--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never for one instant seen clearly…" description: "\"I have never for one instant seen clearly within myself. How then would you have me judge the deeds of others?\" — Maurice Maeterlinck" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/maurice-maeterlinck-3952_deeds_i-have-never-for-one-instant-seen-clearl_3205440.jpg" --- # I have never for one instant seen clearly within myself… ![“I have never for one instant seen clearly within myself. How then would you have me judge the deeds of others?” quote by Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/maurice-maeterlinck-3952_deeds_i-have-never-for-one-instant-seen-clearl_3205440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/maurice-maeterlinck-3952_deeds_i-have-never-for-one-instant-seen-clearl_3205440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b72/maurice-maeterlinck-3952_deeds_i-have-never-for-one-instant-seen-clearl_3205440.jpg) > “I have never for one instant seen clearly within myself. How then would you have me judge the deeds of others?” [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-awareness is required before judging others. **In simple terms:** Know yourself first. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner clarity before criticism. Themes self-awareness judgment ethics Mood reflective serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - leadership - personal growth - therapy Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What blind spots affect your judgments? - How can you improve self-understanding? A Different Perspective Self-knowledge is difficult to achieve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) ## Related quotes > [Most of us are never seen, not clearly, and when we are we likely jump and run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/most-of-us-are-never-seen-not-clearly-and-when-we-are-we-likely-jump/) [Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/) > [The facts of this world seen clearly are seen through tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-facts-of-this-world-seen-clearly-are-seen-through-tears/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [If you could eavesdrop on everything said about you, you'd spend most of your time waiting for the subject to come up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/if-you-could-eavesdrop-on-everything-said-about-you-you-d-spend-most/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [This living in a democracy is a problem, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/this-living-in-a-democracy-is-a-problem-isn-t-it/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [There is an atmosphere of well-sounding oratory that likes to attach itself to dress clothes. Away with it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-an-atmosphere-of-well-sounding-oratory-that-likes-to-attach/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Take as long as you need to overcome something, whether it takes you for long, that is your time. Take as long as necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley/take-as-long-as-you-need-to-overcome-something-whether-it-takes-you/) [Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley/) > [We see then how far the monuments of wit and learning are more durable than the monuments of power, or of the hands. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/we-see-then-how-far-the-monuments-of-wit-and-learning-are-more/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Nowhere else can one find so miscellaneous, so various, an amount of knowledge as is contained in a good newspaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/nowhere-else-can-one-find-so-miscellaneous-so-various-an-amount-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [A business must have a conscience as well as a counting house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/montague-burton/a-business-must-have-a-conscience-as-well-as-a-counting-house/) Montague Burton > [“The old dead coals fell to the wayside, warm ones sat glowing weakly on the edges; but the hot new ones, red and burning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babara-wood/the-old-dead-coals-fell-to-the-wayside-warm-ones-sat-glowing-weakly/) Babara Wood > [Last good pratfall I did, I broke bones in both hands. I still feel it when people shake my hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chevy-chase/last-good-pratfall-i-did-i-broke-bones-in-both-hands-i-still-feel-it/) [Chevy Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chevy-chase/) > [I think five percent of all songs can be love songs, and another five percent can be miscellaneous or political, but the rest should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devendra-banhart/i-think-five-percent-of-all-songs-can-be-love-songs-and-another-five/) [Devendra Banhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devendra-banhart/) > [We’re never gonna understand women. They’re way too complex. You’ve got too many variables to consider. PMS, bad hair days, miscellaneous mood swings .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susane-colasanti/we-re-never-gonna-understand-women-they-re-way-too-complex-you-ve-got/) [Susane Colasanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susane-colasanti/) > [“I liked my books and clouds and sunsets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elo-se-hinton/i-liked-my-books-and-clouds-and-sunsets/) Susan Eloïse Hinton > [More good things in life are lost by indifference than ever were lost by active hostility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-menzies/more-good-things-in-life-are-lost-by-indifference-than-ever-were-lost/) [Robert Menzies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-menzies/) ## More by Maurice Maeterlinck > [Happiness is rarely absent; it is we that know not of its presence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/happiness-is-rarely-absent-it-is-we-that-know-not-of-its-presence/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [He who sees without loving is only straining his eyes in the darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/he-who-sees-without-loving-is-only-straining-his-eyes-in-the-darkness/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [We are never the same with others as when we are alone. We are different, even when we are in the dark with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/we-are-never-the-same-with-others-as-when-we-are-alone-we-are/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [The living are just the dead on holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/the-living-are-just-the-dead-on-holiday/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“I believe that poems die the moment they are outwardly expressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/i-believe-that-poems-die-the-moment-they-are-outwardly-expressed/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“Should we not invariably act in this life as though the God whom our heart desires with its highest desire were watching our every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/should-we-not-invariably-act-in-this-life-as-though-the-god-whom-our/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“At every crossway on the road that leads to the future, each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men appointed to guard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/at-every-crossway-on-the-road-that-leads-to-the-future-each/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“Our lives must be spent seeking our God, for God hides; but His artifices, once they be known, seem so simple and smiling! From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/our-lives-must-be-spent-seeking-our-god-for-god-hides-but-his/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“The angels that dry our eyes bear the form and the features of all we have said and thought—above all, of what we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/the-angels-that-dry-our-eyes-bear-the-form-and-the-features-of-all-we/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [What man is there that does not laboriously, though all unconsciously, himself fashion the sorrow that is to be the pivot of his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/what-man-is-there-that-does-not-laboriously-though-all-unconsciously/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“For it is our most secret desire that governs and dominates all. If your eyes look for nothing but evil, you will always see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/for-it-is-our-most-secret-desire-that-governs-and-dominates-all-if/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [It is not from reason that justice springs, but goodness is born of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/it-is-not-from-reason-that-justice-springs-but-goodness-is-born-of/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [To disdain today is to prove that yesterday has been misunderstood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/to-disdain-today-is-to-prove-that-yesterday-has-been-misunderstood/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [At every crossroads on the path that leads to the future, tradition has placed 10,000 men to guard the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/at-every-crossroads-on-the-path-that-leads-to-the-future-tradition/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) > [“Niemand is waarlijk mijn vriend, voordat we geleerd hebben in elkanders tegenwoordigheid te zwijgen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-maeterlinck/niemand-is-waarlijk-mijn-vriend-voordat-we-geleerd-hebben-in/) [Maurice Maeterlinck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) [Explore all 114 Maurice Maeterlinck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-maeterlinck/) ## More Deeds quotes > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Time often serves to justify a deed which seems at first unjustifiable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-p-ryan/time-often-serves-to-justify-a-deed-which-seems-at-first-unjustifiable/) Donald P. Ryan > [When deeds speak, words are nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-joseph-proudhon/when-deeds-speak-words-are-nothing/) [Pierre-Joseph Proudhon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-joseph-proudhon/) > [Somehow, what's in our hearts, good or bad is eventually translated into words and deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/somehow-what-s-in-our-hearts-good-or-bad-is-eventually-translated/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [Mechanical instruments, potentially a vehicle of rational human purposes, are scarcely a blessing when they enable the gossip of the village idiot and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/mechanical-instruments-potentially-a-vehicle-of-rational-human/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [Tis e'er the wont of simple folk to prize the deed and o'erlook the motive, and of learned folk to discount the deed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/tis-e-er-the-wont-of-simple-folk-to-prize-the-deed-and-o-erlook-the/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [A nation of character is filled with citizens who gradually build lives based on the living awareness that their deeds are judged by eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/a-nation-of-character-is-filled-with-citizens-who-gradually-build/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [Alas, you don't need monsters for monstrous deeds to be accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/alas-you-don-t-need-monsters-for-monstrous-deeds-to-be-accomplished/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/) [Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/) > [The final estimate of men shows that history cares not an iota for the rank or title a man has borne, or the office…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/the-final-estimate-of-men-shows-that-history-cares-not-an-iota-for/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) [Browse all 2,029 Deeds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have never for one instant seen clearly within myself. 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