The following of authority is the denial of intelligence. [It] may help us temporarily to cover up our difficulties and problems; but to avoid a problem is only to intensify it, and in the process, self-knowledge and freedom are abandoned.
The fact is there is nothing that you can trust; and that is a terrible fact, whether you like it or not. Psychologically there is nothing in the world, that you can put your faith, your trust, or your belief in. Neither your gods, nor your science can save you, can bring you psychological certainty; and you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the inherent uncertainty of life and the futility of placing trust in external entities.
Jiddu Krishnamurti's quote reflects a deep philosophical perspective on the nature of trust and belief systems. He suggests that regardless of whether one turns to religion, science, or other sources of authority, true psychological certainty is unattainable. This realization can be unsettling, but it urges individuals to confront the reality of their existence without relying on external validations. In accepting that nothing can be truly trusted, one can find a form of liberation in self-awareness and introspection.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a philosophical discussion about the nature of faith, this quote serves to illustrate the challenges of trusting external beliefs.
More from Jiddu Krishnamurti
All quotes →In seeking comfort, we generally find a quiet corner in life where there is a minimum of conflict, and then we are afraid to step out of that seclusion.
If you listen through the screen of your desires, then you obviously listen to your own voice; you are listening to your own desires.
If you have this extraordinary thing going in your life, then it is everything; then you become the teacher, the disciple, the neighbour, the beauty of the cloud - you are all that, and that is love.
Meditation is one of the greatest arts in life - perhaps the greatest, and one cannot possibly learn it from anybody, that is the beauty of it.
All of us have been trained by education and environment to seek personal gain and security and to fight for ourselves. Though we cover it over with pleasant phrases, we have been educated for various professions within a system which is based on exploitation and acquisitive fear.
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