--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I can understand what’s going on in…" description: "\"“If I can understand what’s going on in the world, I can understand what’s going on inside myself”\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg" --- # If I can understand what’s going on in the world, I can… ![“If I can understand what’s going on in the world, I can understand what’s going on inside myself” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg) > ““If I can understand what’s going on in the world, I can understand what’s going on inside myself”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding the world mirrors self‑knowledge, linking external events to inner growth. **In simple terms:** Knowing the world helps know yourself. Key Takeaway Seek insight through observation. Themes self‑knowledge philosophy inner growth Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - travel - reading - meditation - personal development Key Concepts reflection mindfulness interconnectedness Questions to Reflect On - How does the world reflect your inner state? - What patterns do you notice between external and internal? A Different Perspective External events can be misleading, leading to false self‑conclusions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aleph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aleph/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ## Related quotes > [Love is beyond time or rather love is both time and space but all focused on one single constantly evolving point-the Aleph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-is-beyond-time-or-rather-love-is-both-time-and-space-but-all/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I hate being judged all the time and having to hide my fear, my emotions, my vulnerabilities. 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I'm at a window, looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-am-in-the-aleph-the-point-at-which-everything-is-in-the-same-place/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“We will always ask ourselves the same questions …We will always need to be humble enough to accept that our heart knows why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-will-always-ask-ourselves-the-same-questions-we-will-always-need/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“We are all souls wandering the cosmos and, at the same time, living our lives, but with a sense that we are passing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-all-souls-wandering-the-cosmos-and-at-the-same-time-living-our/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“He takes us to a beautiful building where, in 1754, a man killed his own brother. The brothers' father resolved to build this palace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/he-takes-us-to-a-beautiful-building-where-in-1754-a-man-killed-his/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“everything you ever experienced or will experience is in the here and now. The world is being created and destroyed in this very moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/everything-you-ever-experienced-or-will-experience-is-in-the-here-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Such is the world. Understand it, despise it, love it; cheerfully hold on thy way through it, with thy eye on highest loadstars!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/such-is-the-world-understand-it-despise-it-love-it-cheerfully-hold-on/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I'm sure you think that I don't understand what you're going through, but I do. It's just that sometimes, our future is dictated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-m-sure-you-think-that-i-don-t-understand-what-you-re-going-through/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Don't shut yourself up in a band box because you are a woman, but understand what is going on, and educate yourself to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/don-t-shut-yourself-up-in-a-band-box-because-you-are-a-woman-but/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“There's no we here. You understand me? There's never going to be a we. There's just you and I.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amie-kaufman/there-s-no-we-here-you-understand-me-there-s-never-going-to-be-a-we/) [Amie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amie-kaufman/) > [“What if I tell you that in our time, with only the help of three devices, an encyclopedia, a sheet of paper and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florian-dreveskracht/what-if-i-tell-you-that-in-our-time-with-only-the-help-of-three/) Florian Dreveskracht > [“One day or one night—between my days and nights, what difference can there be?—I dreamed that there was a grain of sand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/one-day-or-one-night-between-my-days-and-nights-what-difference-can/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“I’m not a foreigner because I haven’t been praying to return safely home, I haven’t wasted my time imagining my house, my desk, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-coelho/i-m-not-a-foreigner-because-i-haven-t-been-praying-to-return-safely/) [Paolo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-coelho/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Aleph quotes > [“The world has never been as divided as it is now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-never-been-as-divided-as-it-is-now/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“One day or one night—between my days and nights, what difference can there be?—I dreamed that there was a grain of sand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/one-day-or-one-night-between-my-days-and-nights-what-difference-can/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“What if I tell you that in our time, with only the help of three devices, an encyclopedia, a sheet of paper and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florian-dreveskracht/what-if-i-tell-you-that-in-our-time-with-only-the-help-of-three/) Florian Dreveskracht > [“I’m not a foreigner because I haven’t been praying to return safely home, I haven’t wasted my time imagining my house, my desk, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-coelho/i-m-not-a-foreigner-because-i-haven-t-been-praying-to-return-safely/) [Paolo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-coelho/) > [“He takes us to a beautiful building where, in 1754, a man killed his own brother. The brothers' father resolved to build this palace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/he-takes-us-to-a-beautiful-building-where-in-1754-a-man-killed-his/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“We are all souls wandering the cosmos and, at the same time, living our lives, but with a sense that we are passing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-are-all-souls-wandering-the-cosmos-and-at-the-same-time-living-our/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“We will always ask ourselves the same questions …We will always need to be humble enough to accept that our heart knows why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-will-always-ask-ourselves-the-same-questions-we-will-always-need/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [This is how space begins, with words only, signs traced on the blank page. To describe space: to name it, to trace it, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-perec/this-is-how-space-begins-with-words-only-signs-traced-on-the-blank/) [Georges Perec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-perec/) > [“He remembered a story Madrigal had told him once: the human tale of the golem. It was a thing shaped of clay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/he-remembered-a-story-madrigal-had-told-him-once-the-human-tale-of/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [I am in the Aleph, the point at which everything is in the same place at the same time. I'm at a window, looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-am-in-the-aleph-the-point-at-which-everything-is-in-the-same-place/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I hate being judged all the time and having to hide my fear, my emotions, my vulnerabilities. You think I'm a brave, talented young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-hate-being-judged-all-the-time-and-having-to-hide-my-fear-my/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Ascension is naught without first ascertaining the Aleph in the World”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aainaa-ridtz-a-r/ascension-is-naught-without-first-ascertaining-the-aleph-in-the-world/) AainaA-Ridtz A R > [Love is beyond time or rather love is both time and space but all focused on one single constantly evolving point-the Aleph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-is-beyond-time-or-rather-love-is-both-time-and-space-but-all/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“I ran across an excerpt today (in English translation) of some dialogue/narration from the modern popular writer, Paulo Coelho in his book: Aleph.(Note: bracketed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/i-ran-across-an-excerpt-today-in-english-translation-of-some-dialogue/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) [Browse all 15 Aleph quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aleph/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If I can understand what’s going on in the world, I can understand what’s going on inside myself”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-the-world-i-can-understand/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aleph" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-the-world-i-can-understand/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b47/paulo-coelho-10_aleph_if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-t_1534442.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I can understand what’s going on in the world, I can understand what’s going on inside myself” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If I can understand what’s going...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-the-world-i-can-understand/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-i-can-understand-what-s-going-on-in-the-world-i-can-understand/#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 } } ] } ```