--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can transform reality to the extent…" description: "\"We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and blandishments of th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg" --- # We can transform reality to the extent that we influence… ![“We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and blandishments of the outside world.” quote by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg) > “We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and blandishments of the outside world.” [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We can shape reality by influencing consciousness, freeing ourselves from external threats and temptations. **In simple terms:** Changing thoughts reshapes reality and reduces external pressures. Key Takeaway Practice mindfulness to control perception and reduce fear. Themes consciousness reality self‑empowerment psychology Mood calm empowered Type psychological self‑help When to use this quote - stress management - creative work - personal development Key Concepts mindfulness cognitive reframing Questions to Reflect On - How can you maintain inner freedom amid external chaos? - What practices help you influence consciousness? A Different Perspective External factors still impact outcomes despite mental shifts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Influence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/influence/) [Outside world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outside-world/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Well, when I was younger, I lied all the time, because once you understand the power of lying, it's really like magic because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/well-when-i-was-younger-i-lied-all-the-time-because-once-you/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [When you understand that making, saving, and spending money is all based on the thoughts you're thinking and the actions that these thoughts lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/when-you-understand-that-making-saving-and-spending-money-is-all/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [I don't know what happens to our consciousness when we're unwound," says Connor. "I don't even know when that consciousness starts. But I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-don-t-know-what-happens-to-our-consciousness-when-we-re-unwound/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [What happens is consciousness operates in mysterious ways. One of those ways is that the old paradigm suddenly starts to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/what-happens-is-consciousness-operates-in-mysterious-ways-one-of/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Happiness happens when your consciousness is not dominated by addictions and demands - and you experience life as a parade of preferences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-keyes-jr/happiness-happens-when-your-consciousness-is-not-dominated-by/) [Ken Keyes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-keyes-jr/) > [You are not what happens in your life. You are the space in which it happens, which is consciousness itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-are-not-what-happens-in-your-life-you-are-the-space-in-which-it/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [What happens in our consciousness and minds and bodies is also happening on earth. 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Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“Consciousness, out of its own free will, chooses particular roles to play out of the nearly infinite possibilities—and then naturally seeks to relinquish those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-d-wallis/consciousness-out-of-its-own-free-will-chooses-particular-roles-to/) Christopher D Wallis > [You can make really effective changes when your consciousness is free of emotional turmoil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-keyes-jr/you-can-make-really-effective-changes-when-your-consciousness-is-free/) [Ken Keyes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-keyes-jr/) > [If we take an unprejudiced view of the processes of consciousness, free from all the so-called association rules and theories, we see at once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-wundt/if-we-take-an-unprejudiced-view-of-the-processes-of-consciousness/) [Wilhelm Wundt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-wundt/) > [I've written a script which will help change consciousness and free people from an old dead Earth and help them make their journey to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-andrews/i-ve-written-a-script-which-will-help-change-consciousness-and-free/) [Giuseppe Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-andrews/) > [They have no consciousness therefore. Therefore what? Therefore we are free to use them for our own ends? Therefore we are free to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee-2/they-have-no-consciousness-therefore-therefore-what-therefore-we-are/) [J. M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee-2/) > [Yoga is about the will, working with intelligence and self-reflexive consciousness, can free us from the inevitability of the wavering mind and outwardly directed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/yoga-is-about-the-will-working-with-intelligence-and-self-reflexive/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) ## More by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi > [“Entropy is the normal state of consciousness—a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable. To avoid this condition, people are naturally eager to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/entropy-is-the-normal-state-of-consciousness-a-condition-that-is/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/most-enjoyable-activities-are-not-natural-they-demand-an-effort-that/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [People without an internalized symbolic system can all too easily become captives of the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/people-without-an-internalized-symbolic-system-can-all-too-easily/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Through learning we grow, becoming more than we were before, and in that sense learning is unselfish, because it results in the transformation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/through-learning-we-grow-becoming-more-than-we-were-before-and-in/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“Unfortunately, many people find the only challenges they can respond to are violence, gambling, random sex, or drugs. 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It really does not make sense to go through the motions of existence if one does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/it-is-essential-to-learn-to-enjoy-life-it-really-does-not-make-sense/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“It is usual to explain the motivation of those who enjoy dangerous activities as some sort of pathological need: they are trying to exorcise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/it-is-usual-to-explain-the-motivation-of-those-who-enjoy-dangerous/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [“Wisdom and integrity cannot be found in any single domain. A broader viewpoint that breaks across disciplinary boundaries is needed, a way of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/wisdom-and-integrity-cannot-be-found-in-any-single-domain-a-broader/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [For better or worse, our future will be determined in large part by our dreams and by the struggle to make them real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/for-better-or-worse-our-future-will-be-determined-in-large-part-by/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Many business leaders today view their jobs as entailing responsibility for the welfare of the wider community. These individuals do not define themselves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/many-business-leaders-today-view-their-jobs-as-entailing/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [The rules themselves are clear enough, and within everyone’s reach. But many forces, both within ourselves and in the environment, stand in the way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/the-rules-themselves-are-clear-enough-and-within-everyone-s-reach-but/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [When each of these three elements of vision-concern for excellence, for people and for the wider environment-are present, business is transformed from a tool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/when-each-of-these-three-elements-of-vision-concern-for-excellence/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [If an enterprise does not aspire to be the best of its kind, it will attract second-rate employees, and it will be soon forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/if-an-enterprise-does-not-aspire-to-be-the-best-of-its-kind-it-will/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Only direct control of experience, the ability to derive moment-by-moment enjoyment from everything we do, can overcome the obstacles to fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/only-direct-control-of-experience-the-ability-to-derive-moment-by/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Try to be surprised by something every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/try-to-be-surprised-by-something-every-day/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) [Explore all 262 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [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/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free ourselves from the threats and blandishments of the outside world.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-that-we-influence-what-happens/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-that-we-influence-what-happens/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-1255_change_we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-t_2007830.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We can transform reality to the extent that we influence what happens in consciousness and thus free…” — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi", "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": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We can transform reality to the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-that-we-influence-what-happens/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/we-can-transform-reality-to-the-extent-that-we-influence-what-happens/#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 } } ] } ```