--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and…" description: "\"Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard. Reach, and it can't be grasped. Above, it isn't bright. Below, it isn't dark. Seamless, unna..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg" --- # Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard… ![“Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard. Reach, and it can't be grasped. Above, it isn't bright. Below, it isn't dark. Seamless, unnamable, it returns to the realm of nothing. Form that includes all forms, image without an image, subtle, beyond all conception. Approach it and…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg) > “Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard. Reach, and it can't be grasped. Above, it isn't bright. Below, it isn't dark. Seamless, unnamable, it returns to the realm of nothing. Form that includes all forms, image without an image, subtle, beyond all conception. Approach it and there is no beginning; follow it and there is no end. You can't know it, but you can be it, at ease in your own life. Just realize where you come from: this is the essence of wisdom.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The ultimate reality is beyond perception, beyond concepts, and can be experienced directly. **In simple terms:** Reality is beyond senses and ideas. Key Takeaway Seek direct experience of the ungraspable. Themes spirituality wisdom paradox emptiness Mood contemplative inspirational Type mystical philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - creative practice - nature immersion - philosophical inquiry - artistic expression Key Concepts mysticism philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you experience the ineffable in daily life? - What practices help you move beyond mental constructs? A Different Perspective Such ideas can be abstract, making practical application difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Realms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realms/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [Above all, we must abolish hope in the heart of man. A calm despair, without angry convulsions, without reproaches to Heaven, is the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/above-all-we-must-abolish-hope-in-the-heart-of-man-a-calm-despair/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A calm despair, without angry convulsions or reproaches directed at heaven, is the essence of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-vigny/a-calm-despair-without-angry-convulsions-or-reproaches-directed-at/) [Alfred de Vigny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-vigny/) > [The essence of wisdom, from a practical standpoint, is pausing long enough to look at our lives-invitations, opportunities, relationships-from God's perspective. And then acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stanley/the-essence-of-wisdom-from-a-practical-standpoint-is-pausing-long/) [Charles Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stanley/) > [The essence of wisdom is to see that there is always a solution once you realize that the mind, which seems to create so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-essence-of-wisdom-is-to-see-that-there-is-always-a-solution-once/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Finding patterns is the essence of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/finding-patterns-is-the-essence-of-wisdom/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Thinking is the essence of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/persian-proverb/thinking-is-the-essence-of-wisdom/) [Persian Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/persian-proverb/) > [“I think the essence of wisdom is emancipation, as far as possible, from the tyranny of the here and now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-think-the-essence-of-wisdom-is-emancipation-as-far-as-possible-from/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The essence of wisdom is to know when to be doing, and when it's useless even to try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-stewart/the-essence-of-wisdom-is-to-know-when-to-be-doing-and-when-it-s/) [Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-stewart/) > [What I have learned in this life is you can never be ashamed of where you come from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-i-have-learned-in-this-life-is-you-can-never-be-ashamed-of-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Empty your mind of all thoughts. Let your heart be at peace. Watch the turmoil of beings, but contemplate their return. Each separate being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/empty-your-mind-of-all-thoughts-let-your-heart-be-at-peace-watch-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Yoga of the Dream State has always held to be one of the fastest, most efficient ways of reaching a plateau experience of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-yoga-of-the-dream-state-has-always-held-to-be-one-of-the-fastest/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Succinct, thorough, and masterfully researched-Thomas Medvetz has written a subtle and timely history of these fixtures of public debate in the United States. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lemert/succinct-thorough-and-masterfully-researched-thomas-medvetz-has/) Charles Lemert > [If you wish to become a divine immortal angel, then restore the angelic qualities of your being through virtue and service. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-you-wish-to-become-a-divine-immortal-angel-then-restore-the/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If your virtue is especially radiant, it can be possible to open a pathway to the subtle realm and receive these celestial teachings directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/if-your-virtue-is-especially-radiant-it-can-be-possible-to-open-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/night-gathers-and-now-my-watch-begins-it-shall-not-end-until-my-death/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [The only two good words that can be said for a hurricane are that it gives sufficient warning of its approach, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-atherton/the-only-two-good-words-that-can-be-said-for-a-hurricane-are-that-it/) [Gertrude Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-atherton/) [Browse all 3,949 Approach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard. Reach, and it can't be grasped. Above, it isn't bright. Below, it isn't dark. Seamless, unnamable, it returns to the realm of nothing. Form that includes all forms, image without an image, subtle, beyond all conception. Approach it and there is no beginning; follow it and there is no end. You can't know it, but you can be it, at ease in your own life. Just realize where you come from: this is the essence of wisdom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it-can-t-be-heard-reach-and-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Approach" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it-can-t-be-heard-reach-and-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4c/anonymous-1_approach_look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it_1600885.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Look, and it can't be seen. Listen, and it can't be heard. Reach, and it can't be grasped. Above, it isn't…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Look, and it can't be seen....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it-can-t-be-heard-reach-and-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-and-it-can-t-be-seen-listen-and-it-can-t-be-heard-reach-and-it/#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 } } ] } ```