--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I desire not to desire, for my will is…" description: "\"I desire not to desire, for my will is without value, since I am ignorant in any case. Therefore choose Thou for me what thou knowest to be best and do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/bayazid-bastami-40606_autonomy_i-desire-not-to-desire-for-my-will-is-wi_538875.jpg" --- # I desire not to desire, for my will is without value… ![“I desire not to desire, for my will is without value, since I am ignorant in any case. Therefore choose Thou for me what thou knowest to be best and do not put my perdition in what my autonomy and free choice prefer.” quote by Bayazid Bastami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/bayazid-bastami-40606_autonomy_i-desire-not-to-desire-for-my-will-is-wi_538875.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/bayazid-bastami-40606_autonomy_i-desire-not-to-desire-for-my-will-is-wi_538875.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/bayazid-bastami-40606_autonomy_i-desire-not-to-desire-for-my-will-is-wi_538875.jpg) > “I desire not to desire, for my will is without value, since I am ignorant in any case. Therefore choose Thou for me what thou knowest to be best and do not put my perdition in what my autonomy and free choice prefer.” [Bayazid Bastami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayazid-bastami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It conveys a desire to surrender personal will, trusting a higher wisdom to guide actions, acknowledging human ignorance. **In simple terms:** Seek guidance beyond personal desire. Key Takeaway Trust higher wisdom over personal will. Themes humility faith trust Mood contemplative hopeful Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - prayer - ethical decision making - seeking counsel - overcoming ego Key Concepts spiritual surrender free will divine guidance Questions to Reflect On - What areas of your life need guidance? - How do you balance humility with agency? A Different Perspective Complete surrender may conflict with personal responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Free choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-choice/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Perdition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perdition/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“It is almost an unbearable pain, to suddenly recognize the value of what you had being ignorant of which had been your possession”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/it-is-almost-an-unbearable-pain-to-suddenly-recognize-the-value-of/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Where does the value come from? 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O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [There was a period... when I used to say, with as much ferocity as I could muster, 'I hate Henry James, and I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/there-was-a-period-when-i-used-to-say-with-as-much-ferocity-as-i/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [Apart from the positive woes of perdition, an eternity of wretchedness grows from the want of love to Christ as naturally as the oak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-kennedy-hutchison-boyd/apart-from-the-positive-woes-of-perdition-an-eternity-of-wretchedness/) [Andrew Kennedy Hutchison Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-kennedy-hutchison-boyd/) > [The old men of the village of Mahotière say that the Mistress of the Water is a mulatto woman. At midnight she comes out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-roumain/the-old-men-of-the-village-of-mahoti-re-say-that-the-mistress-of-the/) [Jacques Roumain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-roumain/) ## More by Bayazid Bastami > [For thirty years I sought God. But when I looked carefully I found that in reality God was the seeker and I the sought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayazid-bastami/for-thirty-years-i-sought-god-but-when-i-looked-carefully-i-found/) [Bayazid Bastami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayazid-bastami/) > [Moses desired to see God; I do not desire to see God;He desires to see me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayazid-bastami/moses-desired-to-see-god-i-do-not-desire-to-see-god-he-desires-to-see/) [Bayazid Bastami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayazid-bastami/) > [“I went to a wilderness, love had rained and had covered earth, as feet penetrate snow, I found my feet covered with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayazid-bastami/i-went-to-a-wilderness-love-had-rained-and-had-covered-earth-as-feet/) [Bayazid Bastami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayazid-bastami/) > [I never saw any lamp shining more brilliantly than the lamp of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayazid-bastami/i-never-saw-any-lamp-shining-more-brilliantly-than-the-lamp-of-silence/) [Bayazid Bastami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayazid-bastami/) > [“I stood with the pious and I didn’t find any progress with them. 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