--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I also see that in order to flee from…" description: "\"“But I also see that in order to flee from all this I must either master it or repudiate it. I do not master it because I cannot rise above reality and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/412/fernando-pessoa-177_flee_but-i-also-see-that-in-order-to-flee-fro_757120.jpg" --- # But I also see that in order to flee from all this I must… ![“But I also see that in order to flee from all this I must either master it or repudiate it. I do not master it because I cannot rise above reality and I do not repudiate it because, whatever I may dream, I always remain exactly where I am.” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/412/fernando-pessoa-177_flee_but-i-also-see-that-in-order-to-flee-fro_757120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/412/fernando-pessoa-177_flee_but-i-also-see-that-in-order-to-flee-fro_757120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/412/fernando-pessoa-177_flee_but-i-also-see-that-in-order-to-flee-fro_757120.jpg) > ““But I also see that in order to flee from all this I must either master it or repudiate it. I do not master it because I cannot rise above reality and I do not repudiate it because, whatever I may dream, I always remain exactly where I am.”” [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels stuck between confronting reality and escaping it, recognizing that both mastery and denial are impossible. **In simple terms:** Stuck between facing or fleeing reality. Key Takeaway Accept reality and seek mindful change. Themes existential self‑reflection paradox Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career stagnation - relationship breakup - creative block - personal growth Key Concepts acceptance inner conflict Questions to Reflect On - What does “mastery” look like for you? - Can you find balance without denial? A Different Perspective Mastery may be unattainable; denial can lead to stagnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flee/) [Flee Master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flee-master-5878027/) [Master Repudiate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/master-repudiate-5878028/) [Reality Repudiate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-repudiate-5878025/) [Repudiate Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repudiate-dream-5878026/) ## Related quotes > [“I’d like to run away, to flee from what I know, from what is mine, from what I love. I want to set off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-d-like-to-run-away-to-flee-from-what-i-know-from-what-is-mine-from/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [And I have the others in me. Even when I’m far away from them, I am forced to live with them. Even when I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/and-i-have-the-others-in-me-even-when-i-m-far-away-from-them-i-am/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Flee an enemy who knows your weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/flee-an-enemy-who-knows-your-weakness/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [For even bold natures flee, whenever they see Hades close to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-even-bold-natures-flee-whenever-they-see-hades-close-to-life/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [In the end, perhaps it will be the true romantics, not the nerds, who choose to flee from a world of impersonal, digitized relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/in-the-end-perhaps-it-will-be-the-true-romantics-not-the-nerds-who/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [“While we pursue happiness, we flee from contentment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/while-we-pursue-happiness-we-flee-from-contentment/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/for-all-of-its-uncertainty-we-cannot-flee-the-future/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [If you desire the path of sincerity, develop a love for obscurity. Flee from the clatter and clinks of fame. Be like the roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-desire-the-path-of-sincerity-develop-a-love-for-obscurity-flee/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I once sent a dozen of my friends a telegram saying 'flee at once - all is discovered.' They all left town immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-once-sent-a-dozen-of-my-friends-a-telegram-saying-flee-at-once-all/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [When he pretends to flee, do not pursue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/when-he-pretends-to-flee-do-not-pursue/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Out of the hills of Habersham, Down the valleys of Hall, I hurry amain to reach the plain; Run the rapid and leap the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-lanier/out-of-the-hills-of-habersham-down-the-valleys-of-hall-i-hurry-amain/) [Sidney Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-lanier/) > [“Running’ is driven by panic. ‘Destination’ is driven by thought. And while it’s terribly painful to admit, incessantly pretending that I do the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/running-is-driven-by-panic-destination-is-driven-by-thought-and-while/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [We must do something about the cross, and there’s only one of two things we can do- flee it or die upon it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/we-must-do-something-about-the-cross-and-there-s-only-one-of-two/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“The dark might be dark, but at least we don’t have to look at ourselves when we’re standing in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-dark-might-be-dark-but-at-least-we-don-t-have-to-look-at/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“It does no good to run. And it does no good to hide. But I know what it's like. Your brain shuts down, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey-peter-gross/it-does-no-good-to-run-and-it-does-no-good-to-hide-but-i-know-what-it/) [Mike Carey & Peter Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey-peter-gross/) ## More by Fernando Pessoa > [Everything interests me, but nothing holds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-interests-me-but-nothing-holds-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“If only, I feel now, if only I could be someone able to see all this as if he had no other relation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/if-only-i-feel-now-if-only-i-could-be-someone-able-to-see-all-this-as/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Smell is a strange sight. It evokes sentimental landscapes through a sudden sketching of the subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/smell-is-a-strange-sight-it-evokes-sentimental-landscapes-through-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Tudo vale a pena quando a alma não é pequena”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/tudo-vale-a-pena-quando-a-alma-n-o-pequena/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“no nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-nostalgia-hurts-as-much-as-nostalgia-for-things-that-never-existed/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“The feelings that hurt most, the motions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-motions-that-sting-most-are-those/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“I try to say what I feel Without thinking about what I feel. I try to place words right next to my idea So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-try-to-say-what-i-feel-without-thinking-about-what-i-feel-i-try-to/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Have you ever considered, beloved other, how invisible we are to each other? We look at each other without seeing. We listen to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/have-you-ever-considered-beloved-other-how-invisible-we-are-to-each/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“To associate is to die. Only my consciousness of myself is real for me; other people are hazy phenomena in this consciousness, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-associate-is-to-die-only-my-consciousness-of-myself-is-real-for-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“When it comes to dreams, I’m no different from the errand boy and the seamstress. The only thing that distinguishes me from them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/when-it-comes-to-dreams-i-m-no-different-from-the-errand-boy-and-the/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it. Collective thought is stupid because it’s collective. Nothing passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-intelligent-idea-can-gain-general-acceptance-unless-some-stupidity/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Everything that surrounds us becomes part of us, it seeps into us with every experience of the flesh and of life and, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-that-surrounds-us-becomes-part-of-us-it-seeps-into-us-with/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) [Explore all 781 Fernando Pessoa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## More Flee quotes > [Flee an enemy who knows your weakness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/flee-an-enemy-who-knows-your-weakness/) [Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/) > [“I’d like to run away, to flee from what I know, from what is mine, from what I love. I want to set off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-d-like-to-run-away-to-flee-from-what-i-know-from-what-is-mine-from/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“The dark might be dark, but at least we don’t have to look at ourselves when we’re standing in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-dark-might-be-dark-but-at-least-we-don-t-have-to-look-at/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [We must do something about the cross, and there’s only one of two things we can do- flee it or die upon it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/we-must-do-something-about-the-cross-and-there-s-only-one-of-two/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Running’ is driven by panic. ‘Destination’ is driven by thought. And while it’s terribly painful to admit, incessantly pretending that I do the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/running-is-driven-by-panic-destination-is-driven-by-thought-and-while/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Out of the hills of Habersham, Down the valleys of Hall, I hurry amain to reach the plain; Run the rapid and leap the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-lanier/out-of-the-hills-of-habersham-down-the-valleys-of-hall-i-hurry-amain/) [Sidney Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-lanier/) > [When he pretends to flee, do not pursue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/when-he-pretends-to-flee-do-not-pursue/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [I once sent a dozen of my friends a telegram saying 'flee at once - all is discovered.' They all left town immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-once-sent-a-dozen-of-my-friends-a-telegram-saying-flee-at-once-all/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [If you desire the path of sincerity, develop a love for obscurity. Flee from the clatter and clinks of fame. Be like the roots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-desire-the-path-of-sincerity-develop-a-love-for-obscurity-flee/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And I have the others in me. Even when I’m far away from them, I am forced to live with them. Even when I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/and-i-have-the-others-in-me-even-when-i-m-far-away-from-them-i-am/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-jordan/for-all-of-its-uncertainty-we-cannot-flee-the-future/) [Barbara Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-jordan/) > [“While we pursue happiness, we flee from contentment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/while-we-pursue-happiness-we-flee-from-contentment/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [In the end, perhaps it will be the true romantics, not the nerds, who choose to flee from a world of impersonal, digitized relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/in-the-end-perhaps-it-will-be-the-true-romantics-not-the-nerds-who/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [For even bold natures flee, whenever they see Hades close to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-even-bold-natures-flee-whenever-they-see-hades-close-to-life/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“It does no good to run. And it does no good to hide. But I know what it's like. Your brain shuts down, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-carey-peter-gross/it-does-no-good-to-run-and-it-does-no-good-to-hide-but-i-know-what-it/) [Mike Carey & Peter Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-carey-peter-gross/) [Browse all 128 Flee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flee/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I also see that in order to flee from all this I must either master it or repudiate it. 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