---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At times he heard within him a soft…"
description: "\"“At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that he could hardly hear it. Then he suddenly s..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg"
---

#  At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which…

![“At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that he could hardly hear it. Then he suddenly saw clearly that he was leading a strange life, that he was doing many things that were only a game, that he was quite cheerful and sometimes…” quote by Hesse, Hermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg)

> ““At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that he could hardly hear it. Then he suddenly saw clearly that he was leading a strange life, that he was doing many things that were only a game, that he was quite cheerful and sometimes experienced pleasure, but that real life was flowing past him and did not touch him””

[Hesse, Hermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesse-hermann-2/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He hears a quiet inner voice but lives superficially, missing true life that passes untouched.

**In simple terms:** He ignores his inner voice and lives a shallow life.

Key Takeaway

Listen to inner guidance for authentic living.

Themes

existential inner voice authenticity life illusion

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- mindfulness
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology spiritual awakening self‑realization

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the quiet voice symbolize?
- How can one become more present?

A Different Perspective

Inner voice may be dismissed as mere imagination.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Complained Quietly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complained-quietly-3313134/) [Gentle Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle-voice-1025668/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Quietly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quietly/) [Quietly Complained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quietly-complained-3313135/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Reminded Quietly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminded-quietly-3313133/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Ever of thee I 'm fondly dreaming, Thy gentle voice my spirit can cheer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-linley/ever-of-thee-i-m-fondly-dreaming-thy-gentle-voice-my-spirit-can-cheer-2/)

[George Linley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-linley/)

> [“It was His gentle voice who called and sent His angel pain to guide me, through the long ‘n dusty corridors, and empty hallways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-w-earle/it-was-his-gentle-voice-who-called-and-sent-his-angel-pain-to-guide/)

[David W Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-w-earle/)

> [“In each of us there is internal knowledge, a gentle voice, beckoning us toward well-being. It tells us to let go, to stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcey-shapiro/in-each-of-us-there-is-internal-knowledge-a-gentle-voice-beckoning-us/)

[Marcey Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcey-shapiro/)

> [“Terrible events,” she said, in that quiet, gentle voice of hers, “are sometimes not for us to understand. We must put them away somewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-may/terrible-events-she-said-in-that-quiet-gentle-voice-of-hers-are/)

[Susan May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-may/)

> [Ever of thee I'm fondly dreaming, Thy gentle voice my spirit can cheer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-linley/ever-of-thee-i-m-fondly-dreaming-thy-gentle-voice-my-spirit-can-cheer/)

[George Linley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-linley/)

> [“tender. Claire seems to be the gentle voice of reason. “We’ve already been through this with them, Luke. They”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annalisa-grant/tender-claire-seems-to-be-the-gentle-voice-of-reason-we-ve-already/)

[AnnaLisa Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annalisa-grant/)

> [“He has a gentle voice and a quiet manner, but behind his twinkling blue eyes there lurks a capacity for furious wrath and implacable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/he-has-a-gentle-voice-and-a-quiet-manner-but-behind-his-twinkling/)

[Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/)

> [The more I got into presenting things to the world, the further it was taking me away from what I was, which was someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/the-more-i-got-into-presenting-things-to-the-world-the-further-it-was/)

[Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/)

> [Quietly, President Obama has done warrantless wire tapping. And it was hardly covered. I don't know if any of the mainstream press bothered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/quietly-president-obama-has-done-warrantless-wire-tapping-and-it-was/)

[Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/)

> [“Read it to me.” “Seriously?” he said quietly. “You want me to read you poetry? Like saving your life ten times wasn’t enough?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brynn-kelly/read-it-to-me-seriously-he-said-quietly-you-want-me-to-read-you/)

[Brynn Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brynn-kelly/)

> [We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/we-will-not-win-our-rights-by-staying-quietly-in-our-closets/)

[Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/)

> [The church is never a place to show off. Do your good deeds quietly. Serve; don't seek to be seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/the-church-is-never-a-place-to-show-off-do-your-good-deeds-quietly/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [I quietly work with my computer on the tour bus, and then I wait to make my more natural rhythms when I get home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jain/i-quietly-work-with-my-computer-on-the-tour-bus-and-then-i-wait-to/)

[Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jain/)

> [“You know what they say about writers: we can do it quietly, in many different positions, and all night long.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-d-votey/you-know-what-they-say-about-writers-we-can-do-it-quietly-in-many/)

[Christopher D. Votey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-d-votey/)

> [Life is such a very troublesome matter, when all is said and done, that it's as well even to take its blessings quietly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/life-is-such-a-very-troublesome-matter-when-all-is-said-and-done-that/)

[Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/)

## More by Hesse, Hermann

> [“To him, art and craftmanship were usless unless they burned like the sun and had power of storms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesse-hermann-2/to-him-art-and-craftmanship-were-usless-unless-they-burned-like-the/)

[Hesse, Hermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesse-hermann-2/)

[Explore all 2 Hesse, Hermann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesse-hermann-2/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

[Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/)

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that he could hardly hear it. Then he suddenly saw clearly that he was leading a strange life, that he was doing many things that were only a game, that he was quite cheerful and sometimes experienced pleasure, but that real life was flowing past him and did not touch him”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hesse, Hermann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesse-hermann-2/at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gentle-voice-which-reminded-him/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesse-hermann-2/at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gentle-voice-which-reminded-him/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d69/hesse-hermann-2-97095_life_at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gent_1159371.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that…” — Hesse, Hermann",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Hesse, Hermann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesse-hermann-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“At times he heard within him...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesse-hermann-2/at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gentle-voice-which-reminded-him/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesse-hermann-2/at-times-he-heard-within-him-a-soft-gentle-voice-which-reminded-him/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
