“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
“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
“It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.” ThinkingMenLongChangeHoursMistakeHalfRemains Author:G. I. Gurdjieff
“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
“Awakening is possible only for those who seek it and want it, for those who are ready to struggle with themselves and work on themselves for a very long time and very persistently in order to attain it.” WantLongOrderStruggleReadyLong TimeAwakening Author:G. I. Gurdjieff