Fifteen years Quote by Michael Finkel
““I become a transparent eyeball,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson in “Nature.” “I am nothing; I see all.” Lord Byron called it “the feeling infinite”; Jack Kerouac, in Desolation Angels, “the one mind of infinity.” The French Catholic priest Charles de Foucauld, who spent fifteen years living in the Sahara Desert, said that in solitude “one empties completely the small house of one’s soul.” Merton wrote that “the true solitary does not seek himself, but loses himself.” This””
About This Quote
Source Book: Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1836
Seeing beyond the self, embracing emptiness, and connecting with the infinite through solitude and perception.
In simple terms: Let go of ego to perceive all.
Key Takeaway
Seek stillness, dissolve self‑boundaries.
Themes
spirituality
solitude
perception
infinity
self‑transcendence
Mood
contemplative
serene
introspective
Type
philosophical
spiritual
literary
When to use this quote
- meditation retreats
- creative writing
- philosophical study
- lonely travel
- artistic inspiration
Key Concepts
Transcendentalism
existentialism
mysticism
Questions to Reflect On
- How does letting go of self change your view of the world?
- When does solitude become harmful?
A Different Perspective
Such emptiness can lead to isolation or loss of personal identity.
![“[Saint Anthony] said, in his solitude, he sometimes encountered devils who looked like angels, and other times he found angels who looked like devils. When asked how he could tell the difference, the saint said that you can only tell which is which by the way you feel after the creature has left…” quote by Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/45b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_angel_saint-anthony-said-in-his-solitude-he-so_900560.jpg)
