---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once you have realised that there is no…"
description: "\"“Once you have realised that there is no objective external world to be found; that what you know is only a filtered and processed version, then it is ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg"
---

#  Once you have realised that there is no objective external…

![“Once you have realised that there is no objective external world to be found; that what you know is only a filtered and processed version, then it is a short step to the thought that, in that case, other people too are nothing but a processed shadow, and but a short step more to the belief that…” quote by Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg)

> ““Once you have realised that there is no objective external world to be found; that what you know is only a filtered and processed version, then it is a short step to the thought that, in that case, other people too are nothing but a processed shadow, and but a short step more to the belief that every person must somehow be shut away, isolated behind their own unreliable sensory apparatus. And then the thought springs easily to mind that man is, fundamentally, alone. That the world is made up of disconnected consciousnesses, each isolated within the illusion created by its own senses, floating in a featureless vacuum. He does not put it so bluntly, but the idea is not far away. That, fundamentally, man is alone.””

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote suggests that reality is a subjective construct, and each mind is isolated, leading to existential loneliness.

**In simple terms:** Reality is filtered; we are isolated minds.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty and seek connection.

Themes

existentialism solitude perception philosophy

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- philosophical discussion
- mental health counseling

Key Concepts

subjective reality isolated consciousness illusion sensory limits

Questions to Reflect On

- How do we overcome perceived isolation?
- Can empathy bridge sensory gaps?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook shared human experiences that bridge isolation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/)

## Related quotes

> [“So it is not fundamentally possible to be alone. Fundamentally, man has to be with other people. If man becomes totally, totally alone, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/so-it-is-not-fundamentally-possible-to-be-alone-fundamentally-man-has/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“We are the world. The world is you and me, the world is not separate from you and me. We have created this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-krishnamurti/we-are-the-world-the-world-is-you-and-me-the-world-is-not-separate/)

[J. Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-krishnamurti/)

> [Fundamentally, the world is not that sophisticated. A lot of it is very crude, cruel, and barbaric.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/fundamentally-the-world-is-not-that-sophisticated-a-lot-of-it-is-very/)

[Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/)

> [Fundamentally, therefore, any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him—mentally and spiritually. He may retain his human dignity even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fundamentally-therefore-any-man-can-even-under-such-circumstances-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My own opinion is that just as fundamentally man and woman are one, their problems must be one in essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-own-opinion-is-that-just-as-fundamentally-man-and-woman-are-one/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [I think, fundamentally, Man Repeller is a voice for women to connect with; they can come and try it on for size and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leandra-medine/i-think-fundamentally-man-repeller-is-a-voice-for-women-to-connect/)

[Leandra Medine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leandra-medine/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [If I held all the thoughts of the world in my hand, I would be careful not to open it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/if-i-held-all-the-thoughts-of-the-world-in-my-hand-i-would-be-careful/)

[Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

## More by Peter Høeg

> [“Time is something you have to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/time-is-something-you-have-to-hold-on-to/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“When you are in the company of people who look down upon themselves as though they were animals, you too become like an animal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-you-are-in-the-company-of-people-who-look-down-upon-themselves/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“With age I have voluntarily chosen certain limitations. I don't have the energy to start over again. To learn new skills or fight my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/with-age-i-have-voluntarily-chosen-certain-limitations-i-don-t-have/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“That was the way of the rule. They had so many to keep an eye on. As long as you kept a low profile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/that-was-the-way-of-the-rule-they-had-so-many-to-keep-an-eye-on-as/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“That was what we meant by science. That both question and answer are tied up with uncertainty, and that they are painful. But that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/that-was-what-we-meant-by-science-that-both-question-and-answer-are/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [I like him. I have a weakness for losers. Invalids, foreigners, the fat boy of the class, the ones nobody ever wants to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-like-him-i-have-a-weakness-for-losers-invalids-foreigners-the-fat/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“There's no simple aritmetic for life's distribution of happiness and sorrow, no such thing as a standard share.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-no-simple-aritmetic-for-life-s-distribution-of-happiness-and/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“She said she had been thinking about the way you remembered your past. What you remembered, she said, was a string of events and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/she-said-she-had-been-thinking-about-the-way-you-remembered-your-past/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“The cookies combine butter and spices in such a way that you could eat a hundred of them and only realize how sick you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/the-cookies-combine-butter-and-spices-in-such-a-way-that-you-could/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [It's these small differences in people's karma that determine if we get up or remain lying on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/it-s-these-small-differences-in-people-s-karma-that-determine-if-we/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [There's a look of mischief in his eyes. 'Smilla. Why is it that such an elegant and petite girl like you has such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/there-s-a-look-of-mischief-in-his-eyes-smilla-why-is-it-that-such-an/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [When my mother didn't come back I realized that any moment could be the last. Nothing in life should simply be a passage from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/when-my-mother-didn-t-come-back-i-realized-that-any-moment-could-be/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [She was transparent, like a watercolor. As if she were about to dissolve in sound, in tones not yet created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/she-was-transparent-like-a-watercolor-as-if-she-were-about-to/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [“As far as I'm concerned, you could send all the cars in the world through a compactor and shoot them out through the stratosphere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-you-could-send-all-the-cars-in-the-world/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

> [I don't fall in love anymore. Just like I don't get the mumps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-don-t-fall-in-love-anymore-just-like-i-don-t-get-the-mumps/)

[Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

[Explore all 110 Peter Høeg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/)

## More Philosophy of Mind quotes

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/)

[Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/)

> [If I held all the thoughts of the world in my hand, I would be careful not to open it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/if-i-held-all-the-thoughts-of-the-world-in-my-hand-i-would-be-careful/)

[Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/)

> [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/)

[Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/)

> [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/)

[David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/)

> [Knowing does not always allow us to prevent, but at least the things that we know, we hold them, if not in our hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/knowing-does-not-always-allow-us-to-prevent-but-at-least-the-things/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“Your highest thoughts hold the key to your highest rewards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/your-highest-thoughts-hold-the-key-to-your-highest-rewards/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“It means, first, that everything that appears in public can be seen and heard by everybody and has the widest possible publicity. For us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/it-means-first-that-everything-that-appears-in-public-can-be-seen-and/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Forgotten thought is the ultimate entropy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-lintern/forgotten-thought-is-the-ultimate-entropy/)

Neil Lintern

> [“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/)

[Browse all 12,692 Philosophy of Mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Once you have realised that there is no objective external world to be found; that what you know is only a filtered and processed version, then it is a short step to the thought that, in that case, other people too are nothing but a processed shadow, and but a short step more to the belief that every person must somehow be shut away, isolated behind their own unreliable sensory apparatus. And then the thought springs easily to mind that man is, fundamentally, alone. That the world is made up of disconnected consciousnesses, each isolated within the illusion created by its own senses, floating in a featureless vacuum. He does not put it so bluntly, but the idea is not far away. That, fundamentally, man is alone.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Høeg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no-objective-external-world-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Philosophy of Mind"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no-objective-external-world-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/peter-h-eg-3553_philosophy-of-mind_once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no_1197312.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Once you have realised that there is no objective external world to be found; that what you know is only a…” — Peter Høeg",
                "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": "Peter Høeg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Once you have realised that there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no-objective-external-world-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/once-you-have-realised-that-there-is-no-objective-external-world-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
