. 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They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. The cat often leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/the-dog-is-guided-by-kindly-instinct-to-the-man-or-woman-whose-heart/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > [You don't think. It's all instinct. 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Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-be-myself-for-good-or-ill-and-see-what/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Imitation is the first instinct of the awakening mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/imitation-is-the-first-instinct-of-the-awakening-mind/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) ## More Instinct quotes > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. 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Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [I never think of things rationally or intellectually. I swear, every single decision I make is just instinct and my instincts tend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/i-never-think-of-things-rationally-or-intellectually-i-swear-every/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [You don't think. It's all instinct. If you stop to think, you're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugar-ray-robinson/you-don-t-think-it-s-all-instinct-if-you-stop-to-think-you-re-gone/) [Sugar Ray Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugar-ray-robinson/) > [The dog is guided by kindly instinct to the man or woman whose heart is open to his advances. 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Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [All men have an instinct for conflict: at least, all healthy men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilaire-belloc/all-men-have-an-instinct-for-conflict-at-least-all-healthy-men/) [Hilaire Belloc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilaire-belloc/) > [There was the natural human survival instinct to be optimistic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-demick/there-was-the-natural-human-survival-instinct-to-be-optimistic/) [Barbara Demick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-demick/) > [The combative instinct is a savage prompting by which one man's good is found in another's evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-combative-instinct-is-a-savage-prompting-by-which-one-man-s-good/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) [Browse all 2,940 Instinct quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instinct/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Instinct is action taken in pursuance of a purpose, but without conscious perception of what the purpose is", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Van Hartmann" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-hartmann/instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of-a-purpose-but-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Instinct" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-hartmann/instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of-a-purpose-but-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60b/van-hartmann-285137_instinct_instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of_1419656.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instinct is action taken in pursuance of a purpose, but without conscious perception of what the purpose is” — Van Hartmann", "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": "Van Hartmann", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-hartmann/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Instinct is action taken in pursuance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-hartmann/instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of-a-purpose-but-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-hartmann/instinct-is-action-taken-in-pursuance-of-a-purpose-but-without/#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 } } ] } ```