Thomas Merton
Writer, Monk
"We stumble and fall constantly, even when we are most enlightened."
Enlightened quotes
Enlightened
101 quotes on this topic — from poets, philosophers, and thinkers across history.
Voltaire
Philosopher, Writer
"Reading nurtures the soul, and an enlightened friend brings it solace."
Robert Anton Wilson
Author, Philosopher
"An Enlightened Master is ideal only if your goal is to become a Benighted Slave."
Laozi
Philosopher
"To be learned, add something each day. To be enlightened drop something each day."
Alice Walker
Novelist, Poet
"Sexuality is one of the ways that we become enlightened, actually, because it leads us to self-knowledge."
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Enlightened quotes (page 1 of 6)
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"I can't think logically about who I am or where I am going. I have been very ecstatic, horribly depressed, shocked, elated, enlightened, and enervated."
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"There will never be a really free and enlightened state until the state comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived."
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"There is nobody who is so enlightened that they don't need to work on themselves."
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"Hence the saying: The enlightened ruler lays his plans well ahead; the good general cultivates his resources."
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"The person who says, 'I'm enlightened' probably isn't."
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"If you think you are enlightened; go home for Thanksgiving."
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"The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution."
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"But only he who, himself enlightened, is not afraid of shadows."
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"Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just another craving for fulfillment or completion in the future. So don’t seek to become free or desire or “achieve” enlightenment. Become present."
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"And so I came to understand why some masters sometimes say, "You are already enlightened.""
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"Be prepared to be enlightened, enraged, amused, engaged, and above all provoked."
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"You yourself must earnestly practice, the enlightened ones only proclaim the path."
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"so it is with human reason, which strives not against faith, when enlightened, but rather furthers and advances it."
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"There can be associations - enlightened businesses, for example - that do not work on the basis of us against them or wanting profit as the main motivating force behind what they do."
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"I would define morality as enlightened self-interest...That old Platonic ideal that there are certain pure moral forms just isn't where we are."
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"If you want to see how enlightened you are, go spend a week with your family."
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"Not everyone who is enlightened by an angel knows that he is enlightened by him."
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"I always like to see enlightened parents like that; it gives me hope for the future."
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"Truly enlightened people never seek to be like others. Rather, they seek to be superior to their former selves."
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"To know others is to have knowledge. To know yourself is to be enlightened."
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