--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All I wanted was to try and realize…" description: "\"“All I wanted was to try and realize whatever was in me. Why was that so difficult?”\" — Hermann Hesse" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/hermann-hesse-130_demian_all-i-wanted-was-to-try-and-realize-what_1601955.png" --- # All I wanted was to try and realize whatever was in me… ![“All I wanted was to try and realize whatever was in me. Why was that so difficult?” quote by Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/hermann-hesse-130_demian_all-i-wanted-was-to-try-and-realize-what_1601955.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/hermann-hesse-130_demian_all-i-wanted-was-to-try-and-realize-what_1601955.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/678/hermann-hesse-130_demian_all-i-wanted-was-to-try-and-realize-what_1601955.png) > ““All I wanted was to try and realize whatever was in me. Why was that so difficult?”” [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator struggles to express inner potential, finding the process of self‑realization difficult and frustrating. **In simple terms:** Self‑expression is hard and often painful. Key Takeaway Seek authentic self‑expression despite obstacles. Themes self‑discovery creativity inner conflict growth Mood introspective motivational Type literary psychological When to use this quote - artistic pursuits - career development - personal therapy Key Concepts authenticity personal potential psychology Questions to Reflect On - What inner voice are you suppressing? - How can you ease the difficulty of self‑expression? A Different Perspective Self‑realization can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demian/) ## Related quotes > [“You are only afraid if you are not in harmony with yourself. People are afraid because they have never owned up to themselves. 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Tall and queenly, the woman of mystery strolled among the silent trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/she-rose-to-her-feet-and-preceded-me-into-the-garden-twilight-tall/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“We who bore the mark might well be considered by the rest of the world as strange, even as insane and dangerous. We had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/we-who-bore-the-mark-might-well-be-considered-by-the-rest-of-the/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“But where we have given of our love and respect not from habit but of our own free will, where we have been children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/but-where-we-have-given-of-our-love-and-respect-not-from-habit-but-of/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/what-isn-t-part-of-ourselves-doesn-t-disturb-us/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Once you are able to make your request in such a way that you will be quite certain of its fulfillment, then the fulfillment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/once-you-are-able-to-make-your-request-in-such-a-way-that-you-will-be/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Every man's story is important, eternal and sacred. That is why every man, as long as he lives and fulfills the will of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/every-man-s-story-is-important-eternal-and-sacred-that-is-why-every/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest. It was a scandal that a breed of fearless and sinister people ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/people-with-courage-and-character-always-seem-sinister-to-the-rest-it/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“But whereas we, in our conception, represented the will of nature to renew itself, to individualize and march forward, the others lived in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/but-whereas-we-in-our-conception-represented-the-will-of-nature-to/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“ "The things we see," said Pistorius gently, "are the things which are already in us. There is no reality beyond what we have inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-things-we-see-said-pistorius-gently-are-the-things-which-are/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“Even as a child I had had at intervals a fondness for observing strange forms in nature, not so much examining them as surrendering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/even-as-a-child-i-had-had-at-intervals-a-fondness-for-observing/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [When you lose a couple of times, it makes you realize how difficult it is to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffi-graf/when-you-lose-a-couple-of-times-it-makes-you-realize-how-difficult-it/) [Steffi Graf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffi-graf/) ## More by Hermann Hesse > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. It is also known to you that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-mistaken-and-unhappy-notion-that-a-man-is-an-enduring-unity-is/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-bird-fights-its-way-out-of-the-egg-the-egg-is-the-world-who-would/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/everything-becomes-a-little-different-as-soon-as-it-is-spoken-out-loud/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-may-be-important-to-great-thinkers-to-examine-the-world-to-explain/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“..it is useless for you to build walls and dormitories and chapels and churches. Death looks through the window and laughs..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-is-useless-for-you-to-build-walls-and-dormitories-and-chapels-and/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“When the world is at peace, when all things are tranquil and all men obey their superiors in all their courses, then music can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/when-the-world-is-at-peace-when-all-things-are-tranquil-and-all-men/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [A mere nothing suffices — and the lightning strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-mere-nothing-suffices-and-the-lightning-strikes/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/and-if-time-is-not-real-then-the-dividing-line-that-seems-to-lie/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Beautiful was this world, looking at it thus, without searching, thus simply, thus childlike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/beautiful-was-this-world-looking-at-it-thus-without-searching-thus/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Were not the gods forms created like me and you, mortal, transient?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/were-not-the-gods-forms-created-like-me-and-you-mortal-transient/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) [Explore all 951 Hermann Hesse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) ## More Demian quotes > [“You are only afraid if you are not in harmony with yourself. People are afraid because they have never owned up to themselves. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/you-are-only-afraid-if-you-are-not-in-harmony-with-yourself-people/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“Even as a child I had had at intervals a fondness for observing strange forms in nature, not so much examining them as surrendering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/even-as-a-child-i-had-had-at-intervals-a-fondness-for-observing/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“ "The things we see," said Pistorius gently, "are the things which are already in us. There is no reality beyond what we have inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-things-we-see-said-pistorius-gently-are-the-things-which-are/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“But whereas we, in our conception, represented the will of nature to renew itself, to individualize and march forward, the others lived in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/but-whereas-we-in-our-conception-represented-the-will-of-nature-to/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest. It was a scandal that a breed of fearless and sinister people ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/people-with-courage-and-character-always-seem-sinister-to-the-rest-it/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Every man's story is important, eternal and sacred. That is why every man, as long as he lives and fulfills the will of nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/every-man-s-story-is-important-eternal-and-sacred-that-is-why-every/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Once you are able to make your request in such a way that you will be quite certain of its fulfillment, then the fulfillment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/once-you-are-able-to-make-your-request-in-such-a-way-that-you-will-be/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [What isn't part of ourselves doesn't disturb us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/what-isn-t-part-of-ourselves-doesn-t-disturb-us/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“But where we have given of our love and respect not from habit but of our own free will, where we have been children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/but-where-we-have-given-of-our-love-and-respect-not-from-habit-but-of/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“We who bore the mark might well be considered by the rest of the world as strange, even as insane and dangerous. We had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/we-who-bore-the-mark-might-well-be-considered-by-the-rest-of-the/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“She rose to her feet and preceded me into the garden twilight. Tall and queenly, the woman of mystery strolled among the silent trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/she-rose-to-her-feet-and-preceded-me-into-the-garden-twilight-tall/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Each man had only one genuine vocation to find the way to himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/each-man-had-only-one-genuine-vocation-to-find-the-way-to-himself/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“I saw Demian's face and remarked that it was not a boy's face but a man's and then I saw, or rather became aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/i-saw-demian-s-face-and-remarked-that-it-was-not-a-boy-s-face-but-a/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There is no reality except the one contained within us. That is why so many people live such an unreal life. They take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/there-is-no-reality-except-the-one-contained-within-us-that-is-why-so-2/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [An enlightened man had but one duty - to seek the way to himself, to reach inner certainty, to grope his way forward, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/an-enlightened-man-had-but-one-duty-to-seek-the-way-to-himself-to/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) [Browse all 24 Demian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All I wanted was to try and realize whatever was in me. 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