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.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Blindly following authority can hinder personal growth and understanding.
This quote by Jiddu Krishnamurti emphasizes the dangers of uncritical obedience to authority. While it may seem easier to avoid facing difficulties by submitting to external guidance, such avoidance actually intensifies our issues and leads to a loss of personal insight and autonomy, ultimately prohibiting true freedom and self-discovery.
Themes
AuthorityIntelligenceSelf-KnowledgeFreedomProblems
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech addressing the importance of critical thinking.
More from Jiddu Krishnamurti
All quotes →If you listen through the screen of your desires, then you obviously listen to your own voice; you are listening to your own desires.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead
Without knowing myself, I have no real basis for thinking.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead
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