--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can man know himself? It is a dark…" description: "\"“How can man know himself? It is a dark, mysterious business: if a hare has seven skins, a man may skin himself seventy times seven times without being..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg" --- # How can man know himself? It is a dark, mysterious… ![“How can man know himself? It is a dark, mysterious business: if a hare has seven skins, a man may skin himself seventy times seven times without being able to say, “Now that is truly you; that is no longer your outside.” It is also an agonizing, hazardous undertaking thus to dig into oneself, to…” quote by NIETZSCHE FRIEDRICH WILHELM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg) > ““How can man know himself? It is a dark, mysterious business: if a hare has seven skins, a man may skin himself seventy times seven times without being able to say, “Now that is truly you; that is no longer your outside.” It is also an agonizing, hazardous undertaking thus to dig into oneself, to climb down toughly and directly into the tunnels of one’s being. How easy it is thereby to give oneself such injuries as no doctor can heal. Moreover, why should it even be necessary given that everything bears witness to our being — our friendships and animosities, our glances and handshakes, our memories and all that we forget, our books as well as our pens. For the most important inquiry, however, there is a method. Let the young soul survey its own life with a view of the following question: “What have you truly loved thus far? What has ever uplifted your soul, what has dominated and delighted it at the same time?” Assemble these revered objects in a row before you and perhaps they will reveal a law by their nature and their order: the fundamental law of your very self. Compare these objects, see how they complement, enlarge, outdo, transfigure one another; how they form a ladder on whose steps you have been climbing up to yourself so far; for your true self does not lie buried deep within you, but rather rises immeasurably high above you, or at least above what you commonly take to be your I.”” [NIETZSCHE FRIEDRICH WILHELM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑knowledge requires confronting inner depths, recognizing true passions, and assembling them to reveal one's authentic self. **In simple terms:** Understanding yourself means facing inner truths and passions. Key Takeaway Explore your deepest loves to discover your true self. Themes self‑knowledge philosophy identity reflection growth Mood reflective introspective philosophical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - career planning - relationship building Key Concepts existentialism psychology self‑analysis Questions to Reflect On - What have you truly loved that still lifts you? - How can you integrate past passions into current life? 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It is a dark, mysterious business: if a hare has seven skins, a man may skin himself seventy times seven times without being able to say, “Now that is truly you; that is no longer your outside.” It is also an agonizing, hazardous undertaking thus to dig into oneself, to climb down toughly and directly into the tunnels of one’s being. How easy it is thereby to give oneself such injuries as no doctor can heal. Moreover, why should it even be necessary given that everything bears witness to our being — our friendships and animosities, our glances and handshakes, our memories and all that we forget, our books as well as our pens. For the most important inquiry, however, there is a method. Let the young soul survey its own life with a view of the following question: “What have you truly loved thus far? What has ever uplifted your soul, what has dominated and delighted it at the same time?” Assemble these revered objects in a row before you and perhaps they will reveal a law by their nature and their order: the fundamental law of your very self. Compare these objects, see how they complement, enlarge, outdo, transfigure one another; how they form a ladder on whose steps you have been climbing up to yourself so far; for your true self does not lie buried deep within you, but rather rises immeasurably high above you, or at least above what you commonly take to be your I.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "NIETZSCHE FRIEDRICH WILHELM" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-mysterious-business-if-a-hare/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm/how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-mysterious-business-if-a-hare/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d8/nietzsche-friedrich-wilhelm-27_business_how-can-man-know-himself-it-is-a-dark-my_2712499.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How can man know himself? 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