---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even my desire to become free or…"
description: "\"Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just another craving for fulfillment or completion in the future. So don’t seek to become free or desir..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg"
---

#  Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just…

![“Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just another craving for fulfillment or completion in the future. So don’t seek to become free or desire or “achieve” enlightenment. Become present.” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg)

> “Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just another craving for fulfillment or completion in the future. So don’t seek to become free or desire or “achieve” enlightenment. Become present.”

[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.

Desire for enlightenment is another craving; true freedom is found in present awareness.

**In simple terms:** Chasing enlightenment is another desire; be present instead.

Key Takeaway

Live in the present moment.

Themes

spirituality mindfulness desire

Mood

calm insightful

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

- meditation practice
- daily mindfulness
- stress reduction

Key Concepts

non‑attachment consciousness

Questions to Reflect On

- What cravings distract you from now?
- How can you cultivate present awareness?

A Different Perspective

Present awareness can be hard to maintain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Achieve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/) [Achieve Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve-enlightenment-930588/) [Completion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/completion/) [Craving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/craving/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-present-2213518/) [Free Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-desire-753173/) [Free Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-enlightened-3413240/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Fulfillment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfillment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. Our present political systems must relinquish their claims on truth, justice and freedom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/before-anything-else-we-need-a-new-age-of-enlightenment-our-present/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [It is easy to imagine that the Buddha, the awakened one, is something or somewhere other than here or that awakening to reality will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/it-is-easy-to-imagine-that-the-buddha-the-awakened-one-is-something/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [Instead of striving towards some distant goal that you will never reach, I invite you to stop and ask: How am I avoiding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/instead-of-striving-towards-some-distant-goal-that-you-will-never/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [Only the rich can achieve enlightenment because the poor are too busy looking for fridge freezers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/only-the-rich-can-achieve-enlightenment-because-the-poor-are-too-busy/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“This is what the path of Dharma is like. It's not that you have to do all the practices. It is sufficient to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhomang-yangthang/this-is-what-the-path-of-dharma-is-like-it-s-not-that-you-have-to-do/)

[Dhomang Yangthang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhomang-yangthang/)

> [“The fundamental conflict in the spiritual quest is that ego desires spiritual enlightenment, but ego can never achieve spiritual enlightenment. Self cannot achieve no-self.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/the-fundamental-conflict-in-the-spiritual-quest-is-that-ego-desires/)

[Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/)

> [There was a famous Zen master whom people would seek out to become enlightened. He was strict and would occupy people with things having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaaki-hatsumi/there-was-a-famous-zen-master-whom-people-would-seek-out-to-become/)

[Masaaki Hatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaaki-hatsumi/)

> [My mother's a Buddhist. In Buddhism, if you want to achieve enlightenment, you have to do it through meditation and self-improvement through the mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiger-woods/my-mother-s-a-buddhist-in-buddhism-if-you-want-to-achieve/)

[Tiger Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiger-woods/)

> [“Enlightenment is a paradoxical phenomenon. You need to be commited to become enlightenment, and to do whatever is necessary to make it happen. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/enlightenment-is-a-paradoxical-phenomenon-you-need-to-be-commited-to/)

[Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/)

> [So long as there is desire or want, it is a sure sign that there is imperfection. A perfect, free being cannot have any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/so-long-as-there-is-desire-or-want-it-is-a-sure-sign-that-there-is/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I want to do a certain thing in the world, and I am going to do it with unwavering concentration. I am concerning myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/i-want-to-do-a-certain-thing-in-the-world-and-i-am-going-to-do-it/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [Free from desire, you realize the mystery, caught in the desire, you see only the manifestations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/free-from-desire-you-realize-the-mystery-caught-in-the-desire-you-see/)

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

> [“And my heart bled within me; for you can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/and-my-heart-bled-within-me-for-you-can-only-be-free-when-even-the/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [You can only be free when even the desire of seeking freedom becomes a harness to you, and when you cease to speak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-only-be-free-when-even-the-desire-of-seeking-freedom-becomes/)

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

> [That is Buddha's meaning of nirvana: to be free from life and death, to be free from desire. The moment you are free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-is-buddha-s-meaning-of-nirvana-to-be-free-from-life-and-death-to/)

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

## 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 Achieve quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [I love playing for my country, getting the support. Especially for the kids and everybody, showing my example of what I can achieve so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-love-playing-for-my-country-getting-the-support-especially-for-the/)

[Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/)

> [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/)

[Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/)

> [Focus on becoming more to achieve more while doing less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-elrod/focus-on-becoming-more-to-achieve-more-while-doing-less/)

[Hal Elrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-elrod/)

> [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/)

[Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/)

> [I'm a film guy. I love it. When I read the screenplay, I knew that there would be no HD camera that could achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deon-taylor/i-m-a-film-guy-i-love-it-when-i-read-the-screenplay-i-knew-that-there/)

[Deon Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deon-taylor/)

> [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/)

[Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/)

> [I'm optimistic Hong Kong will achieve universal suffrage - no matter the attitude of Beijing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-m-optimistic-hong-kong-will-achieve-universal-suffrage-no-matter/)

[Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/)

> [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Governments follow their people. A great deal has to do with the vision of the leadership of governments. They have a vision, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-khurshid/governments-follow-their-people-a-great-deal-has-to-do-with-the/)

[Salman Khurshid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-khurshid/)

> [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/)

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

> [If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/if-your-only-goal-is-to-become-rich-you-will-never-achieve-it/)

[John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/)

> [To achieve something you've never achieved before, you must become someone you've never been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shubham-joshi/to-achieve-something-you-ve-never-achieved-before-you-must-become/)

[Shubham Joshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shubham-joshi/)

> [I've identified as bisexual since I was a teenager, and if we want to achieve equality for all in our policies, we need more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hill/i-ve-identified-as-bisexual-since-i-was-a-teenager-and-if-we-want-to/)

[Katie Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hill/)

[Browse all 6,390 Achieve quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achieve/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just another craving for fulfillment or completion in the future. So don’t seek to become free or desire or “achieve” enlightenment. Become present.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Eckhart Tolle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlightened-is-just-another-craving/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Achieve"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlightened-is-just-another-craving/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5e/eckhart-tolle-81_achieve_even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlight_2795918.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even my desire to become free or enlightened is just another craving for fulfillment or completion in the…” — 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": "Even my desire to become free...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlightened-is-just-another-craving/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/even-my-desire-to-become-free-or-enlightened-is-just-another-craving/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```