You can understand other people only as much as you understand yourself and only on the level of your own being. This means you can judge other people's knowledge but you cannot judge their being. You can see in them only as much as you have in yourself. But people always make the mistake of thinking they can judge other people's being. In reality, if they wish to meet and understand people of a higher development than themselves they must work with the aim of changing their being.
P.D. Ouspensky
you-can-understand-other-people-only-as-much-as-you-understand-yourself-only-on-level-your-own-being-this-means-you-can-judge-other-peoples-pd-ouspensky
Besides, all evil is relative. Something that is evil at one level of evolution can be good at an earlier stage because it provides the essential stimulus for development. But you want to judge everything by your own standards. You have reached a comparatively high level and so you see what you fight against as evil. Just think of the others, those who are at an earlier stage of development. Do not bar them from the path toward progress and evolution.
P.D. Ouspensky
besides-all-evil-is-relative-something-that-is-evil-at-one-level-evolution-can-be-good-at-earlier-stage-because-it-provides-essential-stimulus-for-pd-ouspensky
we-often-think-we-express-negative-emotions-not-because-we-cannot-help-it-but-because-we-should-express-them-pd-ouspensky
a-symbol-may-serve-to-transfer-our-intuitions-to-suggest-new-ones-only-long-as-its-meaning-is-not-defined-pd-ouspensky
What is the best way to look for one ´s chief feature?" someone asked. Simply see yourself. I do not know how to explain it better. It is possible one may find something -- chief feature of the moment. It is imaginary personality; this is the chief feature for everybody."Can one alter one ´s chief feature?" asked someone else. First it is necessary to know it. If you know it, much will depend on the quality of your knowing. If you know it well, then it is possible to change it.
P.D. Ouspensky
what-is-best-way-to-look-for-one-s-chief-feature-someone-asked-simply-see-yourself-i-do-not-know-how-to-explain-it-better-it-is-possible-one-may-find-pd-ouspensky
when-one-realises-one-is-asleep-at-that-moment-one-is-already-halfawake-pd-ouspensky
Man is a machine, but a very peculiar machine. He is a machine which, in right circumstances, and with right treatment, can know that he is a machine, and having fully realized this, he may find the ways to cease to be a machine. First of all, what man must know is that he is not one; he is many. He has not one permanent and unchangeable "I" or Ego. He is always different. One moment he is one, another moment he is another, the third moment he is a third, and so on, almost without end.
P.D. Ouspensky
man-is-machine-but-peculiar-machine-he-is-machine-which-in-right-circumstances-with-right-treatment-can-know-that-he-is-machine-having-fully-pd-ouspensky
it-is-only-when-we-realize-that-life-is-taking-us-nowhere-that-it-begins-to-have-meaning-pd-ouspensky
Suddenly I began to find a strange meaning in old fairy-tales; woods, rivers, mountains, became living beings; mysterious life filled the night; with new interests and new expectations I began to dream again of distant travels; and I remembered many extraordinary things that I had heard about old monasteries. Ideas and feelings which had long since ceased to interest me suddenly began to assume significance and interest. A deep meaning and many subtle allegories appeared in what only yesterday had seemed to be naive popular fantasy or crude superstition. And the greatest mystery and the greatest miracle was that the thought became possible that death may not exist, that those who have gone may not have vanished altogether, but exist somewhere and somehow, and that perhaps I may see them again. I have become so accustomed to think "scientifically" that I am afraid even to imagine that there may be something else beyond the outer covering of life. I feel like a man condemned to death, whose companions have been hanged and who has already become reconciled to the thought that the same fate awaits him; and suddenly he hears that his companions are alive, that they have escaped and that there is hope also for him. And he fears to believe this, because it would be so terrible if it proved to be false, and nothing would remain but prison and the expectation of execution.
P.D. Ouspensky
suddenly-i-began-to-find-strange-meaning-in-old-fairytales-woods-rivers-mountains-became-living-beings-mysterious-life-filled-night-with-new-interests-new-expectations-i-began-to
suddenly quotesbegan quotesfind quotesstrange quotesmeaning quotesfairytales quoteswoods quotesrivers quotesmountains quotesliving quotesbeings quotesmysterious quoteslife quotesfilled quotesnight quotesinterests quotesexpectations quotesdream quotesdistant quotestravels quotesremembered quotesextraordinary quotesthings quotesheard quotesmonasteries quotesideas quotesfeelings quoteslong quotesceased quotesinterest quotessuddenly quotesassume quotessignificance quotesinterest quotesdeep quotessubtle quotesallegories quotesappeared quotesyesterday quotesnaive quotespopular quotesfantasy quotescrude quotessuperstition quotesgreatest quotesmystery quotesmiracle quotesthought quotesdeath quotesexist quotesvanished quotesaltogether quotesexist quotesaccustomed quotesscientifically quotesafraid quotesimagine quotesouter quotescovering quoteslife quotesfeel quotesman quotescondemned quotesdeath quotescompanions quoteshanged quotesreconciled quotesfate quotesawaits quoteshears quotesalive quotesescaped quoteshope quotesfears quotesterrible quotesproved quotesfalse quotesremain quotesprison quotesexpectation quotesexecution quotes
attaining-consciousness-is-connected-with-gradual-liberation-from-mechanicalness-for-man-is-fully-completely-under-mechanical-laws-pd-ouspensky
if-one-does-not-develop-one-goes-down-in-life-in-ordinary-conditions-everything-goes-down-one-capacity-may-develop-at-expense-another-pd-ouspensky
Q. But it seems to me there are circumstances that simply induce one to have negative emotions! A. This is one of the worst illusions we have. We think that negative emotions are produced by circumstances, whereas all negative emotions are in us, inside us. This is a very important point. We always think our negative emotions are produced by the fault of other people or by the fault of circumstances. We always think that. Our negative emotions are in ourselves and are produced by ourselves. There is absolutely not a single unavoidable reason why somebody else's action or some circumstance should produce a negative emotion in me. It is only my weakness. No negative emotion can be produced by external causes if we do not want it. We have negative emotions because we permit them, justify them, explain them by external causes, and in this way we do not struggle with them.
P.D. Ouspensky
q-but-it-seems-to-me-there-are-circumstances-that-simply-induce-one-to-have-negative-emotions-a-this-is-one-worst-illusions-we-have-we-think-that-negative-emotions-are-produced-b
q quotescircumstances quotessimply quotesinduce quotesnegative quotesemotions quotesworst quotesillusions quotesemotions quotesproduced quotescircumstances quotesinside quotesimportant quotespoint quotesfault quotespeople quotescircumstances quotesabsolutely quotessingle quotesunavoidable quotesreason quoteselses quotesaction quotescircumstance quotesproduce quotesemotion quotesweakness quotesexternal quotespermit quotesjustify quotesexplain quotesstruggle quotes
I have become so accustomed to think 'scientifically' that I am afraid even to imagine that there may be something else beyond the outer covering of life. I feel like a man condemned to death, whose companions have been hanged and who has already become reconciled to the thought that the same fate awaits him.
P.D. Ouspensky
i-have-become-accustomed-to-think-scientifically-that-i-am-afraid-even-to-imagine-that-there-may-be-something-else-beyond-outer-covering-life-i-feel-like-man-condemned-to-death-w
love-is-eternally-burning-fire-in-which-humanity-all-world-are-being-purified-pd-ouspensky
the-greatest-barrier-to-consciousness-is-belief-that-one-is-already-conscious-pd-ouspensky
ideas-by-themselves-cannot-produce-change-being-your-effort-must-go-in-right-direction-one-must-correspond-to-other-pd-ouspensky
Many things are mechanical and should remain mechanical. But mechanical thoughts, mechanical feelings""that is what has to be studied and can and should be changed. Mechanical thinking is not worth a penny. You can think about many things mechanically, but you will get nothing from it.
P.D. Ouspensky
many-things-are-mechanical-should-remain-mechanical-but-mechanical-thoughts-mechanical-feelingsthat-is-what-has-to-be-studied-can-should-be-changed-pd-ouspensky
possibly-most-interesting-first-impression-my-life-came-from-world-dreams-pd-ouspensky
I have become so accustomed to think "scientifically" that I am afraid even to imagine that there may be something else beyond the outer covering of life. I feel like a man condemned to death, whose companions have been hanged and who has already become reconciled to the thought that the same fate awaits him.
P.D. Ouspensky
i-have-become-accustomed-to-think-scientifically-that-i-am-afraid-even-to-imagine-that-there-may-be-something-else-beyond-outer-covering-life-i-pd-ouspensky
In existing criminology there are concepts: a criminal man, a criminal profession, a criminal society, a criminal sect, and a criminal tribe; but there is no concept of a criminal state, or a criminal government, or criminal legislation. Consequently, the biggest crimes actually escape being called crimes.
P.D. Ouspensky
in-existing-criminology-there-are-concepts-criminal-man-criminal-profession-criminal-society-criminal-sect-criminal-tribe-but-there-is-no-pd-ouspensky
Man is a machine which reacts blindly to external forces and, this being so, he has no will, and very little control of himself, if any at all. What we have to study, therefore, is not psychology-for that applies only to a developed man-but mechanics. Man is not only a machine but a machine which works very much below the standard it would be capable of maintaining if it were working properly.
P.D. Ouspensky
man-is-machine-which-reacts-blindly-to-external-forces-this-being-he-has-no-will-little-control-himself-if-any-at-all-what-we-have-to-study-pd-ouspensky
understanding-is-always-understanding-smaller-problem-in-relation-to-bigger-problem-pd-ouspensky
I've found that the chief difficulty for most people was to realize that they had really heard new things: that is things that they had never heard before. They kept translating what they heard into their habitual language. They had ceased to hope and believe there might be anything new.
P.D. Ouspensky
ive-found-that-chief-difficulty-for-most-people-was-to-realize-that-they-had-really-heard-new-things-that-is-things-that-they-had-never-heard-before-pd-ouspensky
Think about death. You do not know how much time remains to you. And remember that if you do not become different, everything will be repeated again, all foolish blunders, all silly mistakes, all loss of time and opportunity - everything will be repeated with the exception of the chance you had this time, because chance never comes in the same form.You will have to look for your chance next time. And in order to do this, you will have to remember many things, and how will you remember then if you do not remember anything now?
P.D. Ouspensky
think-about-death-you-do-not-know-how-much-time-remains-to-you-and-remember-that-if-you-do-not-become-different-everything-will-be-repeated-again-all-pd-ouspensky
man-is-confronted-with-two-obvious-facts-the-existence-world-in-which-he-lives-existence-psychic-life-in-himself-pd-ouspensky
desire-is-when-you-do-what-you-want-will-is-when-you-can-do-what-you-do-not-want-pd-ouspensky
I had come to the conclusion a long time ago that there was no escape from the labyrinth of contradictions in which we live except by an entirely new road, unlike anything hitherto known or used by us. But where this new or forgotten road began I was unable to say. I already knew then as an undoubted fact that beyond the thin film of false reality there existed another reality from which, for some reason, something separated us. The 'miraculous' was a penetration into this unknown reality.
P.D. Ouspensky
i-had-come-to-conclusion-long-time-ago-that-there-was-no-escape-from-labyrinth-contradictions-in-which-we-live-except-by-entirely-new-road-unlike-pd-ouspensky
conclusion quoteslong quotestime quotesago quotesescape quoteslabyrinth quotescontradictions quoteslive quotesroad quotesunlike quoteshitherto quotesforgotten quotesroad quotesbegan quotesunable quotesknew quotesundoubted quotesfact quotesthin quotesfilm quotesfalse quotesreality quotesexisted quotesreason quotesseparated quotesmiraculous quotespenetration quotesunknown quotesreality quotes
people-live-in-sleep-do-everything-in-sleep-do-not-know-they-are-asleep-pd-ouspensky
