--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fools pursue desires outside themselves…" description: "\"“Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall into the snares of widespread death: But wise men, discerning immortality, Seek not the stable here amon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg" --- # Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall into the… ![“Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall into the snares of widespread death: But wise men, discerning immortality, Seek not the stable here among unstable things.” quote by Katha Upanishad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg) > ““Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall into the snares of widespread death: But wise men, discerning immortality, Seek not the stable here among unstable things.”” Katha Upanishad ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desires beyond self lead to suffering; wise discern immortality beyond fleeting things. **In simple terms:** Chase lasting truth, not fleeting wants. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner wisdom. Themes spirituality philosophy wisdom death Mood reflective serene Type proverb philosophical When to use this quote - personal meditation - ethical decision‑making - life coaching Key Concepts desire mortality impermanence inner peace Questions to Reflect On - What desires bind you? - How can you focus on enduring values? A Different Perspective Interpretations vary across traditions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fools/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-men/) ## Related quotes > [“ Wise Blood has reached the age of ten and is still alive. My critical powers are just sufficient to determine this, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wise-blood-has-reached-the-age-of-ten-and-is-still-alive-my-critical/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Death is the only wise advisor that we have. Whenever you feel, as you always do, that everything is going wrong and you're about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/death-is-the-only-wise-advisor-that-we-have-whenever-you-feel-as-you/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [The fear of an eternal life compared to an inevitable death is that of a wise man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-queen/the-fear-of-an-eternal-life-compared-to-an-inevitable-death-is-that/) [Derek Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-queen/) > [“My brother's death: wise, good, serious, he fell ill while still a young man, suffered for more than a year, and died painfully, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/my-brother-s-death-wise-good-serious-he-fell-ill-while-still-a-young/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“The magi, as you know, were wise men — wonderfully wise men — who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-magi-as-you-know-were-wise-men-wonderfully-wise-men-who-brought/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Controversy equalizes fools and wise men in the same way - and the fools know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/controversy-equalizes-fools-and-wise-men-in-the-same-way-and-the/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-sr-2/) > [Wise men say only fools rush in. But I can't help falling in love with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/wise-men-say-only-fools-rush-in-but-i-can-t-help-falling-in-love-with/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [Wise men are more dependent on fools than fools on wise men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cato-the-younger/wise-men-are-more-dependent-on-fools-than-fools-on-wise-men/) [Cato the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cato-the-younger/) > [Fools measure actions, after they are done, by the event; wise men beforehand, by the rules of reason and right. The former look to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hall/fools-measure-actions-after-they-are-done-by-the-event-wise-men/) [Joseph Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hall/) > [Fools learn nothing from wise men, but wise men learn much from fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/fools-learn-nothing-from-wise-men-but-wise-men-learn-much-from-fools/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [“wise men speak and fools decide,” said”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-akart/wise-men-speak-and-fools-decide-said/) [Bobby Akart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-akart/) > [Fools give you reasons and wise men never try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-stein/fools-give-you-reasons-and-wise-men-never-try/) [Seymour Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-stein/) > [Fools make researches and wise men exploit them - that is our earthly way of dealing with the question, and we thank Heaven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/fools-make-researches-and-wise-men-exploit-them-that-is-our-earthly/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wise-men-speak-because-they-have-something-to-say-fools-because-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wise men learn by others' harms, fools scarcely by their own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/wise-men-learn-by-others-harms-fools-scarcely-by-their-own/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [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/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall into the snares of widespread death: But wise men, discerning immortality, Seek not the stable here among unstable things.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katha Upanishad" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-upanishad/fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves-fall-into-the-snares-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-upanishad/fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves-fall-into-the-snares-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/katha-upanishad-252336_death_fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves_2510056.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall into the snares of widespread death: But wise men, discerning…” — Katha Upanishad", "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": "Katha Upanishad", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katha-upanishad/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Fools pursue desires outside themselves, Fall...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-upanishad/fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves-fall-into-the-snares-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katha-upanishad/fools-pursue-desires-outside-themselves-fall-into-the-snares-of/#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 } } ] } ```