Completeness Quote by Hermann Hesse
“Everything that is thought and expressed in words is one-sided, only half the truth; it all lacks totality, completeness, unity. When the Illustrious Buddha taught about the world, he had to divide it into Samsara and Nirvana, illusion and truth, into suffering and salvation. One cannot do otherwise, there is no other method for those who teach. But the world itself, being in and around us, is never one-sided. Never is a man or a deed wholly Samsara or wholly Nirvana; never is a man wholly a saint or a sinner. This only seems so because we suffer the illusion that time is something real.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Demian, 1919
The passage reflects on the duality of truth, suggesting that language captures only half of reality, while existence transcends binary divisions.
In simple terms: Words capture only part of truth.
Key Takeaway
Seek holistic understanding beyond dualities.
Themes
philosophy
truth
duality
Mood
contemplative
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- spiritual practice
- academic study
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
metaphysics
Buddhist thought
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we integrate opposing perspectives?
- What practices help perceive wholeness?
A Different Perspective
Dualistic thinking can oversimplify complex reality.
![“If only [people] understood that every thought is both false and true! False by one-sidenedness resulting from man's inability to embrace the whole truth, and true as an expression of one fact of human endeavor.” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0e0/leo-tolstoy-55_thought_if-only-people-understood-that-every-tho_459186.jpg)
