--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The real mystery does not behave…" description: "\"“The real mystery does not behave mysteriously or secretively; it speaks a secret language, it adumbrates itself by a variety of images which all indic..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg" --- # The real mystery does not behave mysteriously or… ![“The real mystery does not behave mysteriously or secretively; it speaks a secret language, it adumbrates itself by a variety of images which all indicate its true nature. I am not speaking of a secret personally guarded by someone, with a content known to its possessor, but of a mystery, a matter…” quote by C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg) > ““The real mystery does not behave mysteriously or secretively; it speaks a secret language, it adumbrates itself by a variety of images which all indicate its true nature. I am not speaking of a secret personally guarded by someone, with a content known to its possessor, but of a mystery, a matter or circumstance which is “secret,” i.e., known only through vague hints but essentially unknown. The real nature of matter was unknown to the alchemist: he knew it only in hints. In seeking to explore it he projected the unconscious into the darkness of matter in order to illuminate it. In order to explain the mystery of matter he projected yet another mystery - his own psychic background -into what was to be explained: Obscurum per obscurius, ignotum per ignotius! This procedure was not, of course, intentional; it was an involuntary occurrence.”” [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes how humanity tries to understand the unknown by projecting personal unconscious images onto it, creating layers of mystery rather than revealing truth. **In simple terms:** We interpret unknown things by projecting our own mind onto them. Key Takeaway Beware of projecting personal biases onto unknown phenomena. Themes psychology knowledge projection mystery interpretation Mood curious reflective analytical Type aphilosophical psychological inspirational When to use this quote - scientific research - personal introspection - creative problem solving - spiritual practice Key Concepts collective unconscious symbolism epistemology alchemy Questions to Reflect On - How might your own assumptions shape your perception of a problem? - What methods can reduce personal bias when exploring unknowns? A Different Perspective Projection can obscure objective understanding and lead to circular reasoning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [True nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-nature/) ## Related quotes > [“He had too much cat in his blood - a deep-rooted feline twitch that would travel the length of his nerves to tickle his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/he-had-too-much-cat-in-his-blood-a-deep-rooted-feline-twitch-that/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broken-music/who-would-do-anything-to-see-you-smile-and-who-love-you-no-matter/) Broken Music > [If what you mean by the word "matter" be only the unknown support of unknown qualities, it is no matter whether there is such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-berkeley/if-what-you-mean-by-the-word-matter-be-only-the-unknown-support-of/) [George Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-berkeley/) > [What is the purpose of writing? For me personally, it is really to explain the mystery of life, and the mystery of life includes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/what-is-the-purpose-of-writing-for-me-personally-it-is-really-to/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/god-was-invented-to-explain-mystery-god-is-always-invented-to-explain/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [“I want her in a way I can't explain. That I don't ever want to be able to explain, because the mystery of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-crouch/i-want-her-in-a-way-i-can-t-explain-that-i-don-t-ever-want-to-be-able/) [Blake Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-crouch/) > [When I'm asked about my work, I try to explain that there is no mystery involved. It is work. But things happen all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/when-i-m-asked-about-my-work-i-try-to-explain-that-there-is-no/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [A person's true nature is revealed by how they treat those they have no reason to be nice to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-person-s-true-nature-is-revealed-by-how-they-treat-those-they-have/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The relentless attempts to be thin take you further and further away from what could actually end your suffering: getting back in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/the-relentless-attempts-to-be-thin-take-you-further-and-further-away/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“Now I am experiencing the Clear Light of objective reality. Nothing is happening, nothing ever has happened or ever will happen. My present sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-i-am-experiencing-the-clear-light-of-objective-reality-nothing-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our real nature is not our imaginary, limited ego. Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/our-real-nature-is-not-our-imaginary-limited-ego-our-true-nature-is/) [Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/) > [“Sometime before sleep it occurred to me that the true nature of being without might mean never knowing what one lacked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tosca-lee/sometime-before-sleep-it-occurred-to-me-that-the-true-nature-of-being/) [Tosca Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tosca-lee/) > [In opening we can see how many times we have mistaken small identities and fearful beliefs for our true nature and how limiting this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/in-opening-we-can-see-how-many-times-we-have-mistaken-small/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [“Self-realization or self-knowing or awakening is about knowing/ becoming conscious of our true nature and living in harmony with the universe in an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/self-realization-or-self-knowing-or-awakening-is-about-knowing/) [Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/) > [The true nature of soul is right knowledge, right faith and right conduct. The soul, so long as it is subject to transmigration, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/the-true-nature-of-soul-is-right-knowledge-right-faith-and-right/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) ## More by C.G. Jung > [“I would even go so far as to say that the mythical character of a life is just what expresses its universal human validity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/i-would-even-go-so-far-as-to-say-that-the-mythical-character-of-a/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Communion gives us warmth. Singleness gives us light. At immeasurable distance stands one single star at the zenith. This star is the God and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/communion-gives-us-warmth-singleness-gives-us-light-at-immeasurable/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“One book opens another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/one-book-opens-another/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Before him exist neither question nor answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/before-him-exist-neither-question-nor-answer/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“The study of medicine consists on the one hand in storing up in the mind an enormous number of facts, which are simply memorized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/the-study-of-medicine-consists-on-the-one-hand-in-storing-up-in-the/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“There are no longer any gods whom we can invoke to help us. The great religions of the world suffer from increasing anemia, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/there-are-no-longer-any-gods-whom-we-can-invoke-to-help-us-the-great/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Jen pohleďte na ty ďábelské prostředky ničení. Vynalezli je docela dobráčtí gentlemani, rozumní a vážení občané, kteří jsou přesně takoví, jaké si je přejeme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/jen-pohle-te-na-ty-belsk-prost-edky-ni-en-vynalezli-je-docela-dobr-t/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Be silent and listen: have you recognized your madness and do you admit it? Have you noticed that all your foundations are completely mired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/be-silent-and-listen-have-you-recognized-your-madness-and-do-you/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Ideas are not just counters used by the calculating mind; they are also golden vessels full of living feeling. "Freedom" is not a mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/ideas-are-not-just-counters-used-by-the-calculating-mind-they-are/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Give me your hand, a human hand, so that you can hold me to the earth with it, for whirling veins of fire swoop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/give-me-your-hand-a-human-hand-so-that-you-can-hold-me-to-the-earth/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Co jednou upadlo do nevědomí, to nevědomí podrží bez ohledu na to, zda tím vědomí trpí nebo ne. Vědomí může umírat hlady a zimou,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/co-jednou-upadlo-do-nev-dom-to-nev-dom-podr-bez-ohledu-na-to-zda-t-m/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Ultimately everything depends on the quality of the individual, but our fatally short-sighted age thinks only in terms of large numbers and mass organizations...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/ultimately-everything-depends-on-the-quality-of-the-individual-but/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate. That is to say, when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/the-psychological-rule-says-that-when-an-inner-situation-is-not-made/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“Magla oko nas je tako gusta i tako varljiva da smo morali da iznađemo egzaktne nauke da bi smo mogli da ugrabimo bar zračak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/magla-oko-nas-je-tako-gusta-i-tako-varljiva-da-smo-morali-da-izna-emo/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) > [“In order to make clear what this fourth stage has in view, and to throw some light on the curious term 'transformation,' we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/in-order-to-make-clear-what-this-fourth-stage-has-in-view-and-to/) [C.G. Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) [Explore all 133 C.G. Jung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/) ## More Nature quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“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/) > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/) [Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) [Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The real mystery does not behave mysteriously or secretively; it speaks a secret language, it adumbrates itself by a variety of images which all indicate its true nature. I am not speaking of a secret personally guarded by someone, with a content known to its possessor, but of a mystery, a matter or circumstance which is “secret,” i.e., known only through vague hints but essentially unknown. The real nature of matter was unknown to the alchemist: he knew it only in hints. In seeking to explore it he projected the unconscious into the darkness of matter in order to illuminate it. In order to explain the mystery of matter he projected yet another mystery - his own psychic background -into what was to be explained: Obscurum per obscurius, ignotum per ignotius! This procedure was not, of course, intentional; it was an involuntary occurrence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.G. Jung" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteriously-or-secretively-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Nature" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteriously-or-secretively-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e39/c-g-jung-2163_nature_the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteri_967973.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The real mystery does not behave mysteriously or secretively; it speaks a secret language, it adumbrates…” — C.G. Jung", "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": "C.G. Jung", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-g-jung/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The real mystery does not behave...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteriously-or-secretively-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-g-jung/the-real-mystery-does-not-behave-mysteriously-or-secretively-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 } } ] } ```