--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As he began to understand himself more…" description: "\"“As he began to understand himself more and more (to the extent at least that any man truly understands himself), he recognized that his only moments o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/a-j-smith-41946_exercise_as-he-began-to-understand-himself-more-a_1892344.jpg" --- # As he began to understand himself more and more (to the… ![“As he began to understand himself more and more (to the extent at least that any man truly understands himself), he recognized that his only moments of lasting (to extent that any moments can be lasting) satisfaction came by moving until movement was no longer possible. Satisfaction was pure…” quote by A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/a-j-smith-41946_exercise_as-he-began-to-understand-himself-more-a_1892344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/a-j-smith-41946_exercise_as-he-began-to-understand-himself-more-a_1892344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80c/a-j-smith-41946_exercise_as-he-began-to-understand-himself-more-a_1892344.jpg) > ““As he began to understand himself more and more (to the extent at least that any man truly understands himself), he recognized that his only moments of lasting (to extent that any moments can be lasting) satisfaction came by moving until movement was no longer possible. Satisfaction was pure, continuous, corporeal destruction and rebuilding through a prolonged rest, justified by the prerequisite damaging.”” [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding oneself reveals that true, lasting satisfaction comes from relentless effort until one can no longer continue, followed by a restorative pause that validates the struggle. **In simple terms:** Self‑knowledge shows satisfaction is earned through exhausting effort and rest. Key Takeaway Embrace hard work, then allow restorative rest. Themes self‑discovery effort rest satisfaction Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - intense projects - creative pursuits - physical training - long‑term goals Key Concepts existentialism psychology resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when effort becomes counter‑productive? - What restorative practices help you recover? A Different Perspective Sustained effort may lead to burnout without balance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Lasting Extent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-extent-2741510/) [Lasting Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasting-satisfaction-2741509/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moments Lasting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments-lasting-2741511/) [Possible Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-satisfaction-2741512/) [Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Thus also every keen pleasure is an error and an illusion, for no attained wish can give lasting satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thus-also-every-keen-pleasure-is-an-error-and-an-illusion-for-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ And kissing Kent, because that's when I realized that time doesn't matter. That's when I realized that certain moments go on forever. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/and-kissing-kent-because-that-s-when-i-realized-that-time-doesn-t/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“That’s when I realized that certain moments go on forever. Even after they’re over they still go on, even after you're dead and buried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/that-s-when-i-realized-that-certain-moments-go-on-forever-even-after-2/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [That's when I realized that certain moments go on forever. Even after they're over they still go on, even after you're dead and buried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/that-s-when-i-realized-that-certain-moments-go-on-forever-even-after/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [The idea of taking a song, envisioning the overall sound in my head and then bringing the arrangement to life in the studio...well, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/the-idea-of-taking-a-song-envisioning-the-overall-sound-in-my-head/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [Your only hope of satisfying others is in satisfying yourself. I speak of a great satisfaction, not a commercial satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/your-only-hope-of-satisfying-others-is-in-satisfying-yourself-i-speak/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [If you can find as much happiness at the bottom of the ladder of success as you can at the top, then you understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-krause/if-you-can-find-as-much-happiness-at-the-bottom-of-the-ladder-of/) [Tom Krause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-krause/) > [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Without passion and satisfaction, there is nothing to make happiness last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/without-passion-and-satisfaction-there-is-nothing-to-make-happiness/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Give me, indulgent gods with mind serene, And guiltless heart, to range the sylvan scene, No splendid poverty, no smiling care, No well-bred hate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/give-me-indulgent-gods-with-mind-serene-and-guiltless-heart-to-range/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) ## More by A.J. Smith > [“To see Bburke chug a beer was to witness a small act of unmitigated perfection. One could hope to be able to chug a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/to-see-bburke-chug-a-beer-was-to-witness-a-small-act-of-unmitigated/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“They have an army. You, as far as I can tell, have trees...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/they-have-an-army-you-as-far-as-i-can-tell-have-trees/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“Bburke used to, whenever he went to the city to catch a Yankees game, throw his money around to every homeless man on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/bburke-used-to-whenever-he-went-to-the-city-to-catch-a-yankees-game/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“He blurred his thens and his nows—in a fantastic drunken distortion—with the thisness and thenness of now and before, re-spectively; wisps of Bburke with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/he-blurred-his-thens-and-his-nows-in-a-fantastic-drunken-distortion/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“I will look white again like a disease, you will see my whiteness and feel dis-ease, lovers alone wear sunlight, ee’s said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/i-will-look-white-again-like-a-disease-you-will-see-my-whiteness-and/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“But love will only take you so far. The other 99% is not being a dickhead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/but-love-will-only-take-you-so-far-the-other-99-is-not-being-a/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“Loving God alone, we unify our nature in single constancy; God himself kindles a love that burns but never consumes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/loving-god-alone-we-unify-our-nature-in-single-constancy-god-himself/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“Liquor can be the dogmaless version of flagellation in this way. It can be self-punitive and self-restorative. Liquor is how a man reminds himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/liquor-can-be-the-dogmaless-version-of-flagellation-in-this-way-it/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) > [“The priest and the altar. The priest and the altar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-smith/the-priest-and-the-altar-the-priest-and-the-altar/) [A.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) [Explore all 10 A.J. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-smith/) ## More Exercise quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [One should try to locate power at the extreme of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/one-should-try-to-locate-power-at-the-extreme-of-its-exercise-where/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [What do you think of our gym <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-think-of-our-gym-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/one-things-guys-have-to-remember-is-consistency-you-can-t-make-up-for/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [For girls who want to get their waistline down a little bit and don't have any weights in the house, they can actually use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepa/for-girls-who-want-to-get-their-waistline-down-a-little-bit-and-don-t/) [Pepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepa/) > [The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-johnson/the-human-body-has-been-designed-to-resist-an-infinite-number-of/) [Harry Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-johnson/) [Browse all 7,281 Exercise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As he began to understand himself more and more (to the extent at least that any man truly understands himself), he recognized that his only moments of lasting (to extent that any moments can be lasting) satisfaction came by moving until movement was no longer possible. Satisfaction was pure, continuous, corporeal destruction and rebuilding through a prolonged rest, justified by the prerequisite damaging.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.J. 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