--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no reaching the Self. If Self…" description: "\"There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but that it is yet to be obtained. What is g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg" --- # There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached… ![“There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but that it is yet to be obtained. What is got afresh will also be lost. So it will be impermanent. What is not permanent is not worth striving for. So I say the Self is not reached. You are…” quote by Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg) > “There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but that it is yet to be obtained. What is got afresh will also be lost. So it will be impermanent. What is not permanent is not worth striving for. So I say the Self is not reached. You are the Self; you are already That.” [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Self cannot be attained as an object; it is already present, and seeking it creates illusion and impermanence. **In simple terms:** The Self is already here; trying to reach it is futile. Key Takeaway Live as the Self, not as a seeker. Themes spirituality self‑realization philosophy impermanence Mood peaceful inspirational Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - meditation practice - daily mindfulness - spiritual counseling Key Concepts non‑duality presence ego dissolution Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to be “already That”? - How can you embody the Self now? A Different Perspective The concept of “reaching” may be useful for beginners as a stepping stone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Here and now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Impermanence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impermanence/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Obtaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obtaining/) [Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Quiet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet/) [Reached Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reached-self-2394091/) [Reaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaching/) [Reaching Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaching-self-2394089/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Reached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-reached-2394090/) [Self Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-self/) [Spiritual awakening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-awakening/) [Spiritual wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-wisdom/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wise words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-words/) [Words of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-of-wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [...a point is reached where the self is so completely aligned with the still-point that it can no longer be moved, even in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-roberts/a-point-is-reached-where-the-self-is-so-completely-aligned-with-the/) [Bernadette Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-roberts/) > [“...because writing is fundamentally an act of reaching out from self to other. It is a reminder that we are not alone in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-rasley/because-writing-is-fundamentally-an-act-of-reaching-out-from-self-to/) [Alicia Rasley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-rasley/) > [“Reaching a self freedom is the only object.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-thomas/reaching-a-self-freedom-is-the-only-object/) [Dylan Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-thomas/) > [You may go on reading any number of books on Meditation. They can only tell you ‘Realize the Self’. The Self cannot be found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/you-may-go-on-reading-any-number-of-books-on-meditation-they-can-only/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Speaking of Self-realizatio n is a delusion. It is only because people have been under the delusion that the non-Self is the Self and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/speaking-of-self-realizatio-n-is-a-delusion-it-is-only-because-people/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The Self itself is the world; the Self itself is 'I'; the Self itself is God; all is Siva, the Self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-self-itself-is-the-world-the-self-itself-is-i-the-self-itself-is/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and is the reality which is self-manifest. Therefore, one should not think of it as this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-self-is-self-luminous-without-darkness-and-light-and-is-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Every living being longs always to be happy, untainted by sorrow; and everyone has the greatest love for himself, which is solely due to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/every-living-being-longs-always-to-be-happy-untainted-by-sorrow-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [“Unlike the rest of you, I cheerfully admit to my own utter selfishness. I am self-made, self-absorbed, self-serving, self-referential, even self-deprecating, in a charming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lashner/unlike-the-rest-of-you-i-cheerfully-admit-to-my-own-utter-selfishness/) [William Lashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lashner/) > [Where do these images comes from and where do they return? What is it that projects these images? How is it that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/where-do-these-images-comes-from-and-where-do-they-return-what-is-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When we descend all the way down to the bottom of loss, and dwell patiently, with an open heart, in the darkness and pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/when-we-descend-all-the-way-down-to-the-bottom-of-loss-and-dwell/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [Most people have a time-bound awareness. And the reason is they have sacrificed their self for their self-image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-have-a-time-bound-awareness-and-the-reason-is-they-have/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I have begun to think of life as a series of ripples widening out from an original center. In a way, no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-begun-to-think-of-life-as-a-series-of-ripples-widening-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The best thing about my writing is that it makes me feel alive again. If I am going to be obsessed with self, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lloyd/the-best-thing-about-my-writing-is-that-it-makes-me-feel-alive-again/) [David Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lloyd/) > [The Self in you is the same as the Self Universal. Whatever powers are manifested throughout the world, those powers exist in germ, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/the-self-in-you-is-the-same-as-the-self-universal-whatever-powers-are/) [Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/) ## More by Ramana Maharshi > [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Silence is most powerful. Speech is always less powerful than silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/silence-is-most-powerful-speech-is-always-less-powerful-than-silence/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Meditation is sticking to one thought. That single thought keeps away other thoughts; distraction of mind is a sign of its weakness; by constant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/meditation-is-sticking-to-one-thought-that-single-thought-keeps-away/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The more you prune a plant, the more it grows. So too the more you seek to annihilate the ego, the more it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-more-you-prune-a-plant-the-more-it-grows-so-too-the-more-you-seek/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Think of God; attachments will gradually drop away. If you wait till all desires disappear before starting your devotion and prayer, you will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/think-of-god-attachments-will-gradually-drop-away-if-you-wait-till/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [That which rises and sinks is made up of what it rises from. The finality of the universe is the God Arunachala. Meditating on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/that-which-rises-and-sinks-is-made-up-of-what-it-rises-from-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Food affects the mind. For the practice of any kind of yoga, vegetarianism is absolutely necessary since it makes the mind more pure and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/food-affects-the-mind-for-the-practice-of-any-kind-of-yoga/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-mind-of-one-meditating-on-a-single-object-becomes-one-pointed-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Eating, bathing, going to the toilet, talking, thinking, and many other activities related to the body are all work. How is it that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/eating-bathing-going-to-the-toilet-talking-thinking-and-many-other/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Knowing the Self, God is known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/knowing-the-self-god-is-known/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Every moment there is creation, every moment destruction. There is no absolute creation, no absolute destruction. Both are movement, and that is eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/every-moment-there-is-creation-every-moment-destruction-there-is-no/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The entire Universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-entire-universe-is-condensed-in-the-body-and-the-entire-body-in/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [The state of self-realization, as we call it, is not attaining something new or reaching some goal which is far away, but simply being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-state-of-self-realization-as-we-call-it-is-not-attaining/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [God illumines the mind and shines within it. One cannot know God by means of the mind. One can but turn the mind inwards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/god-illumines-the-mind-and-shines-within-it-one-cannot-know-god-by/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [We are so engrossed with the objects, or appearances revealed by the light, that we pay no attention to the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/we-are-so-engrossed-with-the-objects-or-appearances-revealed-by-the/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) [Explore all 329 Ramana Maharshi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) ## More Here and now quotes > [To refer even in passing to unpublished or struggling authors and their problems is to put oneself at some risk, so I will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-amis/to-refer-even-in-passing-to-unpublished-or-struggling-authors-and/) [Kingsley Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-amis/) > [The future and the past are equally meaningless because they are nebulous entities, times that do not exist, containing events which have no echo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lebbon/the-future-and-the-past-are-equally-meaningless-because-they-are/) [Tim Lebbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lebbon/) > [... many folks take them seriously because they just 'know' that evolution can never be seen in the immediate here and now. In fact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/many-folks-take-them-seriously-because-they-just-know-that-evolution/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [It looks like half the enjoyment is just having Heaven in our hearts and Heaven in our Homes, feeling Heaven in our bodies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/it-looks-like-half-the-enjoyment-is-just-having-heaven-in-our-hearts/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [Why exactly are we so frightened of death that we avoid looking at it altogether? Somewhere, deep down, we know we cannot avoid facing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/why-exactly-are-we-so-frightened-of-death-that-we-avoid-looking-at-it/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [A poem is a frozen moment melted by each reader for themselves to flow into the here and now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilde-domin/a-poem-is-a-frozen-moment-melted-by-each-reader-for-themselves-to/) [Hilde Domin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilde-domin/) > [In whatever position one is in, or in whatever condition in life one is placed, one must find balance. Balance is the state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/in-whatever-position-one-is-in-or-in-whatever-condition-in-life-one/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past or responsibly plan for the future. The idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-dwell-in-the-here-and-now-does-not-mean-you-never-think-about-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Absolute perfection is here and now, not in some future, near or far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/absolute-perfection-is-here-and-now-not-in-some-future-near-or-far/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [The future will be in the hands of those of you who belong to the 21st century. You have the opportunity and responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-future-will-be-in-the-hands-of-those-of-you-who-belong-to-the/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [For Jesus, heaven and hell were present realities. Ways of living we can enter into here and now. He talked very little of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/for-jesus-heaven-and-hell-were-present-realities-ways-of-living-we/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [For relationships, too, must be like islands. One must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits - islands surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/for-relationships-too-must-be-like-islands-one-must-accept-them-for/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) [Browse all 411 Here and now quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/here-and-now/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now but that it is yet to be obtained. What is got afresh will also be lost. So it will be impermanent. What is not permanent is not worth striving for. So I say the Self is not reached. You are the Self; you are already That.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ramana Maharshi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-were-to-be-reached-it-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Here and now" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-were-to-be-reached-it-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/506/ramana-maharshi-915_here-and-now_there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-we_1035850.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no reaching the Self. If Self were to be reached, it would mean that the Self is not here and now…” — Ramana Maharshi", "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": "Ramana Maharshi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no reaching the Self....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-were-to-be-reached-it-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/there-is-no-reaching-the-self-if-self-were-to-be-reached-it-would/#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 } } ] } ```