--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thinking, he walked ever more slowly and…" description: "\"“Thinking, he walked ever more slowly and asked himself, What is it now that you were hoping to learn from doctrines and teachers, and what is it that ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/hermann-hesse-130_identity_thinking-he-walked-ever-more-slowly-and_2222255.jpg" --- # Thinking, he walked ever more slowly and asked himself… ![“Thinking, he walked ever more slowly and asked himself, What is it now that you were hoping to learn from doctrines and teachers, and what is it that they—who taught you so much—were unable to teach you? And, he decided, It was the Self whose meaning and nature I wished to learn. It was the Self I…” quote by Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/hermann-hesse-130_identity_thinking-he-walked-ever-more-slowly-and_2222255.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/hermann-hesse-130_identity_thinking-he-walked-ever-more-slowly-and_2222255.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/hermann-hesse-130_identity_thinking-he-walked-ever-more-slowly-and_2222255.jpg) > ““Thinking, he walked ever more slowly and asked himself, What is it now that you were hoping to learn from doctrines and teachers, and what is it that they—who taught you so much—were unable to teach you? And, he decided, It was the Self whose meaning and nature I wished to learn. It was the Self I wished to escape from, wished to overcome. But I was unable to overcome it, I could only trick it, could only run away from it and hide. Truly, not a single thing in all the world has so occupied my thoughts as this Self of mine, this riddle: that I am alive and that I am One, am different and separate from all others, that I am Siddhartha! And there is not a thing in the world about which I know less than about myself, about Siddhartha!”” [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 quest for self‑knowledge reveals that true learning lies beyond external teachings, within the inner self. **In simple terms:** Self‑knowledge is the ultimate lesson. Key Takeaway Seek inner truth beyond doctrine. Themes philosophy spirituality identity Mood reflective thought‑provoking Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - meditation - solitary travel - life transitions Key Concepts Self awakening existential inquiry Questions to Reflect On - What part of yourself remains unknown? - How can you confront your inner self? A Different Perspective External guidance is limited; inner conflict persists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Learn Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-self-409005/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-knowledge/) [Self Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-meaning-2811475/) [Self Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-riddle-1653623/) [Thoughts Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-self-1383251/) [Uniqueness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniqueness/) ## Related quotes > [“Truly, nothing in the world has occupied my thoughts as much as the Self, this riddle, that I live, that I am one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/truly-nothing-in-the-world-has-occupied-my-thoughts-as-much-as-the/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of don't really understand how the underdog mind oporatesK.M.G Wise Am the one that speak's in riddles and later its qouted by them...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syntific/most-of-don-t-really-understand-how-the-underdog-mind-oporatesk-m-g/) [Syntific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syntific/) > [There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/there-is-one-friend-in-the-life-of-each-of-us-who-seems-not-a/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [When you're true to your heart, you're infusing your self with meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/when-you-re-true-to-your-heart-you-re-infusing-your-self-with-meaning/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [How can we learn self-knowledge? 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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 Identity quotes > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. 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But I was unable to overcome it, I could only trick it, could only run away from it and hide. Truly, not a single thing in all the world has so occupied my thoughts as this Self of mine, this riddle: that I am alive and that I am One, am different and separate from all others, that I am Siddhartha! 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