It should not be expected that what is spiritual can be brought before the eyes, before the senses. It must be experienced inwardly and spiritually.
Rudolf SteinerRead
Observation and thinking are the two points of departure for all the spiritual striving of man, insofar as he is conscious of such striving. The workings of common sense, as well as the most complicated scientific researches, rest on these two fundamental pillars of our spirit.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of observation and critical thinking in spiritual development and understanding the world.
Rudolf Steiner suggests that both observation and thinking serve as the foundational elements for spiritual striving in humans. This assertion highlights that every individual's ability to be aware of their spiritual quest hinges on these two processes, which also underpin practical common sense and complex scientific inquiry, illustrating a deep interconnectedness between contemplation and experience.
Themes
ObservationThinkingSpiritualityIntrospectionKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used during a workshop on mindfulness to highlight the importance of awareness.
More from Rudolf Steiner
All quotes βIn ancient, prehistoric times, the temples of the spirit were outwardly visible, but today, when our life has become so unspiritual, they no longer exist where we can see them with our physical eyes. Yet spiritually they are still present everywhere, and whoever seeks can find them.
Rudolf SteinerRead
Only a person who has passed through the gate of humility can ascend to the heights of the spirit.
Rudolf SteinerRead
Most actions derive not from your own initiative but from your family circumstances, your education, your calling, and so on. You must therefore give up a little time to performing actions which derive from yourself alone. They need not be important; quite insignificant actions fulfill the same purpose.
Rudolf SteinerRead
Love is higher than opinion. If people love one another the most varied opinions can be reconciled - thus one of the most important tasks for humankind today and in the future is that we should learn to live together and understand one another. If this human fellowship is not achieved, all talk of development is empty.
Rudolf SteinerRead
We will not find the inner strength to evolve to a higher level if we do not inwardly develop this profound feeling that there is something higher than ourselves.
Rudolf SteinerRead
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When we awake it is the animal, the plant, that thinks in us. Primitive thought without the least disguise. We see a terrible universe, because we see clearly. A little later, intelligence introduces its impeding contrivances. It brings the little toys which man invents in order to hide the void. It is then that we think we are seeing clearly. We attribute our uneasiness to the miasmas of the brain as it passes from dream to reality.
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