I never had anyone I could call “Master”. No Christ died for me. No Buddha showed me the right path. In the depths of my dreams no Apollo or Athena appeared to me to enlighten my soul
Interpretation
The quote expresses a sense of independence in one's search for meaning and enlightenment, lacking reliance on external figures.
Fernando Pessoa reflects on the absence of traditional spiritual guides or masters in his life, highlighting a profound sense of individualism in the quest for knowledge and enlightenment. He suggests that rather than seeking answers from established religious or mythological figures like Christ, Buddha, or the Greek gods, he feels drawn to navigate his own path and seek truth from within, emphasizing the importance of personal experience and introspection in the journey of life.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire individuals at a personal development workshop.
I have at this moment so many fundamental thoughts, so many truly metaphysical things to say, that I suddenly get tired and decide not to write any more, not to think any more, but to allow the fever of speaking to make me sleepy, and with my eyes closed, like a cat, I play with everything I could have said.
It's been months since I last wrote. I've lived in a state of mental slumber, leading the life of someone else. I've felt, very often, a vicarious happiness. I haven't existed. I've been someone else. I've lived without thinking.
We all have two lives: The true, the one we dreamed of in childhood And go on dreaming of as adults in a substratum of mist; the false, the one we love when we live with others, the practical, the useful, the one we end up by being put in a coffin.
I'm a man for whom the outside world is an inner Reality.
My dreams are a stupid refuge, like an umbrella against a thunderbolt.
The chill of what I won't feel gnaws at my present heart.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
In matters of grave importance, style, not sincerity, is the vital thing.
Maniacal suicide. —This is due to hallucinations or delirious conceptions. The patient kills himself to escape from an imaginary danger or disgrace, or to obey a mysterious order from on high, etc.
I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.
The scenarios of biological or chemical warfare painted in detail by the American media during the months after September 11 only betray the inability of the government to determine the magnitude of the danger.
We should often feel ashamed of our best actions if the world could see all the motives which produced them.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.