G. I. Gurdjieff
The first reason for people's slavery is our ignorance, and above all, our ignorance of ourselves.Collection: Ignorance
One of the strongest motives for wishing to work on yourself is the realization that you may die at any moment - only you must first realize this.Collection: Wish
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.Collection: Heart
One may say that evil does not exist for subjective man at all, that there exist only different conceptions of good. Nobody ever does anything deliberately in the interests of evil, for the sake of evil. Everybody acts in the interests of good, as he understands it. But everybody understands it in a different way. Consequently men drown, slay, and kill one another in the interests of good.Collection: Men
Never think of results, just do!Collection: Thinking
The only type of sexual relations possible are those with someone who is as advanced and capable as oneself.Collection: Type
Believe nothing, not even yourself.Collection: Believe
Let us take some event in the life of humanity. For instance, war. There is a war going on at the present moment. What does it signify? It signifies that several millions of sleeping people are trying to destroy several millions of other sleeping people. They would not do this, of course, if they were to wake up. Everything that takes place is owing to this sleep.Collection: War
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.Collection: Self
I ask you to believe nothing that you cannot verify for yourself.Collection: Believe
Listen, you have now found the conditions in which the desire of your heart can become the reality of your being. Stay here, until you acquire a force in you that nothing can destroy. Then you'll need to go back into life, and there you will measure yourself constantly with forces which will show you your place.Collection: Heart
If you can serve a cup of tea right, you can do anything.Collection: Tea
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.Collection: Art
Consciousness is a state in which a man knows all at once everything that he in general knows and in which he can see how little he does know and how many contradictions there are in what he knows.Collection: Men
The degree of consciousness corresponds to the degree of density or the speed of vibrations. The denser the matter, the less conscious it is.Collection: Degrees
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.Collection: Country
The first fundamental law of the universe is the law of three forces, of three principles, or , as it is often called, the law of three. According to this law every action, every phenomenon in all worlds without exception, is the result of a simultaneous action of three forces- the positive, the negative, and the neutralizing.Collection: Law
Nothing can be attained without suffering but at the same time one must begin by sacrificing suffering.Collection: Sacrifice
Take the understanding of the East and the knowledge of the West-and then seek.Collection: Understanding
Remember yourself always and everywhere.Collection: Remember
All who have come to me must have enema each day.Collection: Each Day
Better to die than live in sleep.Collection: Sleep
The greatest untold story is the evolution of God.Collection: Untold Stories
The highest that a man can attain is to be able to do.Collection: Men
Practice love first on animals, they are more sensitive.Collection: Animal
From my point of view, he can be called a remarkable man who stands out from those around him by the resourcefulness of his mind, and who knows how to be restrained in the manifestations which proceed from his nature, at the same time conducting himself justly and tolerantly towards the weaknesses of others.Collection: Men
Man must use what he has, not hope for what is not.Collection: Men
One of the best means for arousing the wish to work on yourself is to realize that you may die at any moment. But first you must learn how to keep it in mind.Collection: Mean
Only super-efforts count.Collection: Effort
Knowledge can be acquired by a suitable and complete study, no matter what the starting point is. Only one must know how to "learn." What is nearest to us is man; and you are the nearest of all men to yourself. Begin with the study of yourself; remember the saying "Know thyself."Collection: Men
Life is real only then, when "I am".Collection: Life
Blessed is he who has a soul, blessed is he who has none, but woe and grief to him who has it in embryo.Collection: Blessed
Love without knowledge is demonic.Collection: Demonic
From looking at your neighbor and realizing his true significance, and that he will die, pity and compassion will arise in you for him and finally you will love him.Collection: Compassion
It is the same with everything else, with food, with pleasures, with sleep; with everything there is a limit to what is necessary. After this "sin" begins. This is something that must be grasped, a "sin" is something which is not necessary.Collection: Sin
If a sufficient number of people who wanted to stop war really did gather together, they would first of all begin by making war upon those who disagreed with them. And it is still more certain that they would make war on people who also want to stop wars but in another way.Collection: War