Elif Safak Quotes

Self-awareness is something that we actually actively avoid.

Man... knows only when he is satisfied and when he suffers, and only his sufferings and his satisfactions instruct him concerning himself, teach him what to seek and what to avoid. For the rest, man is a confused creature; he knows not whence he comes or whither he goes, he knows little of the world, and above all, he knows little of himself.

but if I've learned anything, it's that we don't know half of what we think we do. And we know ourselves least of all.

That is the first thing to learn - not to seek. When you seek you are really only window-shopping. The question of whether or not there is a God or truth or reality, or whatever you like to call it, can never be answered by books, by priests, philosophers or saviours. Nobody and nothing can answer the question but you yourself and that is why you must know yourself. Immaturity lies only in total ignorance of self. To understand yourself is the beginning of wisdom.

To know nothing about yourself is to live. To know yourself badly is to think.

I must first know myself, as the Delphian inscription says; to be curious about that which is not my concern, while I am still in ignorance of my own self, would be ridiculous. And therefore I bid farewell to all this; the common opinion is enough for me. For, as I was saying, I want to know not about this, but about myself: am I a monster more complicated and swollen with passion than the serpent Typho, or a creature of a gentler and simpler sort, to whom Nature has given a diviner and lowlier destiny?

It's more important to know your weaknesses than your strengths.

At 30 a man should know himself like the palm of his hand, know the exact number of his defects and qualities, know how far he can go, foretell his failures - be what he is. And, above all, accept these things.

Self-knowledge is essential not only to writing, but to doing almost anything really well. It allows you to work through from a deep place - from the deep, dark corners of your subconscious mind.

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened.

Writing is a really good first step toward that goal of knowing yourself.

I study myself more than any other subject. That is my metaphysics, that is my physics.

The ultimate mystery is one's own self.

One of my problems is to find the self.

No one has ever learned fully to know themselves.

The fundamental law of nature is to not know too much about yourself.

Most of us don't spend any time knowing ourselves. We just keep reacting.

Nothing said to us, nothing we can learn from others, reaches us so deep as that which we find in ourselves.

Only the shallow know themselves.

Know thyself.

There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.

The most important thing about a person is that you know who you are and what you want. You should be capable of introspection and evaluate yourself.

Poor soul, she always knew everything about her neighbors, but she never was very well acquainted with herself.

I see the ups and downs. I see the mistakes I've made. I see a funny person. I see a serious person. I see a diamond. I see the good times. I see the bad times. And I see knowledge of self. I see knowledge of self. I know who I am. When I look in the mirror, I see me.

It is not enough to understand what we ought to be, unless we know what we are; and we do not understand what we are, unless we know what we ought to be.