Quotessence
Home / Authors / G. I. Gurdjieff Books
G. I. Gurdjieff

G. I. Gurdjieff Books

Teacher

Related Quotes

“We must strive for freedom if we strive for self-knowledge. The task of self-knowledge and of further self-development is of such importance and seriousness, it demands such intensity of effort, that to attempt it any old way and amongst other things is impossible. The person who undertakes this task must put it first in his life, which is not so long that he can afford to squander it on trifles.”

IfsWayFirstsPersonsLongSelfEffortImpossibleDevelopmentDemandTasksImportanceStriveIntensitySelf KnowledgeSelf DevelopmentSeriousnessTriflesOld Ways
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image

“A man must first of all understand certain things. He has thousands of false ideas and false conceptions, chiefly about himself, and he must get rid of some of them before beginning to acquire anything new. Otherwise the new will be built on a wrong foundation and the result will be worse than before. To speak the truth is the most difficult thing in the world; one must study a great deal and for a long time in order to speak the truth. The wish alone is not enough. To speak the truth one must know what the truth is and what a lie is, and first of all in oneself. And this nobody wants to know.”

KnowsMenWorldWantFirstsLongIdeasEnoughLyingCertainOrderSpeakWishDifficultGrowthResultsDealsStudyTruth IsLong TimeBuiltFoundationOneselfAcquireConceptionDifficult ThingsSpeak The Truth
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image

“Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.”

MenSelfSpiritualSpiritualityUnderstandingKnowledgeAwarenessAcceptanceDiscoveryMachinesFunctionSelf AwarenessSlaveSelf DiscoverySelf KnowledgeSelf UnderstandingSelf-examinationOld SoulDiscovering YourselfDiscovering SelfKnowledge And UnderstandingUnderstanding And LoveSelf ObservationUnderstanding KnowledgeUnderstanding Him
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image

“One of man's important mistakes, one which must be remembered, is his illusion in regard to his I. Man such as we know him, the 'man-machine,' the man who cannot 'do,' and with whom and through whom everything 'happens,' cannot have a permanent and single I. His I changes as quickly as his thoughts, feelings and moods, and he makes a profound mistake in considering himself always one and the same person; in reality he is always a different person, not the one he was a moment ago.”

KnowsMenPersonsImportantDifferentMomentsFeelingsRealityHappensMistakeHe ManIllusionMachinesRegardProfoundMoodPermanentRememberedConsidering
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image

“There do exist enquiring minds, which long for the truth of the heart, seek it, strive to solve the problems set by life, try to penetrate to the essence of things and phenomena and to penetrate into themselves. If a man reasons and thinks soundly, no matter which path he follows in solving these problems, he must inevitably arrive back at himself, and begin with the solution of the problem of what he is himself and what his place is in the world around him.”

IfsThinkingMenWorldTryingMindHeartLongMatterReasonProblemPathSolutionsEssenceStriveSolvePenetrate
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image

“The first thing, the very very first thing, "Find out what your greatest characteristic is, your greatest undoing, your central characteristic of unconsciousness." Each one's is different. Somebody is sex-obsessed. In a country like India, where for centuries sex has been repressed, that has become almost a universal characteristic; everybody is obsessed with sex. Somebody is obsessed with anger, and somebody else is obsessed with greed. You have to watch which is your basic obsession.”

FirstsHas BeensDifferentCountrySexWatchesCenturyUniversalIndiaGreedObsessionObsessedCharacteristicsRepressedUnconsciousnessUndoing
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image

“Ancient art has a specific inner content. At one time, art possessed the same purpose that books do in our day, namely: to preserve and transmit knowledge. In olden days, people did not write books, they incorporated their knowledge into works of art. We would find a great many ideas in the works of ancient art passed down to us, if only we knew how to read them.”

PeopleIfsWritingArtBookIdeasPurposeAncientPreservesGreat MenWorks Of ArtOne TimePossessedTransmitOlden DaysAncient Art
Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
Create image