--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are unable to find the truth right…" description: "\"“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”\" — Dogen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg" --- # If you are unable to find the truth right where you are… ![“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?” quote by Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg) > ““If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”” [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Truth is found by looking inward rather than searching elsewhere. **In simple terms:** Look inside yourself for truth. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑reflection to discover deeper answers. Themes self‑knowledge inner truth mindfulness Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - journaling - decision making - conflict resolution Key Concepts philosophy spirituality introspection Questions to Reflect On - What inner beliefs limit your perception? - How can you stay open to uncomfortable truths? A Different Perspective Inner searching can be uncomfortable and reveal unsettling facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect/) [Right Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-expect-922193/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-right-341763/) [Unable Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unable-truth-1822767/) ## Related quotes > [If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-cannot-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you can not find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen-zenji/if-you-can-not-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do-you/) [Dogen Zenji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen-zenji/) > [Most people are blinded by faith leaving them unable to see the truth that is science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-gordon-johnson/most-people-are-blinded-by-faith-leaving-them-unable-to-see-the-truth/) [Harry Gordon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-gordon-johnson/) > [You earn the right to expect recognition by giving it! It's that simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-harvey/you-earn-the-right-to-expect-recognition-by-giving-it-it-s-that-simple/) [Eric Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-harvey/) > [“they will have the right to expect from you the highest standards of character, professional competence and integrity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adair/they-will-have-the-right-to-expect-from-you-the-highest-standards-of/) [John Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adair/) > [If we do what we do,wrong or right and then expect the solution to the difficulties to come from the skies,then we are worthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylablack/if-we-do-what-we-do-wrong-or-right-and-then-expect-the-solution-to/) [Laylablack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylablack/) > [“You haven't any right to expect your friends to be larger than yourself, larger than life. Just take them as they are, cut down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/you-haven-t-any-right-to-expect-your-friends-to-be-larger-than/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [“That is the way it is done, the way it has always been done. Frogs have every right to expect it will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/that-is-the-way-it-is-done-the-way-it-has-always-been-done-frogs-have/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Fans have a constitutional right to expect success and have high expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/fans-have-a-constitutional-right-to-expect-success-and-have-high/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [Every president learns in the course of your time in office, but the American people have the right to expect that you walk in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/every-president-learns-in-the-course-of-your-time-in-office-but-the/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [Ninety percent of the time things turn out worse than you thought they would. The other ten percent of the time you had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/ninety-percent-of-the-time-things-turn-out-worse-than-you-thought/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [If you can't do the small things right, how can you expect to do the big things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minkah-fitzpatrick/if-you-can-t-do-the-small-things-right-how-can-you-expect-to-do-the/) [Minkah Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minkah-fitzpatrick/) > [There is no place to search for the truth. Though it's right beneath your feet, it can't be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daido-loori/there-is-no-place-to-search-for-the-truth-though-it-s-right-beneath/) [John Daido Loori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daido-loori/) > [“The truth, in the right hands, can be a very flexible tool.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-boutros/the-truth-in-the-right-hands-can-be-a-very-flexible-tool/) [Gabriel Boutros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-boutros/) > [Truth and right are above utility in all realms of thought and action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-william-eliot/truth-and-right-are-above-utility-in-all-realms-of-thought-and-action/) [Charles William Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-william-eliot/) ## More by Dogen > [The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/the-whole-moon-and-the-entire-sky-are-reflected-in-one-dewdrop-on-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [When a buddha is painted, not only a clay altar or lump of earth is used, but the thirty-two marks, a blade of grass,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/when-a-buddha-is-painted-not-only-a-clay-altar-or-lump-of-earth-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Just as parents care for their children, you should bear in mind the whole universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/just-as-parents-care-for-their-children-you-should-bear-in-mind-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/yet-you-must-not-cling-to-the-words-of-the-old-sages-either-they-too/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Set aside all involvements and let the myriad things rest. Zazen is not thinking of good, not thinking of bad. It is not conscious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/set-aside-all-involvements-and-let-the-myriad-things-rest-zazen-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Though it has no thought of keeping watch, it's not for naught that the scarecrow stands in the grain field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/though-it-has-no-thought-of-keeping-watch-it-s-not-for-naught-that/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Continuous practice, day after day, is the most appropriate way of expressing gratitude. This means that you practice continuously, without wasting a single day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/continuous-practice-day-after-day-is-the-most-appropriate-way-of/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Whenever learners or those beyond learning awaken the mind, for the first time they plant one buddha-nature. Working with the four elements and five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/whenever-learners-or-those-beyond-learning-awaken-the-mind-for-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Realization doesn't destroy the individual any more than the reflection of the moon breaks a drop of water. A drop of water can reflect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/realization-doesn-t-destroy-the-individual-any-more-than-the/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“If you attain unsurpassable, complete enlightenment, all sentient beings also attain it. The reason is that all sentient beings are aspects of enlightenment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-attain-unsurpassable-complete-enlightenment-all-sentient/) [Dōgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [To study the Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/to-study-the-way-is-to-study-the-self-to-study-the-self-is-to-forget/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“Every man possesses the Buddha-nature. Do not demean yourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/every-man-possesses-the-buddha-nature-do-not-demean-yourselves/) [Dōgen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Because mountains are high and broad, the way of riding the clouds is always reached in the mountains; the inconceivable power of soaring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/because-mountains-are-high-and-broad-the-way-of-riding-the-clouds-is/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [Working with plants, trees, fences and walls, if they practice sincerely they will attain enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/working-with-plants-trees-fences-and-walls-if-they-practice-sincerely/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [We must always be disturbed by the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/we-must-always-be-disturbed-by-the-truth/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) [Explore all 143 Dogen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) ## More Expect quotes > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Even though you can't expect to defeat the absurdity of the world, you must make that attempt. That's morality, that's religion. That's art. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/even-though-you-can-t-expect-to-defeat-the-absurdity-of-the-world-you/) [Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [Beare with evill, and expect good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/beare-with-evill-and-expect-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/therefore-you-also-must-be-ready-for-the-son-of-man-is-coming-at-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People expect more and more every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-boosie/people-expect-more-and-more-every-time/) [Lil Boosie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-boosie/) > [“Love is promising to give someone everything and not expect anything in return.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hart/love-is-promising-to-give-someone-everything-and-not-expect-anything/) [Emma Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hart/) > [I wanted to make a place for filmmakers and artists to come and 'do their stuff,' but I didn't expect it to have had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-anderson/i-wanted-to-make-a-place-for-filmmakers-and-artists-to-come-and-do/) [Tom Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-anderson/) > [Parents should have perfect control over their own spirits, and with mildness and yet firmness bend the will of the child until it shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/parents-should-have-perfect-control-over-their-own-spirits-and-with/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [“When you have a relationship with Jesus, you learn to expect something different everyday of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mlungisi-simelane/when-you-have-a-relationship-with-jesus-you-learn-to-expect-something/) [Mlungisi Simelane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mlungisi-simelane/) > [I didn't expect I will get the Arjuna at 18 years. I thought 19.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/i-didn-t-expect-i-will-get-the-arjuna-at-18-years-i-thought-19/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Sometimes when you least expect it, hope wiggles into your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-plourde/sometimes-when-you-least-expect-it-hope-wiggles-into-your-heart/) [Lynn Plourde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-plourde/) > [I laid my life on the line, so I expect nothing less from you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-day-to-remember/i-laid-my-life-on-the-line-so-i-expect-nothing-less-from-you/) [A Day To Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-day-to-remember/) [Browse all 2,143 Expect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dogen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expect" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae2/dogen-2979_expect_if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-righ_167625.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?” — Dogen", "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": "Dogen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you are unable to find...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/if-you-are-unable-to-find-the-truth-right-where-you-are-where-else-do/#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 } } ] } ```