Describe myself Quote by Rainer Maria Rilke
““I am too alone in the world, and yet not alone enough to make every moment holy. I am too tiny in this world, and not tiny enough just to lie before you like a thing, shrewd and secretive. I want my own will, and I want simply to be with my will, as it goes toward action; and in those quiet, sometimes hardly moving times, when something is coming near, I want to be with those who know secret things or else alone. I want to be a mirror for your whole body, and I never want to be blind, or to be too old to hold up your heavy and swaying picture. I want to unfold. I don’t want to stay folded anywhere, because where I am folded, there I am a lie. and I want my grasp of things to be true before you. I want to describe myself like a painting that I looked at closely for a long time, like a saying that I finally understood, like the pitcher I use every day, like the face of my mother, like a ship that carried me through the wildest storm of all.””
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Book of Hours, 1905
The speaker longs for authentic existence, seeking self‑knowledge, honest expression, and deep connection while rejecting superficiality and concealment.
In simple terms: Seek truth and genuine connection, not empty appearances.
Embrace honesty and purposeful action.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- artistic creation
- intimate relationships
- self‑reflection
- spiritual seeking
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance personal truth with social expectations?
- What does it mean to be a “mirror” for another?
True self‑understanding may be painful and socially isolating.