"When you call yourself an Indian or a Muslim or a Christian or a European, or anything else, you are being violent. Do you see why it is violent? Because you are separating yourself from the rest of mankind. When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is seeking to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind."
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Philosopher, Speaker
Jiddu Krishnamurti was a philosopher and speaker known for his teachings on self-awareness, freedom, and the nature of thought, significantly impacting modern spirituality.
- Born
- May 11, 1895
- Died
- February 17, 1973
- Quotes
- 628
- Rank
- #51
About Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti — Life and Legacy
Jiddu Krishnamurti was a prominent philosopher and speaker whose teachings focused on the nature of thought, freedom, and self-awareness. He is best known for his idea that true understanding comes from within, challenging the conventional beliefs of his time. Krishnamurti famously stated, 'It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society,' highlighting his critical stance on societal norms and conditioning. His core philosophy revolves around the notion that individuals must engage in self-inquiry to discover their true nature. This is evident in his assertion that 'The observer is the observed,' suggesting that separation between self and experience is an illusion. By emphasizing the importance of personal insight over external authority, he encouraged a radical shift in how people perceive their lives and relationships. Krishnamurti's impact remains significant, as his insights continue to resonate with those seeking deeper understanding in a complex world. His teachings inspire individuals to question their beliefs and seek genuine freedom, making his work relevant in discussions about personal and societal transformation.
Quote collection
Jiddu Krishnamurti quotes (page 1 of 32)
628 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Its beautiful to be alone. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. it means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society."
"It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."
"Freedom and love go together. Love is not a reaction. If I love you because you love me, that is mere trade, a thing to be bought in the market; it is not love. To love is not to ask anything in return, not even to feel that you are giving something- and it is only such love that can know freedom."
"In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself."
"I don't mind what happens. That is the essence of inner freedom. It is a timeless spiritual truth: release attachment to outcomes, deep inside yourself, you'll feel good no matter what."
"You may remember the story of how the devil and a friend of his were walking down the street, when they saw ahead of them a man stoop down and pick up something from the ground, look at it, and put it away in his pocket. The friend said to the devil, "What did that man pick up?" "He picked up a piece of the truth," said the devil. "That is a very bad business for you, then," said his friend. "Oh, not at all," the devil replied, "I am going to help him organize it.""
"The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence."
"Happiness is strange; it comes when you are not seeking it. When you are not making an effort to be happy, then unexpectedly, mysteriously, happiness is there, born of purity, of a loveliness of being."
"Throughout life, from childhood, from school until we die, we are taught to compare ourselves with another; yet when I compare myself with another I am destroying myself."
"A lily or a rose never pretends, and its beauty is that it is what it is."
"Look what is happening in the world - we are being conditioned by society, by the culture we live in, and that culture is the product of man. There is nothing holy, or divine, or eternal about culture."
"All authority of any kind, especially in the field of thought and understanding, is the most destructive, evil thing. Leaders destroy the followers and followers destroy the leaders. You have to be your own teacher and your own disciple. You have to question everything that man has accepted as valuable, as necessary."
"The more you know yourself, the more clarity there is. Self-knowledge has no end - you don't come to an achievement, you don't come to a conclusion. It is an endless river."
"Find out what it means to die - not physically, that's inevitable - but to die to everything that is known, to die to your family, to your attachments, to all the things that you have accumulated, the known, the known pleasures, the known fears. Die to that every minute and you will see what it means to die so that the mind is made fresh, young, and therefore innocent, so that there is incarnation not in a next life, but the next day."
"Here is my secret: I don't mind what happens."
"We all want to be famous people, and the moment we want to be something we are no longer free."
"There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning."
"Fear is the destructive energy in man. It withers the mind, it distorts thought, it leads to all kinds of extraordinarily clever and subtle theories, absurd superstitions, dogmas, and beliefs."
"How do you listen? Do you listen with your projections, through your projection, through your ambitions, desire, fears, anxieties, through hearing only what you want to hear, only what will be satisfactory, what will gratify, what will give comfort, what will for the moment alleviate your suffering? If you listen through the screen of your desires, then you obviously listen to your own voice."