--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Govinda said: \"But what you call thing…" description: "\"“Govinda said: \"But what you call thing, is it something real, something intrinsic? Is it not only the illusion of Maya, only image and appearance? You..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/herman-hesse-14882_illusion_govinda-said-but-what-you-call-thing-is_2533178.jpg" --- # Govinda said: "But what you call thing, is it something… ![“Govinda said: "But what you call thing, is it something real, something intrinsic? Is it not only the illusion of Maya, only image and appearance? Your stone, your tree, are they real?" "This also does not trouble me much," said Siddhartha. "If they are illusion, then I also am illusion, and so…” quote by Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/herman-hesse-14882_illusion_govinda-said-but-what-you-call-thing-is_2533178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/herman-hesse-14882_illusion_govinda-said-but-what-you-call-thing-is_2533178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cba/herman-hesse-14882_illusion_govinda-said-but-what-you-call-thing-is_2533178.jpg) > ““Govinda said: "But what you call thing, is it something real, something intrinsic? Is it not only the illusion of Maya, only image and appearance? Your stone, your tree, are they real?" "This also does not trouble me much," said Siddhartha. "If they are illusion, then I also am illusion, and so they are always of the same nature as myself. It is that which makes them so lovable and venerable. That is why I can Love them. And here is a doctrine at which you will laugh. It seems to me, Govinda, that love is the most imortant thing in the world. It may be important tp great thinkers to examine the world, to explain an despise it. But I think it is only important to love the world, not to despise it, not for uus to hate each other, but to be able to regard the world and ourselves and all beings with love, admiration and respect.”” [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love is presented as the ultimate truth, surpassing intellectual analysis, and the key to honoring all existence. **In simple terms:** Love matters more than dissecting reality; it unites us with the world. Key Takeaway Prioritize love over judgment. Themes love philosophy illusion unity Mood hopeful thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical spiritual motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - conflict resolution - interpersonal relationships - mindfulness - compassion Key Concepts existentialism spirituality human connection Questions to Reflect On - What does love look like in daily actions? - How can you balance analysis with compassion? A Different Perspective Intellectual pursuits also have value; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Siddhartha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siddhartha/) ## Related quotes > [And here is a doctrine at which you will laugh. It seems to me, Govinda, that love is the most important thing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/and-here-is-a-doctrine-at-which-you-will-laugh-it-seems-to-me-govinda/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The illusion of purpose and design is perhaps the most pervasive illusion about nature that science has to confront on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/the-illusion-of-purpose-and-design-is-perhaps-the-most-pervasive/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [ “The illusion that Nature … adopts the same complexity scale used by people … arises each time we face … configuration \[space\]…. The second… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judea-pearl/the-illusion-that-nature-adopts-the-same-complexity-scale-used-by/) Judea Pearl > [“Yes Siddhartha,' he said. 'Is this what you mean: that the river is in all places at once, at its source and where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/yes-siddhartha-he-said-is-this-what-you-mean-that-the-river-is-in-all/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [There are only two beings that can love you without disappointment, you and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/there-are-only-two-beings-that-can-love-you-without-disappointment/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [Nearly all human beings love, but nearly none know how to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugenio-maria-de-hostos/nearly-all-human-beings-love-but-nearly-none-know-how-to-love/) [Eugenio Maria de Hostos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugenio-maria-de-hostos/) > [“There is no hell or heaven for those who are in love, love is pure form of human beings, love is the wind which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/there-is-no-hell-or-heaven-for-those-who-are-in-love-love-is-pure/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [The original state for all Beings is Love. Out troubles are due only to our covering over thus natural state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-levenson/the-original-state-for-all-beings-is-love-out-troubles-are-due-only/) [Lester Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-levenson/) > [We're human beings we are - all of us - and that's what people are liable to forget. Human beings don't like peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/we-re-human-beings-we-are-all-of-us-and-that-s-what-people-are-liable/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But the quality of human beings is only one - and that is how much they love and forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/but-the-quality-of-human-beings-is-only-one-and-that-is-how-much-they/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [WHETHER BEINGS LOVE ME OR FEAR ME IS IRRELEVANT. IF BEINGS GIVE ME THEIR ATTENTION I WILL TAKE THEM TO ENLIGHTENMENT AND BLISS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-germain/whether-beings-love-me-or-fear-me-is-irrelevant-if-beings-give-me/) [St. Germain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-germain/) > [Love other human beings as you would love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ho-chi-minh/love-other-human-beings-as-you-would-love-yourself/) [Ho Chi Minh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ho-chi-minh/) > [I love human beings, and I love their faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marielle-heller/i-love-human-beings-and-i-love-their-faces/) [Marielle Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marielle-heller/) > [I attract perfect beings whom I can love and will love me in return. God and Goddesses of Love guide me to find my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-mercado/i-attract-perfect-beings-whom-i-can-love-and-will-love-me-in-return/) [Walter Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-mercado/) > [“I want - I want somehow to get away with you into a world where words like that -categories like that- won't exist. Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/i-want-i-want-somehow-to-get-away-with-you-into-a-world-where-words/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) ## More by Herman Hesse > [“O how incomprehensible everything was, and actually sad, although it was also beautiful. One knew nothing. One lived and ran about the earth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/o-how-incomprehensible-everything-was-and-actually-sad-although-it/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [Love exists to show us how much we can endure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/love-exists-to-show-us-how-much-we-can-endure/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“If you need something desperately and find it, this is not an accident; your own craving and compulsion leads you to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/if-you-need-something-desperately-and-find-it-this-is-not-an-accident/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“and so I think, O Illustrious One, that nobody finds salvation through teachings. 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Do we live to abolish death? No-we live to fear it and then again to love it, and just for death's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/are-ideals-attainable-do-we-live-to-abolish-death-no-we-live-to-fear/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“The morality of artists is replaced by aesthetics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/the-morality-of-artists-is-replaced-by-aesthetics/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“There is, in fact, no way back either to the wolf or to the child. From the very start there is no innocence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/there-is-in-fact-no-way-back-either-to-the-wolf-or-to-the-child-from/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“After so many years of foolishness, you have once again had an idea, have done something, have heard the bird in your chest singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/after-so-many-years-of-foolishness-you-have-once-again-had-an-idea/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at evening. If one listens to them silently for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/a-longing-to-wander-tears-my-heart-when-i-hear-trees-rustling-in-the-2/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) > [“Within yourself is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-hesse/within-yourself-is-a-stillness-and-a-sanctuary-to-which-you-can/) [Herman Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) [Explore all 24 Herman Hesse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-hesse/) ## More Illusion quotes > [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/) [Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/) > [Even mud gives the illusion of depth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/even-mud-gives-the-illusion-of-depth/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The fog of illusion, the fog of confusion is hanging all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/the-fog-of-illusion-the-fog-of-confusion-is-hanging-all-over-the-world/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/we-are-eternal-all-this-pain-is-an-illusion/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [How could they say that they truly loved each other? They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [Life and death are illusions. 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