Creatures Quote by Karl Ernst von Baer
“Know thyself! This is the source of all wisdom, said the great thinkers of the past, and the sentence was written in golden letters on the temple of the gods. To know himself, Linnæus declared to be the essential indisputable distinction of man above all other creatures. I know, indeed, in study nothing more worthy of free and thoughtful man than the study of himself. For if we look for the purpose of our existence, we cannot possibly find it outside ourselves. We are here for our own sake.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: On Human Nature, 19th century philosophical essay
Self-knowledge is the foundation of wisdom; understanding oneself is the highest purpose.
In simple terms: Know yourself to gain wisdom.
Key Takeaway
Seek self-understanding.
Themes
self-knowledge
wisdom
philosophy
Mood
introspective
philosophical
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- journaling
- meditation
- therapy
Key Concepts
psychology
existentialism
Questions to Reflect On
- What methods help uncover true self?
- How does self-knowledge guide life purpose?
A Different Perspective
Self-knowledge may lead to narcissism if unbalanced.
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
