--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not to be able to stop thinking is an…" description: "\"Not to be able to stop thinking is an affliction, but we don't realise this because almost everybody is suffering from it.\" — Eckhart Tolle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/eckhart-tolle-81_able_not-to-be-able-to-stop-thinking-is-an-af_1386452.jpg" --- # Not to be able to stop thinking is an affliction, but we… ![“Not to be able to stop thinking is an affliction, but we don't realise this because almost everybody is suffering from it.” quote by Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/eckhart-tolle-81_able_not-to-be-able-to-stop-thinking-is-an-af_1386452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/eckhart-tolle-81_able_not-to-be-able-to-stop-thinking-is-an-af_1386452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db3/eckhart-tolle-81_able_not-to-be-able-to-stop-thinking-is-an-af_1386452.jpg) > “Not to be able to stop thinking is an affliction, but we don't realise this because almost everybody is suffering from it.” [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. Constant overthinking is a widespread affliction, often unnoticed. **In simple terms:** Overthinking is common and hidden. Key Takeaway Practice mindfulness to quiet the mind. Themes mental health mindfulness awareness Mood calm thoughtful Type self-help psychology When to use this quote - therapy - daily meditation - stress management Key Concepts rumination psychological affliction Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness change mental habits? - What tools help reduce rumination? A Different Perspective Mindfulness alone may not cure severe anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affliction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don't realize this because almost everybody is suffering from it, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/not-to-be-able-to-stop-thinking-is-a-dreadful-affliction-but-we-don-t/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction, but we don't realize this because almost everyone is suffering from it, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/not-to-be-able-to-stop-thinking-is-a-dreadful-affliction-but-we-don-t-2/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [I do feel like all the people I meet, all the people I'm in discussions with, if I'm working with somebody, I sense the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/i-do-feel-like-all-the-people-i-meet-all-the-people-i-m-in/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [“You mean stop thinking altogether? 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You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Stop that.” “Stop what?” “You’re thinking too hard. I can see it on your face. Just be here. Right now. With me.” And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/stop-that-stop-what-you-re-thinking-too-hard-i-can-see-it-on-your/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) ## 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. 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