---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . If that which was figured out long ago…"
description: "\"“. If that which was figured out long ago was the ultimate, then there would be no reason for your existence today.”\" — Esther Hicks"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png"
---

#  . If that which was figured out long ago was the ultimate…

![“. If that which was figured out long ago was the ultimate, then there would be no reason for your existence today.” quote by Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png)

> ““. If that which was figured out long ago was the ultimate, then there would be no reason for your existence today.””

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

## About This Quote

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

Suggests that if a concept is ultimate, existence would be unnecessary, implying purpose arises from imperfection.

**In simple terms:** Imperfection gives life meaning.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty as a source of purpose.

Themes

philosophy existence purpose

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

spiritual philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal development
- spiritual practice
- creative work

Key Concepts

metaphysics meaning imperfection

Questions to Reflect On

- What does imperfection teach you?
- How can you find purpose in uncertainty?

A Different Perspective

Treating all uncertainty as ultimate can lead to fatalism.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-today-5024273/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Reason Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-existence-1154443/) [Ultimate Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-reason-656660/)

## Related quotes

> [“Purpose is the ultimate reason for your existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-mashego/purpose-is-the-ultimate-reason-for-your-existence/)

[D.S. Mashego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-mashego/)

> [We are part of a country that outshines those that have gone before us and most of those in existence today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/we-are-part-of-a-country-that-outshines-those-that-have-gone-before/)

[Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/)

> [“Is a reason for existence necessary?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-l-evans/is-a-reason-for-existence-necessary/)

[John L. Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-l-evans/)

> [“...although the reason for the existence of women is obvious enough, nobody has any real idea what point there is in being a man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jones/although-the-reason-for-the-existence-of-women-is-obvious-enough/)

[Steve Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jones/)

> [The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-ultimate-reason-for-setting-goals-is-to-entice-you-to-become-the/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [The ultimate reason of things must lie in a necessary substance, in which the differentiation of the changes only exists eminently as in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/the-ultimate-reason-of-things-must-lie-in-a-necessary-substance-in/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [“Our reason to pray for such spiritual benefits is a fairly obvious one—one that we have affirmed again and again in this book: “so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/our-reason-to-pray-for-such-spiritual-benefits-is-a-fairly-obvious/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

> [The ultimate reason for meditating is to transform ourselves in order to be better able to transform the world or, to put it another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/the-ultimate-reason-for-meditating-is-to-transform-ourselves-in-order-2/)

[Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/)

> [The Incarnation is the ultimate reason why the service of God cannot be divorced from the service of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/the-incarnation-is-the-ultimate-reason-why-the-service-of-god-cannot/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [It is God who is the ultimate reason things, and the Knowledge of God is no less the beginning of science than his essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/it-is-god-who-is-the-ultimate-reason-things-and-the-knowledge-of-god/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [To consider the matter aright, reason is nothing but a wonderful and unintelligible instinct in our souls, which carries us along a certain train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/to-consider-the-matter-aright-reason-is-nothing-but-a-wonderful-and/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“But the ultimate reason for our hope is not to be found at all in what we want, wish for and wait for; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rgen-moltmann/but-the-ultimate-reason-for-our-hope-is-not-to-be-found-at-all-in/)

[Jürgen Moltmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-rgen-moltmann/)

> [The ultimate reason for meditating is to transform ourselves in order to be better able to transform the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/the-ultimate-reason-for-meditating-is-to-transform-ourselves-in-order/)

[Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/)

> [..This is why the ultimate reason of things must lie in a necessary substance, in which the differentiation of the changes only exists eminently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/this-is-why-the-ultimate-reason-of-things-must-lie-in-a-necessary/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [Despite the amount of suffering, pain, misery, sorrow and travail which can exist in life, the reason for existence is the same reason as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-ron-hubbard/despite-the-amount-of-suffering-pain-misery-sorrow-and-travail-which/)

[L. Ron Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-ron-hubbard/)

## More by Esther Hicks

> [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [“We know that words do not teach, that only life experience teaches, but the combination of life experience coupled with words that define and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/we-know-that-words-do-not-teach-that-only-life-experience-teaches-but/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [It is only in your thriving that you have anything to offer anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/it-is-only-in-your-thriving-that-you-have-anything-to-offer-anyone/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [I am that which I am, and I am willing to allow all others to be that which they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/i-am-that-which-i-am-and-i-am-willing-to-allow-all-others-to-be-that/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [“Ich bin so, wie ich bin, und ich bin bereit, auch alle anderen so sein zu lassen, wie sie sind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/ich-bin-so-wie-ich-bin-und-ich-bin-bereit-auch-alle-anderen-so-sein/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Creation isn't forcing or commanding something into existence. It's more of a rolling over, a good stretch, blissing out, lying on the grass watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/creation-isn-t-forcing-or-commanding-something-into-existence-it-s/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [“Creation Here is an exercise that will assist you in your Deliberate Creating: Take three separate pieces of paper, and at the top of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/creation-here-is-an-exercise-that-will-assist-you-in-your-deliberate/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Physical beings want things to be the same. They want people to think the same. You work rather hard at sameness, but you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/physical-beings-want-things-to-be-the-same-they-want-people-to-think/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [One who is connected to the Energy Stream is more powerful than a million who are not. And two who are harmoniously focused and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/one-who-is-connected-to-the-energy-stream-is-more-powerful-than-a/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Your hands are tied in action, but your hands are not tied in imagination and everything springs forth from the imagination. Everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/your-hands-are-tied-in-action-but-your-hands-are-not-tied-in/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Offer a vibration that matches your desire rather than offering a vibration that keeps matching what-is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/offer-a-vibration-that-matches-your-desire-rather-than-offering-a/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [The certain pathway to all things that you want is through the corridor of joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/the-certain-pathway-to-all-things-that-you-want-is-through-the/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Make up your mind that nothing is more important than how I feel now, because now is everything. Now is the whole enchilada. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/make-up-your-mind-that-nothing-is-more-important-than-how-i-feel-now/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

[Explore all 445 Esther Hicks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

## More Existence quotes

> [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

> [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [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 mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/)

[L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/)

> [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/)

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

> [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

[Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“. If that which was figured out long ago was the ultimate, then there would be no reason for your existence today.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Esther Hicks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-was-the-ultimate-then-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Existence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-was-the-ultimate-then-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e26/esther-hicks-592_existence_if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-w_2231855.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“. If that which was figured out long ago was the ultimate, then there would be no reason for your existence…” — Esther Hicks",
                "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": "Esther Hicks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“. If that which was figured...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-was-the-ultimate-then-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/if-that-which-was-figured-out-long-ago-was-the-ultimate-then-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
