Human Essence Quotes

“Gradually the idea for a book began to take shape. It was to be a wildly ambitious and intolerant work, a kind of 'Anatomy of Restlessness' that would enlarge on Pascal's dictum about the man sitting quietly in a room. The argument, roughly, was as follows: that in becoming human, man had acquired, together with his straight legs and striding walk, a migratory 'drive' or instinct to walk long distances through the seasons; that this 'drive' was inseparable from his central nervous system; and, that, when warped in conditions of settlement, it found outlets in violence, greed, status-seeking or a mania for the new. This would explain why mobile societies such as the gypsies were egalitarian, thing-free and resistant to change; also why, to re-establish the harmony of the First State, all the great teachers - Buddha, Lao-tse, St Francis - had set the perpetual pilgrimage at the heart of their message and told their disciples, literally, to follow The Way.”
― Bruce Chatwin, Anatomy of Restlessness: Selected Writings, 1969-1989

“I am a human, hence a free spirit!”
― Tamuna Tsertsvadze, Galaxy Pirates

“What are we looking for again?”
To which I reply: “I don’t really know... the human essence?”
“And what is that exactly?”
“I don’t know either. But we know when we find it. Trust me!”
“And where do we find it?”
“I don’t know either my dear Bernard. That’s why we are looking everywhere. But till then... let’s have a jolly good time and get even more drunk! Life is too short to get lost in our overthinking.”
― Ryan Gelpke, 2017: Our Summer of Reunions: Braai Seasons with Howl Gang (Howl Gang Legend)

“I wish I knew more about people, besides the trivial, superficial things - I wish I knew something essential about each and every person. Perhaps others know it, everyone except me. And what's the essential thing in me? Layer after layer of thought and acquired ideas, complexes, memories, inhibitions and, deep inside, a shriveled-up seed that long ago lost its growing power.”
― Ebba Haslund, Nothing Happened

“The gleam of plastic blinds human essence, coating everyone with a varnish of superficiality.”
― Paulo Ricardo Zargolin

“You may even begin to see that nature is like a sanctuary — a place you can go to to restore yourself and come back more refreshed than before. It’s the place that every single human on Earth originally called home, and it’s a place you can always return to to fully realign with your root.”
― Thomas Lu, The Personal Sustainability Handbook: 60+ Practices to Sustainabilize Your Health, Finances, Relationships and Beyond