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Spirituality is not to be learned by flight from the world, or by running away from things, or by turning solitary and going apart from the world. Rather, we must learn an inner solitude wherever or with whomsoever we may be. We must learn to penetrate things and find God there.
Meister Eckhart
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Spirituality is about finding inner peace and connection to the divine in everyday life, rather than seeking it by withdrawing from the world.

This quote by Meister Eckhart emphasizes that true spirituality does not require one to escape or isolate themselves from the world. Instead, it suggests that individuals can cultivate a deep sense of inner solitude and connection to the divine in any circumstance or environment. This inner discovery allows one to recognize and experience spirituality in the midst of everyday life, highlighting the belief that the divine can be found in all things and situations.

Themes

SpiritualityInner SolitudeWisdomPresenceDivinity

In practice

Example use cases

During a mindfulness workshop, I shared this quote to illustrate the importance of finding peace within ourselves in a busy world.

More from Meister Eckhart

Truth is something so noble that if God could turn aside from it, I could keep the truth and let God go.
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...Where and when God finds you ready, he must act and overflow into you, just as when the air is clear and pure, the sun must overflow into it and cannot refrain from doing that.
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What good is it to me that Mary gave birth to the son of God fourteen hundred years ago, and I do not also give birth to the Son of God in my time and in my culture? We are all meant to be mothers of God. God is always needing to be born.
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In this breaking-through, I receive that God and I are one. Then I am what I was, and then I neither diminish nor increase, for I am then an immovable cause that moves all things.
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Apprehend God in all things, for God is in all things. Every single creature is full of God and is a book about God. Every creature is a word of God.
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If you love yourself, you love everybody else as you do yourself. As long as you love another person less than you love yourself, you will not really succeed in loving yourself but if you love all alike, including yourself, you will love them as one person and that person is both God and man.
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