--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The word “crisis” comes from the Greek…" description: "\"“The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word krísis, meaning “a turning point.” A crisis is a crack in the false-self system, through which the light o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg" --- # The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word krísis… ![“The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word krísis, meaning “a turning point.” A crisis is a crack in the false-self system, through which the light of our True Life” quote by Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg) > ““The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word krísis, meaning “a turning point.” A crisis is a crack in the false-self system, through which the light of our True Life”” [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A crisis marks a pivotal moment where false identity cracks, allowing true self to emerge **In simple terms:** Crises reveal our authentic self Key Takeaway Embrace crises as growth opportunities Themes change identity spiritual awakening Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal transformation - therapy sessions - career pivots Key Concepts psychology of self Greek etymology Questions to Reflect On - What false beliefs are you clinging to? - How can you safely navigate a turning point? A Different Perspective Crises can be overwhelming and destabilizing ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [True life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-life/) [Turning point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-point/) ## Related quotes > [“When reason has followed its road to the end, the point of crisis is reached and man is brought to the great question mark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-karl-bultmann/when-reason-has-followed-its-road-to-the-end-the-point-of-crisis-is/) Rudolf Karl Bultmann > [I think for anyone who's gone through a crisis, there comes a turning point, an epiphany, that marks the beginning of the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/i-think-for-anyone-who-s-gone-through-a-crisis-there-comes-a-turning/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [“You have been offered "the gift of crisis". As Kathleen Norris reminds us, the Greek root of the word crisis is "to sift", as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-melton/you-have-been-offered-the-gift-of-crisis-as-kathleen-norris-reminds/) [Glennon Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-melton/) > [When written in Chinese, the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. --John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy-2/when-written-in-chinese-the-word-crisis-is-composed-of-two-characters/) [John F Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy-2/) > [When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/when-written-in-chinese-the-word-crisis-is-composed-of-two-characters-2/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [“Somehow, though, life turned that danger around, and this former poison became essential. It may sound trite, but this reversal always reminds me of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kean/somehow-though-life-turned-that-danger-around-and-this-former-poison/) [Sam Kean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kean/) > [We in America should see that no man is ever given, no matter how gradually or how noble and excellent the man, the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/we-in-america-should-see-that-no-man-is-ever-given-no-matter-how/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [When you give power to an executive you do not know who will be filling that position when the time of crisis comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/when-you-give-power-to-an-executive-you-do-not-know-who-will-be/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“If you would not have a man flinch when the crisis comes, train him before it comes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/if-you-would-not-have-a-man-flinch-when-the-crisis-comes-train-him/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [“I have lived long enough to know that wherever there is crisis there is always Christ. Look for Jesus in the middle of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-johnson/i-have-lived-long-enough-to-know-that-wherever-there-is-crisis-there/) [Patience Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-johnson/) > [ Don’t get distracted by the shiny object \[and if a crisis comes\], execute on the fundamentals. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-hastings/don-t-get-distracted-by-the-shiny-object-and-if-a-crisis-comes/) [Reed Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-hastings/) > [“Out of crisis comes clarity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-o-toole/out-of-crisis-comes-clarity/) Randolph O'Toole > [Literature in France seems to be undergoing a crisis now, and nothing comes immediately to mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/literature-in-france-seems-to-be-undergoing-a-crisis-now-and-nothing/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [To be mature means to face, and not evade, every fresh crisis that comes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-kunkel/to-be-mature-means-to-face-and-not-evade-every-fresh-crisis-that-comes/) Fritz Kunkel > [God is always at work, though we cannot see it, preparing people he has chosen for leadership. When the crisis comes, God fits His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/god-is-always-at-work-though-we-cannot-see-it-preparing-people-he-has/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) ## More by Benjamin Riggs > [“Meditation looks within, which is the practice of insight. Insight exposes the gap between reality and our thoughts. As a result, the seriousness we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/meditation-looks-within-which-is-the-practice-of-insight-insight/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“Spiritual perfection is not defined by external demands. It is the heartfelt desire to be true to our Self and the degree of willingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/spiritual-perfection-is-not-defined-by-external-demands-it-is-the/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [ “When we take the present moment as our starting place, life is straightforward and easygoing.\[145\] Truth is self-existing. There is nothing to create or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/when-we-take-the-present-moment-as-our-starting-place-life-is/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“rather than seeing this as a problem to be solved, just notice it and return to the present moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/rather-than-seeing-this-as-a-problem-to-be-solved-just-notice-it-and/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“The only true joy on earth,” writes Merton, “is to escape from the prison of our own false-self, and enter by love into union…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/the-only-true-joy-on-earth-writes-merton-is-to-escape-from-the-prison/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“When asked to sum up the Buddha’s teachings in one phrase, Suzuki Roshi said, “Everything changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/when-asked-to-sum-up-the-buddha-s-teachings-in-one-phrase-suzuki/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“clear conscience is a prerequisite for contemplative practice. You cannot come to the altar when you are not right with your fellow man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/clear-conscience-is-a-prerequisite-for-contemplative-practice-you/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“In meditation, we commit to reality by renouncing our escape plans. We will not stop running away from our suffering until we see there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/in-meditation-we-commit-to-reality-by-renouncing-our-escape-plans-we/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“Spiritual practice moves beyond belief and theory and into the realm of action where change takes place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/spiritual-practice-moves-beyond-belief-and-theory-and-into-the-realm/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“Shantideva asks, “Is it easier to cover the world with leather or to put on a pair of shoes?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/shantideva-asks-is-it-easier-to-cover-the-world-with-leather-or-to/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“We watch the mind as it turns the present moment into a problem and entertains itself by chasing after a solution to the problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/we-watch-the-mind-as-it-turns-the-present-moment-into-a-problem-and/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“Thoughts are only problematic when we mistake them for direct experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/thoughts-are-only-problematic-when-we-mistake-them-for-direct/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us ‘Universe,’ a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/a-human-being-is-a-part-of-the-whole-called-by-us-universe-a-part-4/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought.” ~ Basho”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/do-not-seek-to-follow-in-the-footsteps-of-the-wise-seek-what-they-2/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) > [“We intend to come back to ourselves as soon as everything calms down. We are running ourselves to death to create time for relaxation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/we-intend-to-come-back-to-ourselves-as-soon-as-everything-calms-down/) [Benjamin Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) [Explore all 19 Benjamin Riggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/) ## More Crisis quotes > [People in great groups have blinders on. Their work is all they see. They value failures as learning opportunities. They are optimistic, not realistic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/people-in-great-groups-have-blinders-on-their-work-is-all-they-see/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/) Jim Wright > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [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/) > [In a couple of decades you have half of the wells that are drilled right now, and you're talking about numbers in the millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-fox/in-a-couple-of-decades-you-have-half-of-the-wells-that-are-drilled/) [Josh Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-fox/) > [Disasters affect every state, and North Carolinians have given our own tax dollars to help neighbors and those in other states in times of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-cooper/disasters-affect-every-state-and-north-carolinians-have-given-our-own/) [Roy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-cooper/) > [Things happen too quickly, crisis follows crisis, the soil of our minds is perpetually disturbed. Each of us, to relieve his feelings, broadcasts his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/things-happen-too-quickly-crisis-follows-crisis-the-soil-of-our-minds/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [When this coronavirus crisis is over, what kind of society will we be? A more important question is what kind of society do we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/when-this-coronavirus-crisis-is-over-what-kind-of-society-will-we-be/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [Firstly, economic globalisation has brought prosperity and development to many countries, but also financial crises to Asia, Latin America and Russia, and increasing poverty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-lindh/firstly-economic-globalisation-has-brought-prosperity-and-development/) [Anna Lindh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-lindh/) > [If we Europeans are not in a state to be able to solve the refugee crisis ourselves, if we only depend on Plan B…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-kurz/if-we-europeans-are-not-in-a-state-to-be-able-to-solve-the-refugee/) [Sebastian Kurz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-kurz/) > [Urbanisation is not a crisis but an opportunity, seeing it as a crisis is wrong. And not just villages, we want everyone to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/urbanisation-is-not-a-crisis-but-an-opportunity-seeing-it-as-a-crisis/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) [Browse all 3,419 Crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word krísis, meaning “a turning point.” A crisis is a crack in the false-self system, through which the light of our True Life”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Benjamin Riggs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-word-kr-sis-meaning-a-turning/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crisis" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-word-kr-sis-meaning-a-turning/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/benjamin-riggs-28917_true-life_the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-wor_1575822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The word “crisis” comes from the Greek word krísis, meaning “a turning point.” A crisis is a crack in the…” — Benjamin Riggs", "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": "Benjamin Riggs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-riggs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The word “crisis” comes from the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-word-kr-sis-meaning-a-turning/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-riggs/the-word-crisis-comes-from-the-greek-word-kr-sis-meaning-a-turning/#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 } } ] } ```