--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If people think they can “do” meditation…" description: "\"“If people think they can “do” meditation, then they become frustrated every time they don’t achieve the state. In the same way that making more of an ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51c/gudjon-bergmann-18616_meditation_if-people-think-they-can-do-meditation-t_2470507.jpg" --- # If people think they can “do” meditation, then they become… ![“If people think they can “do” meditation, then they become frustrated every time they don’t achieve the state. In the same way that making more of an effort to fall asleep—trying to force yourself to sleep—often backfires, the meditative state becomes more elusive the more you try. On the other…” quote by Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51c/gudjon-bergmann-18616_meditation_if-people-think-they-can-do-meditation-t_2470507.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51c/gudjon-bergmann-18616_meditation_if-people-think-they-can-do-meditation-t_2470507.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51c/gudjon-bergmann-18616_meditation_if-people-think-they-can-do-meditation-t_2470507.jpg) > ““If people think they can “do” meditation, then they become frustrated every time they don’t achieve the state. In the same way that making more of an effort to fall asleep—trying to force yourself to sleep—often backfires, the meditative state becomes more elusive the more you try. On the other hand, if people understand that meditation is a state, then their only job is to create the right circumstances. They focus on what they can do—relax, sit still, concentrate—and then sometimes the state comes, while sometimes it does not. Either one is fine.”” [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Meditation should be approached as a state to be cultivated by setting conducive conditions, not by forceful effort, allowing the experience to arise naturally. **In simple terms:** Create the right environment for meditation; don’t force it. Key Takeaway Set conditions, let meditation emerge naturally. Themes meditation mindfulness effort acceptance Mood calm patient Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - sleep hygiene - stress reduction - creative work - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology spiritual practice flow state Questions to Reflect On - How can you design a space that supports meditation? - What habits help you relax without pressure? A Different Perspective Trying too hard can create resistance, making the desired state harder to achieve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Meditation practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-practice/) [Meditation-experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-experience/) [Meditation-for-beginners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-for-beginners/) [Meditation-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation-quotes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Meditation is a state, often defined as deep dreamless sleep awake. 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FOR THE FIRST TIME in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-leamy/joy-rains-has-a-gift-a-gift-for-explaining-abstract-concepts-like/) Elisabeth Leamy > [Meditation state is a place of deep relaxation where you can pinpoint the things you do and to set a paradigm switch from effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/meditation-state-is-a-place-of-deep-relaxation-where-you-can-pinpoint/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [Meditation is a state of mind which looks at everything with complete attention, totally, not just parts of it. And no one can teach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/meditation-is-a-state-of-mind-which-looks-at-everything-with-complete/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Meditation is a state of no-mind! You can not find meditation through the mind .. because mind will perpetuate itself! 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And therefore that very absence brings order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/meditation-then-is-a-state-of-mind-in-which-the-me-is-absent-and/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [The mind is constantly talking. If the inner talk can drop even for a single moment you will be able to have a glimpse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-mind-is-constantly-talking-if-the-inner-talk-can-drop-even-for-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## More by Gudjon Bergmann > [“It can be helpful to think of humanity like a pearl necklace. Each human being is a pearl with distinct characteristics, but underneath there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/it-can-be-helpful-to-think-of-humanity-like-a-pearl-necklace-each/) [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) > [“This notion of shared experience is important. A hiker, for example, has much more in common with other hikers who have walked paths foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/this-notion-of-shared-experience-is-important-a-hiker-for-example-has/) [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) > [“Experifaith is distinctly different from storyfaith. It does not provide answers to life’s big questions. Rather, it proposes a path of discovery through practice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/experifaith-is-distinctly-different-from-storyfaith-it-does-not/) [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) > [“Love is the most complex of all human phenomena. 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On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [If you have time to be mindful, you have time to meditate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/if-you-have-time-to-be-mindful-you-have-time-to-meditate/) [Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/) > [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [Unless and until you introspect you cannot even respect yourself. You cannot even love yourself. If you love yourself you will introspect and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/unless-and-until-you-introspect-you-cannot-even-respect-yourself-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. 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Mindfulness gives us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maia-duerr/mindfulness-is-an-invitation-to-change-that-pattern-and-to-become/) [Maia Duerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maia-duerr/) > [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [Now the stage today is to know that Self Realization gives you experiences and then your faith is established. Not blind but open enlightened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/now-the-stage-today-is-to-know-that-self-realization-gives-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [It's still possible to savor the remarkable foods that millennia of human ingenuity have teased from milk. A sip of milk itself or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-mcgee/it-s-still-possible-to-savor-the-remarkable-foods-that-millennia-of/) Harold McGee [Browse all 7,091 Meditation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If people think they can “do” meditation, then they become frustrated every time they don’t achieve the state. In the same way that making more of an effort to fall asleep—trying to force yourself to sleep—often backfires, the meditative state becomes more elusive the more you try. 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