---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Consciousness is a vast ocean and…"
description: "\"Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves & ripples on the surface of the ocean.\" — Eckhart Tolle"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg"
---

#  Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves &amp;…

![“Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves &amp; ripples on the surface of the ocean.” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg)

> “Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves &amp; ripples on the surface of the ocean.”

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## About This Quote

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

Consciousness is an ocean; thoughts are surface ripples, not the whole.

**In simple terms:** Mind is surface of awareness.

Key Takeaway

Observe thoughts without identifying with them.

Themes

spirituality mindfulness philosophy

Mood

calm contemplative

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- therapy
- creative work
- stress management

Key Concepts

awareness thought patterns non‑attachment

Questions to Reflect On

- What ripples dominate your mind?
- How can you dive deeper into awareness?

A Different Perspective

Thoughts can sometimes guide useful action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Consciousness Vast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-vast-2275067/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Ocean Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean-thinking-2275066/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Ripple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ripple/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thinking Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-waves-2275068/) [Vast ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast-ocean/) [Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wave/)

## Related quotes

> [“Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves &amp; ripples on the surface of the ocean. Every wave &amp; ripple has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinking-is-the-waves-ripples-on/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [It is the prayer of my innermost being to realize my supreme identity in the liberated play of consciousness, the Vast Expanse. Now is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-grey/it-is-the-prayer-of-my-innermost-being-to-realize-my-supreme-identity/)

[Alex Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-grey/)

> [I have never cared about setting world records, or filling my boat with fish, or, for that matter, even catching fish. I go for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/i-have-never-cared-about-setting-world-records-or-filling-my-boat/)

[Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/)

> [“I close my eyes and listen to the ocean. I'm thinking about sailing, to England or maybe France. The way the wind would feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-moskowitz/i-close-my-eyes-and-listen-to-the-ocean-i-m-thinking-about-sailing-to/)

[Hannah Moskowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-moskowitz/)

> [We are ripples of consciousness of the vast ocean of consciousness. If we get agitated and become part of the reactionary and vitriolic behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/we-are-ripples-of-consciousness-of-the-vast-ocean-of-consciousness-if/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [We live as ripples of energy in the vast ocean of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/we-live-as-ripples-of-energy-in-the-vast-ocean-of-energy/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Underneath the world of sense perceptions and the world of mind activity, there is the vastness of being. There's a vast spaciousness. There's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/underneath-the-world-of-sense-perceptions-and-the-world-of-mind/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [In a fully functional organism, an emotion has a very short life span. It is like a momentary ripple or wave on the surface…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/in-a-fully-functional-organism-an-emotion-has-a-very-short-life-span/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Strictly speaking, "you" cannot become enlightened, because who you take yourself to be is like a ripple in the ocean of consciousness - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/strictly-speaking-you-cannot-become-enlightened-because-who-you-take/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [There is lace in every living thing: the bare branches of winter, the patterns of clouds, the surface of water as it ripples in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/there-is-lace-in-every-living-thing-the-bare-branches-of-winter-the/)

[Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/)

> [“The wise man believes profoundly in silence, the sign of a perfect equilibrium. Silence is the absolute poise or balance of body, mind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-alexander-eastman/the-wise-man-believes-profoundly-in-silence-the-sign-of-a-perfect/)

[Charles Alexander Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-alexander-eastman/)

> [It's like, imagine the ripples on top of an ocean. And I'm in a rowboat, reactively dealing with the waves and water coming into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-oz/it-s-like-imagine-the-ripples-on-top-of-an-ocean-and-i-m-in-a-rowboat/)

[Mehmet Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-oz/)

> [I can't even dial one phone number right away. But you strained your own body to go and see them. I was surprised. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arina-tanemura/i-can-t-even-dial-one-phone-number-right-away-but-you-strained-your/)

[Arina Tanemura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arina-tanemura/)

> [The improved American highway system isolated the American-in-transit. On his speedway he had no contact with the towns which he by-passed. If he stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-improved-american-highway-system-isolated-the-american-in-transit/)

[Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/)

> [“French Polynesia embraces a vast ocean area strewn with faraway outer islands, each with a mystique of its own. The 118 islands and atolls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stanley/french-polynesia-embraces-a-vast-ocean-area-strewn-with-faraway-outer/)

[David Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stanley/)

## More by Eckhart Tolle

> [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“A powerful spiritual practice is consciously to allow the diminishment of ego when it happens without attempting to restore it. I recommend that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/a-powerful-spiritual-practice-is-consciously-to-allow-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-become-aware-of-the-subtlety-of-nature-you-need-to-be-alert-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [On a deeper level you are already complete. When you realize that, there is a joyous energy behind what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/on-a-deeper-level-you-are-already-complete-when-you-realize-that/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/life-will-give-you-whatever-experience-is-most-helpful-for-the/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [You may not yet be able to bring your unconscious mind activity into awareness as thoughts, but it will always be reflected in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-may-not-yet-be-able-to-bring-your-unconscious-mind-activity-into/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“War is a mind-set, and all action that comes out of such a mind-set will either strengthen the enemy, the perceived evil, or, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/war-is-a-mind-set-and-all-action-that-comes-out-of-such-a-mind-set/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Whenever you step out of the noise of thinking, that is meditation, and a different state of consciousness arises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/whenever-you-step-out-of-the-noise-of-thinking-that-is-meditation-and/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Get the inside right, and the outside will take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/get-the-inside-right-and-the-outside-will-take-care-of-itself/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Most people spend their entire life imprisoned within the confines of their own thoughts. They never go beyond a narrow, mind-made, personalized sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/most-people-spend-their-entire-life-imprisoned-within-the-confines-of/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [“Jeste li zabrinuti? Razmišljate li često: »Što bi bilo da sam...?« To znači da ste se poistovjetili s umom, koji se projicira u neku…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/jeste-li-zabrinuti-razmi-ljate-li-esto-to-bi-bilo-da-sam-to-zna-i-da/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

[Explore all 1,493 Eckhart Tolle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## More Consciousness quotes

> [“You're never alone if you're with your soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-armond-powell/you-re-never-alone-if-you-re-with-your-soul/)

[Gerard Armond Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-armond-powell/)

> [“I now argue that entry into Upper Palaeolithic caves was probably seen as virtually indistinguishable from entry into the mental vortex that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-david-lewis-williams/i-now-argue-that-entry-into-upper-palaeolithic-caves-was-probably/)

[James David Lewis-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-david-lewis-williams/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [“People and situations always show us what we need to see and learn about ourselves, and when we take responsibility for our own feelings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-mada-dalian/people-and-situations-always-show-us-what-we-need-to-see-and-learn/)

[Eliza Mada Dalian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-mada-dalian/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [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/)

> [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/)

[Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/)

> [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/)

[Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [So many people are passive participants in their very short time of having a consciousness, and those who aren't inspire me. Like Malala Yousafzai…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-gelulla/so-many-people-are-passive-participants-in-their-very-short-time-of/)

[Dylan Gelulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-gelulla/)

> [Floating in and out of consciousness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/floating-in-and-out-of-consciousness/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“The vision teller tells the vision to unguarded minds' of prey. The programmed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/the-vision-teller-tells-the-vision-to-unguarded-minds-of-prey-the/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

[Browse all 6,062 Consciousness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves & ripples on the surface of the ocean.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eckhart Tolle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinking-is-the-waves-ripples-on-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Consciousness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinking-is-the-waves-ripples-on-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/eckhart-tolle-81_consciousness_consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinki_1852297.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Consciousness is a vast ocean and thinking is the waves & ripples on the surface of the ocean.” — Eckhart Tolle",
                "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": "Eckhart Tolle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Consciousness is a vast ocean and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinking-is-the-waves-ripples-on-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/consciousness-is-a-vast-ocean-and-thinking-is-the-waves-ripples-on-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
