--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Great Work is, before all things, the…" description: "\"The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg" --- # The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man… ![“The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it is especially the perfect emancipation of his will.” quote by Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg) > “The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it is especially the perfect emancipation of his will.” [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes self‑mastery as the highest achievement, involving total control over one’s mind, abilities, and future, especially freeing the will from external constraints. **In simple terms:** Self‑mastery is the ultimate goal, freeing the will. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑discipline and mental freedom. Themes self‑development willpower philosophy spirituality Mood reflective determined inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - education - career planning - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts self‑mastery emancipation future‑orientation Questions to Reflect On - What habits can you change to strengthen your will? - How does external influence affect your self‑mastery? A Different Perspective Achieving total control is extremely difficult and may ignore social and emotional factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [All things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-things/) [Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conquest/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Creation of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation-of-man/) [Emancipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emancipation/) [Entire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire/) [Faculty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faculty/) [Great work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-work/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Perfect Emancipation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-emancipation-3863213/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [In all of human history no country or no people have suffered such terrible slavery, conquest and foreign oppression and no country and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/in-all-of-human-history-no-country-or-no-people-have-suffered-such/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Hermeticism is the science of nature hidden in the hieroglyphics and symbols of the ancient world. It is the search for the principle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/hermeticism-is-the-science-of-nature-hidden-in-the-hieroglyphics-and/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [“Perhaps there was no God. God was a creation of man, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tam-linsey/perhaps-there-was-no-god-god-was-a-creation-of-man-not-the-other-way/) [Tam Linsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tam-linsey/) > [Art is the need to create; but in its essence, immense and universal, it is impatient of working with lame or tied hands, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/art-is-the-need-to-create-but-in-its-essence-immense-and-universal-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [All of creation, in the biblical view, was to ultimately prepare the way for the creation of man. But one does not need the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/all-of-creation-in-the-biblical-view-was-to-ultimately-prepare-the/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given. But up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/man-has-been-endowed-with-reason-with-the-power-to-create-so-that-he/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-of-books-is-the-most-remarkable-creation-of-man-nothing-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In dreams and visions lie the greatest creations of man, for on them rests no yoke of line or hue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-dreams-and-visions-lie-the-greatest-creations-of-man-for-on-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In describing the creation of man, the Torah says, “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the earth and blew into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celso-cukierkorn/in-describing-the-creation-of-man-the-torah-says-the-lord-god-formed/) [Celso Cukierkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celso-cukierkorn/) > [“And if I am not mistaken here is the secret of the greatness that was Spain. In Spain it is men that are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/and-if-i-am-not-mistaken-here-is-the-secret-of-the-greatness-that-was/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Many of the greatest creations of man have been inspired by the desire to make money...If Oxford undergraduates were paid for their work, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/many-of-the-greatest-creations-of-man-have-been-inspired-by-the/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [When the first man created Himself, He was the light of the circle. Then He willed the sun into being It was 6 trillion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elijah-muhammad/when-the-first-man-created-himself-he-was-the-light-of-the-circle/) [Elijah Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elijah-muhammad/) > [The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-day/the-world-of-books-is-the-most-remarkable-creation-of-man-nothing/) [Clarence Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-day/) > [“The restoration of the image of God ... the new nature, created after the likeness of God in righteousness and holiness ... the new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-c-berkouwer/the-restoration-of-the-image-of-god-the-new-nature-created-after-the/) [G C Berkouwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-c-berkouwer/) > [Perhaps of all the creations of man language is the most astonishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lytton-strachey/perhaps-of-all-the-creations-of-man-language-is-the-most-astonishing/) [Lytton Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lytton-strachey/) ## More by Eliphas Levi > [Judge not; speak hardly at all; love and act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/judge-not-speak-hardly-at-all-love-and-act/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [Passing beauties are only the fugitive reflections of the eternal. All beauty alters and all life melts away; in short, everything passes with marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/passing-beauties-are-only-the-fugitive-reflections-of-the-eternal-all/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [“When Christianity proscribed the public exercise of the ancient worships, the partisans of the latter were compelled to meet in secret for the celebration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/when-christianity-proscribed-the-public-exercise-of-the-ancient/) [Éliphas Lévi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [“However, as a guarantee of its renewed youth, the symbolical phoenix never reappeared before the eyes of the world without having consumed solemnly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/however-as-a-guarantee-of-its-renewed-youth-the-symbolical-phoenix/) [Éliphas Lévi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [To practice magic is to be a quack; to know magic is to be a sage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/to-practice-magic-is-to-be-a-quack-to-know-magic-is-to-be-a-sage/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [Doubt is really a groping ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/doubt-is-really-a-groping-ignorance/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [“Like all magical mysteries, the secrets of the Great Work have a triple meaning: they are religious, philosophical and natural. Philosophical gold in religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/like-all-magical-mysteries-the-secrets-of-the-great-work-have-a/) [Éliphas Lévi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [An iron chain is less difficult to break than a chain of flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/an-iron-chain-is-less-difficult-to-break-than-a-chain-of-flowers/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [Everything is possible to him who wills only what is true! Rest in Nature, study, know, then dare; dare to will, dare to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/everything-is-possible-to-him-who-wills-only-what-is-true-rest-in/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [What is more absurd and more impious than to attribute the name of Lucifer to the devil, that is, to personified evil. The intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/what-is-more-absurd-and-more-impious-than-to-attribute-the-name-of/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [Nothing can resist the will of man when he knows what is true and wills what is good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/nothing-can-resist-the-will-of-man-when-he-knows-what-is-true-and/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [“Man's greatest wisdom is to choose his obsession well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/man-s-greatest-wisdom-is-to-choose-his-obsession-well/) [Éliphas Lévi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [There exists in nature a force which is immeasurably more powerful than steam, and by means of which a single man, who knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/there-exists-in-nature-a-force-which-is-immeasurably-more-powerful/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [There is nothing more to controlling demons than to do good and fear nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/there-is-nothing-more-to-controlling-demons-than-to-do-good-and-fear/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [The Placer is an enemy who must necessarily become our lord or our slave; one doesn't enjoy if it's not defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/the-placer-is-an-enemy-who-must-necessarily-become-our-lord-or-our/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) [Explore all 53 Eliphas Levi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) ## More All things quotes > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [Dear God, I trust that no matter what happens in my life, it is for my highest good. And no matter what happens in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/dear-god-i-trust-that-no-matter-what-happens-in-my-life-it-is-for-my/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Moderation, honey, in all things but love and chocolate. That's my motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bretton/moderation-honey-in-all-things-but-love-and-chocolate-that-s-my-motto/) [Barbara Bretton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bretton/) > [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/) [James Nayler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nayler/) > [What greater weakness can there be than not to know what is the source of one's being, of one's life, of one's senses, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/what-greater-weakness-can-there-be-than-not-to-know-what-is-the/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [When I was in my teens I had a series of intensely religious experiences. They deepened my sense of God as the creator of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-linzey/when-i-was-in-my-teens-i-had-a-series-of-intensely-religious/) [Andrew Linzey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-linzey/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, as it pleases him, for he can do all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/the-lord-gives-and-the-lord-takes-away-as-it-pleases-him-for-he-can/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Standing as a witness in all things means being kind in all things, being the first to say hello, being the first to smile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-d-nadauld/standing-as-a-witness-in-all-things-means-being-kind-in-all-things/) [Margaret D. Nadauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-d-nadauld/) > [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [The U.S. Army has recently removed the cross from the insignia worn by chaplains. In its place is a sun with its rays, symbolizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murray/the-u-s-army-has-recently-removed-the-cross-from-the-insignia-worn-by/) [Chris Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murray/) > [...God does not possess a private knowledge of Himself and a separate knowledge of all the creatures in common. The universal Cause, by knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-dionysius/god-does-not-possess-a-private-knowledge-of-himself-and-a-separate/) [Pope Dionysius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-dionysius/) [Browse all 2,486 All things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/all-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire conquest of his faculties and his future; it is especially the perfect emancipation of his will.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eliphas Levi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the-creation-of-man-by-himself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "All things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the-creation-of-man-by-himself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/746/eliphas-levi-11993_all-things_the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the_2861328.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Great Work is, before all things, the creation of man by himself, that is to say, the full and entire…” — Eliphas Levi", "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": "Eliphas Levi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Great Work is, before all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the-creation-of-man-by-himself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/the-great-work-is-before-all-things-the-creation-of-man-by-himself/#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 } } ] } ```