If you want to remember yourself, the best thing is not to think about yourself. As long as you think about yourself, you will not remember yourself.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
I mean that you always know what results will come from one or another of your actions; but in a strange way you want to do one thing and get the result that could only come from another
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the conflict between our desires and the consequences of our actions.
P.D. Ouspensky's quote highlights the paradox of human behavior where individuals often pursue actions driven by their desires, yet simultaneously expect outcomes that are incongruent with those actions. This tension points to a deeper understanding of human nature, suggesting that we may not fully grasp the consequences of our choices or the complexity of our motivations, leading to a disconnect between intentions and results.
Themes
ActionsConsequencesDesireResultsBehavior
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about decision-making, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of aligning actions with desired outcomes.
More from P.D. Ouspensky
All quotes →I have become so accustomed to think "scientifically" that I am afraid even to imagine that there may be something else beyond the outer covering of life. I feel like a man condemned to death, whose companions have been hanged and who has already become reconciled to the thought that the same fate awaits him.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
Can one alter one´s chief feature?" asked someone else. First it is necessary to know it. If you know it, much will depend on the quality of your knowing. If you know it well, then it is possible to change it.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
People live in sleep, do everything in sleep, and do not know they are asleep.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
We often think we express negative emotions, not because we cannot help it, but because we should express them.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
You can understand other people only as much as you understand yourself and only on the level of your own being. This means you can judge other people's knowledge but you cannot judge their being. You can see in them only as much as you have in yourself. But people always make the mistake of thinking they can judge other people's being. In reality, if they wish to meet and understand people of a higher development than themselves they must work with the aim of changing their being.
P.D. OuspenskyRead
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