--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And what is the problem? It is the old…" description: "\"And what is the problem? It is the old problem of the anxious searcher - the mythic in the interior castle, the poet-pilgrim in a dark wood not sure ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/paul-elie-57959_anxious_and-what-is-the-problem-it-is-the-old-pr_1937098.png" --- # And what is the problem? It is the old problem of the… ![“And what is the problem? It is the old problem of the anxious searcher - the mythic in the interior castle, the poet-pilgrim in a dark wood not sure how to proceed. Which way is the right way?” quote by Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/paul-elie-57959_anxious_and-what-is-the-problem-it-is-the-old-pr_1937098.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/paul-elie-57959_anxious_and-what-is-the-problem-it-is-the-old-pr_1937098.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/paul-elie-57959_anxious_and-what-is-the-problem-it-is-the-old-pr_1937098.png) > “And what is the problem? It is the old problem of the anxious searcher - the mythic in the interior castle, the poet-pilgrim in a dark wood not sure how to proceed. Which way is the right way?” [Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anxious seeker faces uncertainty; the path is unclear, yet the journey itself is the search for meaning. **In simple terms:** Anxious seekers face unclear paths seeking meaning. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty as part of growth. Themes search uncertainty meaning Mood contemplative introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - creative projects - spiritual practice - personal crises Key Concepts Existentialism inner journey Questions to Reflect On - What inner doubts guide you? - How do you decide which path feels right? A Different Perspective May cause paralysis by over‑analysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious/) [Anxious Searcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious-searcher-3065411/) [Castles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castles/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Old Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-problem-1531045/) [Pilgrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pilgrim/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Anxious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-anxious-3065412/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) [Right way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-way/) [Searcher Mythic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/searcher-mythic-3065413/) [Searchers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/searchers/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woods/) ## Related quotes > [“They ignore the reality that a new version of the same old problem will be waiting at the end of the trip—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/they-ignore-the-reality-that-a-new-version-of-the-same-old-problem-2/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [The Chechnya problem is a centuries-old problem. The thing is that today, fundamentalists and terrorists are exploiting those centuries-old problems to accomplish their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/the-chechnya-problem-is-a-centuries-old-problem-the-thing-is-that/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/the-newest-computer-can-merely-compound-at-speed-the-oldest-problem/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [“We cannot solve an old problem with old solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/we-cannot-solve-an-old-problem-with-old-solutions/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [And so the children of the revolution were faced with the age-old problem: it wasn't that you had the wrong kind of government, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/and-so-the-children-of-the-revolution-were-faced-with-the-age-old/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Getting old we can deal with. Being old is the problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/getting-old-we-can-deal-with-being-old-is-the-problem/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [We are in a period of searchers rather than of creators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-in-a-period-of-searchers-rather-than-of-creators/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thinking carries a moral imperative. The searcher for truth must be ready to obey truth without reservation or it will elude him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/thinking-carries-a-moral-imperative-the-searcher-for-truth-must-be/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [This is also why it is wrong to treat God as a grand employment agency, a celestial executive searcher to find perfect fits for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/os-guinness/this-is-also-why-it-is-wrong-to-treat-god-as-a-grand-employment/) [Os Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/os-guinness/) > [My family and I are hooked on 'The Searchers.' I can't get enough of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-pullman/my-family-and-i-are-hooked-on-the-searchers-i-can-t-get-enough-of-it/) [Bill Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-pullman/) > [We searchers are ambitious only for life itself, for everything beautiful it can provide. Most of all we love and want to be loved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-kavanaugh/we-searchers-are-ambitious-only-for-life-itself-for-everything/) [James Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-kavanaugh/) > [Rely upon your own judgment; be true to your own conscience; follow the light that is within you; all outward lights are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/rely-upon-your-own-judgment-be-true-to-your-own-conscience-follow-the/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft/searchers-after-horror-haunt-strange-far-places/) [H. P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft/) > [Women are dirt searchers; their greatest worth is irradicating rings on collars and tables. Never mind real-estate boards' corruption and racism, here's your soapsuds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florynce-kennedy/women-are-dirt-searchers-their-greatest-worth-is-irradicating-rings/) [Florynce Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florynce-kennedy/) > [I am a searcher... I always was... and I still am... searching for the missing piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/i-am-a-searcher-i-always-was-and-i-still-am-searching-for-the-missing/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) ## More by Paul Elie > [“BACH! A colossal syllable, one which makes composers tremble, brings performers to their knees, beatifies the Bach-lover, and apparently bores the daylights out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-elie/bach-a-colossal-syllable-one-which-makes-composers-tremble-brings/) [Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) > [“We come to life in the middle of stories that are not ours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-elie/we-come-to-life-in-the-middle-of-stories-that-are-not-ours/) [Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) > [“hand. Here was a Catholic counterpart to Brooks and Warren, shifting the emphasis away from the artist and toward the work of art. An”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-elie/hand-here-was-a-catholic-counterpart-to-brooks-and-warren-shifting/) [Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) > [In American fiction, belief is like that. Belief as upbringing, belief as social fact, belief as a species of American weirdness: our literary fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-elie/in-american-fiction-belief-is-like-that-belief-as-upbringing-belief/) [Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) > [“life lived in search of God is real life, the only life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-elie/life-lived-in-search-of-god-is-real-life-the-only-life-worth-living/) [Paul Elie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) [Explore all 6 Paul Elie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-elie/) ## More Anxious quotes > [Most people do surprisingly poorly when dealing with a relative who is hurting, depressed, or anxious - we get defensive and try to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/most-people-do-surprisingly-poorly-when-dealing-with-a-relative-who/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [According to Shakyamuni Buddha, it's normal for human beings to be anxious, because it's normal for human beings not to understand themselves. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/according-to-shakyamuni-buddha-it-s-normal-for-human-beings-to-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [Be lamps unto yourselves. Be refuges unto yourselves. Take yourself no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/be-lamps-unto-yourselves-be-refuges-unto-yourselves-take-yourself-no/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Even speed, when we are anxious, seems like delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/even-speed-when-we-are-anxious-seems-like-delay/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [I'd like to be able to do complex math in my head. Any kind of adversity and I become very anxious, but if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-woods/i-d-like-to-be-able-to-do-complex-math-in-my-head-any-kind-of/) [Zach Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-woods/) > [There were times when depression, anxiety, whatever, would keep me from writing. I still get depressed and anxious, but I just don't let it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-st-john/there-were-times-when-depression-anxiety-whatever-would-keep-me-from/) [David St. John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-st-john/) > [The millennials were raised in a cocoon, their anxious parents afraid to let them go out in the park to play. So should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/the-millennials-were-raised-in-a-cocoon-their-anxious-parents-afraid/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I'm a very anxious, nervy kind of loser in many ways, and I get very stressed and a little tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-weeks/i-m-a-very-anxious-nervy-kind-of-loser-in-many-ways-and-i-get-very/) [Ed Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-weeks/) > [Dogs seek attention from you. But by paying them that attention when they want it, you're reinforcing the bad or hyperactive or anxious behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-millan/dogs-seek-attention-from-you-but-by-paying-them-that-attention-when/) [Cesar Millan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-millan/) > [I am not anxious to be the loudest voice or the most popular. But I would like to think that at a crucial moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-not-anxious-to-be-the-loudest-voice-or-the-most-popular-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You simply can't be tentative in a startup. You have to go for it at every chance you get. And if the leader of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/you-simply-can-t-be-tentative-in-a-startup-you-have-to-go-for-it-at/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [I - it's simply not for me to evaluate an independent rating agency's processes. But I will say that there was reason to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-carney/i-it-s-simply-not-for-me-to-evaluate-an-independent-rating-agency-s/) [Jay Carney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-carney/) > [I don't understand why gay people are so anxious to get married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-margolyes/i-don-t-understand-why-gay-people-are-so-anxious-to-get-married/) [Miriam Margolyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-margolyes/) [Browse all 1,159 Anxious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And what is the problem? It is the old problem of the anxious searcher - the mythic in the interior castle, the poet-pilgrim in a dark wood not sure how to proceed. 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