---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy…"
description: "\"It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy of enlightenment is logic; rather, it is dualistic, verbal thinking. In fact, it is even more basic than that..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg"
---

#  It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy of enlightenment…

![“It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy of enlightenment is logic; rather, it is dualistic, verbal thinking. In fact, it is even more basic than that: it is perception.” quote by Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg)

> “It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy of enlightenment is logic; rather, it is dualistic, verbal thinking. In fact, it is even more basic than that: it is perception.”

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Enlightenment is hindered not by logic but by dualistic, verbal thinking; perception underlies both.

**In simple terms:** Thinking in binaries blocks insight.

Key Takeaway

Question binaries.

Themes

perception logic duality

Mood

analytical curious

Type

philosophical educational

When to use this quote

- education
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

philosophy cognitive science

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you notice dualistic patterns in your mind?
- Can you experience perception beyond language?

A Different Perspective

Overcoming dualistic thought requires deep self‑inquiry.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Dualistic Verbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dualistic-verbal-6148976/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-enlightenment-6148974/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-logic-6148973/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Logic Dualistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic-dualistic-6148975/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“Intelligence says think. Understanding says ponder. Insight says perceive. Enlightenment says overcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/intelligence-says-think-understanding-says-ponder-insight-says/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [For fear of causing terror to living beings, Mahamati, let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain compassion, refrain from eating flesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/for-fear-of-causing-terror-to-living-beings-mahamati-let-the/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [I think enlightenment is something that you decide to do after you have met someone who is enlightened. Something touches your heart, your being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-enlightenment-is-something-that-you-decide-to-do-after-you/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [We need enlightenment, not just individually but collectively, to save the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-need-enlightenment-not-just-individually-but-collectively-to-save/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/)

[Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [One of his students asked Buddha, "Are you the Messiah?" "No," answered Buddha. "Then are you a healer?" "No," Buddha replied. "Then are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/one-of-his-students-asked-buddha-are-you-the-messiah-no-answered/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/)

[Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/)

[Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/)

> [Don't worry. These poses have nothing to do with meditation or enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharma-mittra/don-t-worry-these-poses-have-nothing-to-do-with-meditation-or/)

[Dharma Mittra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharma-mittra/)

## More by Douglas Hofstadter

> [You make decisions, take actions, affect the world, receive feedback from the world, incorporate it into yourself, then the updated 'you' makes more decisions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/you-make-decisions-take-actions-affect-the-world-receive-feedback/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [“It is an inherent property of intelligence that it can jump out of the task which it is performing, and survey what it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/it-is-an-inherent-property-of-intelligence-that-it-can-jump-out-of/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [This sentence contradicts itself - no actually it doesn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/this-sentence-contradicts-itself-no-actually-it-doesn-t/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [Irrationality is the square root of all evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/irrationality-is-the-square-root-of-all-evil/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [Relying on words to lead you to the truth is like relying on an incomplete formal system to lead you to the truth. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/relying-on-words-to-lead-you-to-the-truth-is-like-relying-on-an/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [For 13 to be unlucky would require there to be some kind of cosmic intelligence that counts things that humans count and that also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/for-13-to-be-unlucky-would-require-there-to-be-some-kind-of-cosmic/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [The proverbial German phenomenon of the verb-at-the-end about which droll tales of absentminded professors who would begin a sentence, ramble on for an entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/the-proverbial-german-phenomenon-of-the-verb-at-the-end-about-which/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [No reference is truly direct—every reference depends on SOME kind of coding scheme. It's just a question of how implicit it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/no-reference-is-truly-direct-every-reference-depends-on-some-kind-of/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [You can never represent yourself totally … to seek self -knowledge is to embark on a journey which ... will always be incomplete, cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/you-can-never-represent-yourself-totally-to-seek-self-knowledge-is-to/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [The entire effort of artificial intelligence is essentially a fight against computers’ rigidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/the-entire-effort-of-artificial-intelligence-is-essentially-a-fight/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [It is an inherent property of intelligence that it can jump out of a task which it is performing and survey what it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/it-is-an-inherent-property-of-intelligence-that-it-can-jump-out-of-a/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [Enormous numbers of people are taken in, or at least beguiled and fascinated, by what seems to me to be unbelievable hocum, and relatively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/enormous-numbers-of-people-are-taken-in-or-at-least-beguiled-and/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [No matter what verbal space you try to enclose Zen in, it resists, and spills over ... the Zen attitude is that words and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/no-matter-what-verbal-space-you-try-to-enclose-zen-in-it-resists-and/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [In the end, we self-perceiving, self-inventing, locked-in mirages are little miracles of self-reference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/in-the-end-we-self-perceiving-self-inventing-locked-in-mirages-are/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

> [Below Every Tangled Hierarchy Lies An Inviolate Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/below-every-tangled-hierarchy-lies-an-inviolate-level/)

[Douglas Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

[Explore all 41 Douglas Hofstadter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy of enlightenment is logic; rather, it is dualistic, verbal thinking. In fact, it is even more basic than that: it is perception.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Douglas Hofstadter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enemy-of-enlightenment-is-logic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enemy-of-enlightenment-is-logic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/douglas-hofstadter-16025_buddhism_it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enem_1612185.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It is perhaps wrong to say that the enemy of enlightenment is logic; rather, it is dualistic, verbal…” — Douglas Hofstadter",
                "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": "Douglas Hofstadter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-hofstadter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It is perhaps wrong to say...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enemy-of-enlightenment-is-logic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-hofstadter/it-is-perhaps-wrong-to-say-that-the-enemy-of-enlightenment-is-logic/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
