Conscious faith is freedom. Emotional faith is slavery. Mechanical faith is foolishness.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
The evolution of man is the evolution of his consciousness, and 'consciousness' cannot evolve unconsciously. The evolution of man is the evolution of his will, and 'will' cannot evolve involuntarily.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that the growth of human beings is intrinsically linked to their awareness and intentionality.
G. I. Gurdjieff suggests that the development of humanity is not just a biological process but fundamentally tied to the evolution of consciousness and will. For consciousness to evolve, one must be aware of their thoughts and actions; similarly, will must be exercised intentionally. Thus, personal growth and evolution require active participation and awareness from individuals, rather than happening by chance or without conscious effort.
Themes
EvolutionConsciousnessWillGrowthIntentionality
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about self-improvement, one might say, 'As G. I. Gurdjieff reminds us, true evolution comes from conscious effort.'
More from G. I. Gurdjieff
All quotes βRemember you come here having already understood the necessity of struggling with yourself β only with yourself. Therefore thank everyone who gives you the opportunity.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
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.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
Laughter relieves us of superfluous energy, which, if it remained unused, might become negative, that is, poison. Laughter is the antidote.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
If a man could understand all the horror of the lives of ordinary people who are turning around in a circle of insignificant interests and insignificant aims, if he could understand what they are losing, he would understand that there can only be one thing that is serious for him - to escape from the general law, to be free. What can be serious for a man in prison who is condemned to death? Only one thing: How to save himself, how to escape: nothing else is serious.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
In order to understand the interrelation of truth and falsehood in life, a man must understand falsehood in himself, the constant incessant lies he tells himself.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
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Our particular principles of religion are a subject of accountability to our god alone. I enquire after no man's and trouble none with mine; nor is it given to us in this life to know whether yours or mine, our friend's or our foe's, are exactly the right.
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