--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To know nothing about yourself is to be…" description: "\"To know nothing about yourself is to be constantly in danger of nothingness, those voids of non-being over which a man walks the tightrope of his life...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg" --- # To know nothing about yourself is to be constantly in… ![“To know nothing about yourself is to be constantly in danger of nothingness, those voids of non-being over which a man walks the tightrope of his life.” quote by Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg) > “To know nothing about yourself is to be constantly in danger of nothingness, those voids of non-being over which a man walks the tightrope of his life.” [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ignorance of self leaves one vulnerable to emptiness and existential danger. **In simple terms:** Know yourself to avoid voids. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑awareness. Themes self‑knowledge existential risk identity Mood introspective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - meditation retreats - journaling - life coaching Key Concepts psychology philosophy mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself do you avoid? - How does self‑ignorance affect your decisions? A Different Perspective Self‑knowledge can be unsettling; confronting it may cause discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/) [Void](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void/) ## Related quotes > [Reading, solitude, idleness, a soft and sedentary life, intercourse with women and young people, these are perilous paths for a young man, and these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/reading-solitude-idleness-a-soft-and-sedentary-life-intercourse-with/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Knowing is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/knowing-is-the-most-profound-kind-of-love-giving-someone-the-gift-of/) [Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/) > [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you-that-you-might/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [Always be yourself. There's only one you. You should embrace anything that you don't like about yourself because that's individual and that's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesy-nelson/always-be-yourself-there-s-only-one-you-you-should-embrace-anything/) [Jesy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesy-nelson/) > [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Dreams really tell you about yourself more than anything else in this world could ever tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/dreams-really-tell-you-about-yourself-more-than-anything-else-in-this/) [Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/) > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More by Athol Fugard > [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [Love is the only energy I’ve ever used as a writer. I’ve never written out of anger, although anger has informed love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/love-is-the-only-energy-i-ve-ever-used-as-a-writer-i-ve-never-written/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [I've had one experience of writer's block in my life, and it was living hell. It was a terror for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/i-ve-had-one-experience-of-writer-s-block-in-my-life-and-it-was/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [The reason I'm in San Diego is not because I want distance from South Africa but because I want proximity to the people I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/the-reason-i-m-in-san-diego-is-not-because-i-want-distance-from-south/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going-2/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [“It's just that life felt the right size in there... not too big and not too small. Wasn't so hard to work up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/it-s-just-that-life-felt-the-right-size-in-there-not-too-big-and-not/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [In South Africa, success never presented the problems that it presents in New York. In New York, if you happen to be the flavor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/in-south-africa-success-never-presented-the-problems-that-it-presents/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [Night-time is when I brainstorm; last thing, when the family's asleep and I'm alone, I think about the next day's writing and plan a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/night-time-is-when-i-brainstorm-last-thing-when-the-family-s-asleep/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [All of my life had been spent in the shadow of apartheid. And when South Africa went through its extraordinary change in 1994, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/all-of-my-life-had-been-spent-in-the-shadow-of-apartheid-and-when/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [“Aman cant spend his life with only one thought”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/aman-cant-spend-his-life-with-only-one-thought/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [A very close friend of mine keeps reminding me that since about the age of 50, I've been saying, 'I'm finished. I haven't got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/a-very-close-friend-of-mine-keeps-reminding-me-that-since-about-the/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [My essential identity is that of a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-essential-identity-is-that-of-a-writer/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [For you in the West to hear the phrase 'All men are created equal' is to draw a yawn. For us, it's a miracle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/for-you-in-the-west-to-hear-the-phrase-all-men-are-created-equal-is/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [As fascinated as I was by words on paper, it was matched by my fascination with words in people's mouths. The spoken word. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/as-fascinated-as-i-was-by-words-on-paper-it-was-matched-by-my/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) > [“Be careful, Hally." "Of what? The truth? I seem to be the only one around here who is prepared to face it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/be-careful-hally-of-what-the-truth-i-seem-to-be-the-only-one-around/) [Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) [Explore all 51 Athol Fugard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/) ## More About yourself quotes > [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Dreams really tell you about yourself more than anything else in this world could ever tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/dreams-really-tell-you-about-yourself-more-than-anything-else-in-this/) [Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/) > [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Always be yourself. There's only one you. You should embrace anything that you don't like about yourself because that's individual and that's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesy-nelson/always-be-yourself-there-s-only-one-you-you-should-embrace-anything/) [Jesy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesy-nelson/) > [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you-that-you-might/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [Knowing is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/knowing-is-the-most-profound-kind-of-love-giving-someone-the-gift-of/) [Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/) > [Start telling the truth now and never stop. Begin by telling the truth to yourself about yourself. Then tell the truth to yourself about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/start-telling-the-truth-now-and-never-stop-begin-by-telling-the-truth/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) [Browse all 770 About yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To know nothing about yourself is to be constantly in danger of nothingness, those voids of non-being over which a man walks the tightrope of his life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Athol Fugard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be-constantly-in-danger-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be-constantly-in-danger-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa8/athol-fugard-13222_about-yourself_to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be_730274.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To know nothing about yourself is to be constantly in danger of nothingness, those voids of non-being over…” — Athol Fugard", "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": "Athol Fugard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To know nothing about yourself is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be-constantly-in-danger-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/to-know-nothing-about-yourself-is-to-be-constantly-in-danger-of/#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 } } ] } ```