--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Indeed, we all know that the man who…" description: "\"“Indeed, we all know that the man who attentively contemplates a thing, who wants to see it as it is without changing anything, is 'absorbed,' so to sp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/alexandre-kojeve-49536_meditation_indeed-we-all-know-that-the-man-who-atte_957706.jpg" --- # Indeed, we all know that the man who attentively… ![“Indeed, we all know that the man who attentively contemplates a thing, who wants to see it as it is without changing anything, is 'absorbed,' so to speak, by this contemplation -- i.e., by this thing. He forgets himself, he thinks only about the thing being contemplates; he thinks neither about…” quote by Alexandre Kojeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/alexandre-kojeve-49536_meditation_indeed-we-all-know-that-the-man-who-atte_957706.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/alexandre-kojeve-49536_meditation_indeed-we-all-know-that-the-man-who-atte_957706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebd/alexandre-kojeve-49536_meditation_indeed-we-all-know-that-the-man-who-atte_957706.jpg) > ““Indeed, we all know that the man who attentively contemplates a thing, who wants to see it as it is without changing anything, is 'absorbed,' so to speak, by this contemplation -- i.e., by this thing. He forgets himself, he thinks only about the thing being contemplates; he thinks neither about his contemplation, nor -- and even less -- about himself, his "I," his Selbst. The more he is conscious of the thing, the less he is conscious of himself. He may perhaps talk about the thing, but he will never talk about himself; in his discourse, the word 'I' will not occur. For this word to appear, something other than purely passive contemplation, which only reveals Being, must also be present. And this other thing, according to Hegel, is Desire, Begierde…”” [Alexandre Kojeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-kojeve/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contemplation that focuses solely on an object erases self‑awareness; desire is needed to bring the self into discourse. **In simple terms:** Thinking only about a thing hides the self; desire restores self‑presence. Key Takeaway Recognize desire as a bridge between observation and self‑reflection. Themes philosophy self contemplation desire subjectivity Mood reflective inquisitive analytical Type philosophical critical introspective When to use this quote - academic lecture - personal meditation - creative writing - psychological analysis Key Concepts Hegelian dialectic self‑consciousness object‑subject relation Questions to Reflect On - How does desire shape your perception of objects? - Can you notice moments when you lose self‑awareness? A Different Perspective Pure observation can lead to self‑loss, limiting personal insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) ## Related quotes > [To hope till hope creates From its own wreck the thing it contemplates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-hope-till-hope-creates-from-its-own-wreck-the-thing-it-contemplates/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“To hope until hope creates from its very own wreck the thing it contemplates.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-hope-until-hope-creates-from-its-very-own-wreck-the-thing-it/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“to hope til Hope creates from its own wreak the thing it contemplates;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-hope-til-hope-creates-from-its-own-wreak-the-thing-it-contemplates/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite; To forgive wrongs darker than death or night; To defy power which seems omnipotent; To love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-suffer-woes-which-hope-thinks-infinite-to-forgive-wrongs-darker-4/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“To suffer woes which Hope thinks infinite; To forgive wrongs darker than death or night; To defy power which seems omnipotent; To love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/to-suffer-woes-which-hope-thinks-infinite-to-forgive-wrongs-darker/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“I thought that as I had failed in the contemplation of true existence, I ought to be careful that I did not lose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-thought-that-as-i-had-failed-in-the-contemplation-of-true-existence/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [My arse contemplates those who talk behind my back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-picabia/my-arse-contemplates-those-who-talk-behind-my-back/) [Francis Picabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-picabia/) > [Beauty in things lies in the mind which contemplates them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/beauty-in-things-lies-in-the-mind-which-contemplates-them/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [We see things in this material world, wherein our bodies dwell, only because our mind through its attention lives in another world, only because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-malebranche/we-see-things-in-this-material-world-wherein-our-bodies-dwell-only/) [Nicolas Malebranche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-malebranche/) > [Every art and every faculty contemplates certain things as its principal objects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/every-art-and-every-faculty-contemplates-certain-things-as-its/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“That which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/that-which-sings-and-contemplates-in-you-is-still-dwelling-within-the/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“The soul of the just contemplates in sleep a mysterious heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-soul-of-the-just-contemplates-in-sleep-a-mysterious-heaven/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [He that contemplates hath a day without night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/he-that-contemplates-hath-a-day-without-night/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [The good author is he who contemplates without marked joy or excessive sorrow the adventures of his soul amongst criticisms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/the-good-author-is-he-who-contemplates-without-marked-joy-or/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“Beauty in things exists in the mind that contemplates them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/beauty-in-things-exists-in-the-mind-that-contemplates-them/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) ## More by Alexandre Kojeve > [The man who works recognizes his own product in the world that has actually been transformed by his work. 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