J. C. Ryle Quotes

Self knowledge puts us on our knees, and it is very necessary for love. For knowledge of God gives love, and knowledge of self gives humility

Self knowledge begins with the neighbor, the mirror, and just the same with true self-love; that goes from the mirror to the matter.

I observe myself and I come to know others.

Self-assurance is contemptible and fatal unless it is self-knowledge.

The Prayer of Examine produces within us the priceless grace of self-knowledge. I wish I could adequately explain to you how great a grace this truly is. Unfortunately, contemporary men and women simply do not value self-knowledge in the same way that all preceding generations have. For us technocratic knowledge reigns supreme. Even when we pursue self-knowledge, we all too often reduce it to a hedonistic search for personal peace and prosperity. How poor we are! Even the pagan philosophers were wiser than this generation. They knew that an unexamined life was not worth living.

Self-awareness is not self-centeredness, and spirituality is not narcissism. 'Know thyself' is not a narcissistic pursuit.

The better you understand yourself the less cause you will find to love yourself.

Self-knowledge is an anchor that makes unpredictability tolerable.

Self knowledge is always bad news.

Self-reflection is the school of wisdom.

The more that we self-analyze ourselves, the nicer we are to people and to ourselves, and the more we understand each other.

That is the hardest thing of all. It is much harder to judge yourself than to judge others. If you succeed in judging yourself, it's because you're truly a wise man.

For the wise have always known that no one can make much of his life until self-searching has become a regular habit, until he is able to admit and accept what he finds, and until he patiently and persistently tries to correct what is wrong.

I sometimes pray not for self-knowledge in general but for just so much self knowledge at the moment as I can bear and use at the moment; the little daily dose.

Some people think humility is thinking lowly of yourself. Some people think it's not thinking about yourself. But, to me, the best definition of humility is radical self-awareness from a distance, seeing themselves from a distance and saying, what's my problem?

Self-love is a good thing but self-awareness is more important. You need to once in a while go ‘Uh, I’m kind of an asshole.’

Just as true humor is laughter at oneself, true humanity is knowledge of oneself.

Self knowledge is the beginning of self improvement.

To know yourself you need not go to any book, to any priest, to any psychologist. The whole treasure is within yourself.

How easy it is to see your brother's faults, How hard it is to face your own. You winnow his in the wind like chaff, But yours you hide, Like a cheat covering up an unlucky throw. Dwelling on your brother's faults Multiplies your own. You are far from the end of your journey. The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart. See how you love.

Nothing will make us so charitable and tender to the faults of others, as, by self-examination, thoroughly to know our own.

You have to start knowing yourself so well that you begin to know other people. A piece of us is in every person we can ever meet.

It takes an honest look to observe our selves without judgment, and then to do something about it. Observing without judgment is the practice of yoga. Doing something about it is the stuff that makes up your life.

Do not wander far and wide but return into yourself. Deep within man there dwells the truth.