--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Universe is the game of the self…" description: "\"The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.\" — Alan Watts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg" --- # The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and… ![“The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg) > “The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.” [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote portrays existence as a perpetual, playful self‑discovery where consciousness seeks and conceals its true nature endlessly. **In simple terms:** Existence as a playful self‑search. Key Takeaway Life is an endless game of self‑realization. Themes self‑knowledge playfulness mysticism existentialism duality Mood wonder curiosity serenity Type philosophical spiritual poetic When to use this quote - meditative reflection - spiritual contemplation - creative writing - philosophical debate - psychological introspection Key Concepts consciousness identity reality illusion Practical Applications - mindfulness practice - creative storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to 'play' with the self? - How does this view affect our sense of purpose? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Hide and seek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-and-seek/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [The very desire to seek spiritual enlightenment is in fact nothing but the grasping tendency of the ego itself, and thus the very search…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-very-desire-to-seek-spiritual-enlightenment-is-in-fact-nothing/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I have suggested that behind almost all myth lies the mono-plot of the game of hide-and-seek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/i-have-suggested-that-behind-almost-all-myth-lies-the-mono-plot-of/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The myths underlying our culture and underlying our common sense have not taught us to feel identical with the universe, but only parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-myths-underlying-our-culture-and-underlying-our-common-sense-have/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I seem to be a brief light that flashes but once in all the aeons of time a rare, complicated, and all-too-delicate organism on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/i-seem-to-be-a-brief-light-that-flashes-but-once-in-all-the-aeons-of/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“Life plays hide and seek but then you seek only that you hide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-abraham/life-plays-hide-and-seek-but-then-you-seek-only-that-you-hide/) [Amit Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-abraham/) > [“Give me love like her 'Cause lately I've been waking up alone Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt Told you I'd let you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/give-me-love-like-her-cause-lately-i-ve-been-waking-up-alone-paint/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [Breathless and unharmed, we emerge from the mazes of metaphysics and psychology where man and the soul are playing hide-and-seek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameen-rihani/breathless-and-unharmed-we-emerge-from-the-mazes-of-metaphysics-and/) [Ameen Rihani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ameen-rihani/) > [One of life's primal situations; the game of hide and seek. 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One minute I feel really adult and the next minute I say, 'Let's play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/i-am-more-a-teenager-than-anyone-else-i-know-one-minute-i-feel-really/) [Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/) > [“I was standing by the car when two police officers showed up in the alley, very interested in me and the BMW in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/i-was-standing-by-the-car-when-two-police-officers-showed-up-in-the/) [Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/) ## More by Alan Watts > [“The self-conscious feedback mechanism of the cortex allows us the hallucination that we are two souls in one body -a rational soul and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-self-conscious-feedback-mechanism-of-the-cortex-allows-us-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-more-we-try-to-catch-hold-of-the-present-moment-the-more-elusive/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. 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Don't worry about the future. Don't worry about what progress you're making. Just be entirely content to be aware of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/don-t-hurry-anything-don-t-worry-about-the-future-don-t-worry-about/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) [Explore all 460 Alan Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## More Forever 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/) > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/) YG > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forever" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/484/alan-watts-587_forever_the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-whi_26344.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.” — Alan Watts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Universe is the game of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```