--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems the whole works of humankind are…" description: "\"“It seems the whole works of humankind are backwards. Most are trying to convince, instruct, and purify everyone else - without first purifying themsel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/david-wolfe-8986_backwards_it-seems-the-whole-works-of-humankind-ar_2034195.jpg" --- # It seems the whole works of humankind are backwards. Most… ![“It seems the whole works of humankind are backwards. Most are trying to convince, instruct, and purify everyone else - without first purifying themselves. To enlighten others we have to enlighten ourselves.” quote by David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/david-wolfe-8986_backwards_it-seems-the-whole-works-of-humankind-ar_2034195.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/david-wolfe-8986_backwards_it-seems-the-whole-works-of-humankind-ar_2034195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c53/david-wolfe-8986_backwards_it-seems-the-whole-works-of-humankind-ar_2034195.jpg) > ““It seems the whole works of humankind are backwards. Most are trying to convince, instruct, and purify everyone else - without first purifying themselves. To enlighten others we have to enlighten ourselves.”” [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights need to purify oneself before trying to change others **In simple terms:** Self‑purify before influencing others Key Takeaway Prioritize personal growth before teaching Themes self‑improvement integrity leadership Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - self‑help workshops - mentoring - community building Key Concepts philosophy psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - What does personal purification mean to you? - How can you model change without preaching? A Different Perspective Self‑purification is vague and subjective ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards/) [Convince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convince/) [Enlighten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlighten/) [Enlightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightening/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind/) [Humankind Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humankind-backwards-3751922/) [Purifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purifying/) [Purifying Enlighten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purifying-enlighten-3751923/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Works Humankind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/works-humankind-3751924/) ## Related quotes > [This (scanning project) is our chance to one-up the Greeks! It is really possible with the technology of today, not tomorrow. We can provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brewster-kahle/this-scanning-project-is-our-chance-to-one-up-the-greeks-it-is-really/) [Brewster Kahle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brewster-kahle/) > [Because wisdom is innate, we can all enlighten ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huineng/because-wisdom-is-innate-we-can-all-enlighten-ourselves/) [Huineng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huineng/) > [“Enlightenment is not about cocooning one’s self, but about integrating more fully with both your self and life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/enlightenment-is-not-about-cocooning-one-s-self-but-about-integrating/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [I do not enlighten those who are not eager to learn, nor arouse those who are not anxious to give an explanation themselves. 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I think that’s true after watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-flygare/i-ve-heard-that-sometimes-a-version-of-you-must-die-before-another/) [Julie Flygare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-flygare/) > [“When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunnaki, and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who decreed the fate of the land assigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hammurabi/when-anu-the-sublime-king-of-the-anunnaki-and-bel-the-lord-of-heaven/) [Hammurabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hammurabi/) > [“Find strength in your heartbeat, than weakness with a beat heart. Take each breath as another chance, and love for a new day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/find-strength-in-your-heartbeat-than-weakness-with-a-beat-heart-take/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) ## More by David Wolfe > [Every study on chocolate is pointing to the same conclusion: there is something in chocolate that is really good for us. That something is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/every-study-on-chocolate-is-pointing-to-the-same-conclusion-there-is/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [“One of the most important distinctions found within these pages is the fact that all foods are not created equal. Some foods are deficient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/one-of-the-most-important-distinctions-found-within-these-pages-is/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [You cannot have chocolate without cacao. The cacao bean is chocolate. All chocolate contains at least some ground up cacao beans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/you-cannot-have-chocolate-without-cacao-the-cacao-bean-is-chocolate/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [We are eating too much of the wrong thing, and not enough of the right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/we-are-eating-too-much-of-the-wrong-thing-and-not-enough-of-the-right/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Harmful bacteria, viruses, calcium-forming micro-organisms, and candida are part of our world. Unfortunately, so are toxic chemicals, including everything from pesticides to car pollution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/harmful-bacteria-viruses-calcium-forming-micro-organisms-and-candida/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [The raw food wave has swept through, and now it is the superfoods wave. 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Why not just have the mushrooms?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/people-are-going-to-start-realizing-why-take-those-antibiotics-that/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Being empowered with the knowledge that you are the creator of your own reality, is the best way to accelerate healing and learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/being-empowered-with-the-knowledge-that-you-are-the-creator-of-your/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Cacao has the highest antioxidant concentration of any major food in the world. Cacao is thirty times higher in antioxidants than red wine, twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/cacao-has-the-highest-antioxidant-concentration-of-any-major-food-in/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [The calcium theory has probably done more to damage our health than any single theory in the history of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/the-calcium-theory-has-probably-done-more-to-damage-our-health-than/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Food is exacting. The face is truly a canvas upon which our food choices paint an accurate picture. The body is truly a sculpture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/food-is-exacting-the-face-is-truly-a-canvas-upon-which-our-food/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [True beauty comes from the inside out. It emerges from proper thinking, as well as proper nutrition and exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/true-beauty-comes-from-the-inside-out-it-emerges-from-proper-thinking/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) > [Nature's solution to pollution is dilution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wolfe/nature-s-solution-to-pollution-is-dilution/) [David Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) [Explore all 76 David Wolfe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wolfe/) ## More Backwards quotes > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [I wear T-shirts and backwards hats and buy my shoes at Payless!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/i-wear-t-shirts-and-backwards-hats-and-buy-my-shoes-at-payless/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Why don't you just imagine it never happened..??](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effy-stonem/why-don-t-you-just-imagine-it-never-happened/) [Effy Stonem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effy-stonem/) > [“It would seem no matter how progressive we get there are always those few who are backwards in their ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-nicole/it-would-seem-no-matter-how-progressive-we-get-there-are-always-those/) [Solange nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-nicole/) > [In the spiritual life, he who does not advance goes backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/in-the-spiritual-life-he-who-does-not-advance-goes-backwards/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Now, success is not the result of making money; making money is the result of success - and success is in direct proportion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/now-success-is-not-the-result-of-making-money-making-money-is-the/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Can anyone be so foolish as to believe that there are men whose feet are higher than their heads, or places where things may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lactantius/can-anyone-be-so-foolish-as-to-believe-that-there-are-men-whose-feet/) [Lactantius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lactantius/) > [I took a little break - I was coming back to work and the last thing I was going to do was take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-took-a-little-break-i-was-coming-back-to-work-and-the-last-thing-i/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Only a fool walks into the future backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/only-a-fool-walks-into-the-future-backwards/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [We have different expectations for different groups of people. We tend to modulate the degree with which we're forgiving or punitive depending on how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/we-have-different-expectations-for-different-groups-of-people-we-tend/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [You know what, if you play 'She Looks So Perfect' backwards... you just listen to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/you-know-what-if-you-play-she-looks-so-perfect-backwards-you-just/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [Nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/nursing-is-a-progressive-art-such-that-to-stand-still-is-to-go/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [“Just like backing out of the driveway… If the driveway was ten miles long, full of rocks and pits, with lethal radiation hovering above,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-thorman/just-like-backing-out-of-the-driveway-if-the-driveway-was-ten-miles/) [Daniel Thorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-thorman/) > [We're not competitor obsessed, we're customer obsessed. We start with the customer and we work backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/we-re-not-competitor-obsessed-we-re-customer-obsessed-we-start-with/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) [Browse all 837 Backwards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seems the whole works of humankind are backwards. Most are trying to convince, instruct, and purify everyone else - without first purifying themselves. 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