---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we turn our gaze to the inside, it…"
description: "\"When we turn our gaze to the inside, it becomes difficult to locate this familiar sense of self. To overcome that fear we need to feel special in some ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg"
---

#  When we turn our gaze to the inside, it becomes difficult…

![“When we turn our gaze to the inside, it becomes difficult to locate this familiar sense of self. To overcome that fear we need to feel special in some way.” quote by Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg)

> “When we turn our gaze to the inside, it becomes difficult to locate this familiar sense of self. To overcome that fear we need to feel special in some way.”

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

## About This Quote

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

Looking inward can blur self‑identity; overcoming that fear requires finding a unique sense of value.

**In simple terms:** Self‑reflection can cause identity doubt; feel special to counter fear.

Key Takeaway

Seek personal uniqueness to ease inner fear.

Themes

identity fear self‑esteem

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- personal journaling
- career transitions
- relationship building

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define what makes you feel special?
- What practices help maintain self‑worth without external approval?

A Different Perspective

Finding uniqueness may be temporary and can create dependency on external validation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Overcome Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcome-fear/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/)

## Related quotes

> [“For the discovery of self we have to overcome the fear of self, so as to find the marrow ‘within’ and disclose our ‘true’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/for-the-discovery-of-self-we-have-to-overcome-the-fear-of-self-so-as/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [Keep your sense of self; don't get caught up in what people want you to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/keep-your-sense-of-self-don-t-get-caught-up-in-what-people-want-you/)

[LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/)

> [I learned that gender identity runs very deep in all of us, very near the center of our sense of self and messing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-vincent/i-learned-that-gender-identity-runs-very-deep-in-all-of-us-very-near/)

[Norah Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-vincent/)

> [Can I live a life, daily life, without sense of self-concern?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/can-i-live-a-life-daily-life-without-sense-of-self-concern/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I'm actively working hard on learning to appreciate yourself no matter what. If what someone else says can easily derail you, it means your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-m-actively-working-hard-on-learning-to-appreciate-yourself-no/)

[Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/)

> [“We were all searching outside ourselves for our missing pieces, and we were all looking in the wrong direction. Instead of finding ourselves, we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/we-were-all-searching-outside-ourselves-for-our-missing-pieces-and-we/)

[Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/)

> [When you lose all sense of self the bonds of a thousands chains will vanish. Lose yourself completely, return to the root of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/when-you-lose-all-sense-of-self-the-bonds-of-a-thousands-chains-will/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [The body is an object in which we are all privileged, or doomed, to dwell, the source of feelings of well-being and pleasure, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-giddens/the-body-is-an-object-in-which-we-are-all-privileged-or-doomed-to/)

[Anthony Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-giddens/)

> [“Not only can depression separate you from yourself, if it lingers too long, as it did with Sally Brampton, you can lose your sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-dubin/not-only-can-depression-separate-you-from-yourself-if-it-lingers-too/)

Nick Dubin

> [There are those who receive as birthright an adequate or at least unquestioned sense of self and those who set out to reinvent themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/there-are-those-who-receive-as-birthright-an-adequate-or-at-least/)

[Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/)

> [“In no case should we abandon responsibility for our own choice-making or give someone else's conception of what we are more weight than our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-sinetar/in-no-case-should-we-abandon-responsibility-for-our-own-choice-making/)

[Marsha Sinetar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-sinetar/)

> [I will always be fashion. I try to pull it together. I think that comes from a sense of self. That's how you create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-jayne/i-will-always-be-fashion-i-try-to-pull-it-together-i-think-that-comes/)

[Erika Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-jayne/)

> [Figure out who you are separate from your family, and the man or woman you're in a relationship with. Find who you are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/figure-out-who-you-are-separate-from-your-family-and-the-man-or-woman/)

[Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/)

> [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“...afflictions arise from identifying with a false sense of self, whereas great contentment arises from seeing the true nature of things. If one believes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karma-lekshe-tsomo/afflictions-arise-from-identifying-with-a-false-sense-of-self-whereas/)

[Karma Lekshe Tsomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karma-lekshe-tsomo/)

## More by Roger Housden

> [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [Everything constantly changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/everything-constantly-changes/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [People around us change and circumstances change. We can often find ourselves struggling against those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/people-around-us-change-and-circumstances-change-we-can-often-find/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [I bring my attention to my hands on the steering wheel and notice how the chatter in my mind begins to fall away as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/i-bring-my-attention-to-my-hands-on-the-steering-wheel-and-notice-how/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [We live in an age of knowledge, with the great god Google, that we can refer to at any time on any subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/we-live-in-an-age-of-knowledge-with-the-great-god-google-that-we-can/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [When we're fully engaged in the present moment, no matter what we're doing, the question of meaning never seems to arise. It's because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-re-fully-engaged-in-the-present-moment-no-matter-what-we-re/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [The natural wish and impetus to feel oneself to be an individual, to be special, includes standing out more than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/the-natural-wish-and-impetus-to-feel-oneself-to-be-an-individual-to/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [Struggle has a natural place in our life, but the fight or flight syndrome is often false struggle. There are times for that but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/struggle-has-a-natural-place-in-our-life-but-the-fight-or-flight/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [I live in California, where there's a lot of driving entailed. I'm usually going somewhere to be on time to meet someone so I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/i-live-in-california-where-there-s-a-lot-of-driving-entailed-i-m/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [I don't think one can run out and try and chase love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/i-don-t-think-one-can-run-out-and-try-and-chase-love/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [When the heart opens, we forget ourselves and the world pours in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-the-heart-opens-we-forget-ourselves-and-the-world-pours-in/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [We have to be on time every day for one thing or another, so how can we be on time and yet not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/we-have-to-be-on-time-every-day-for-one-thing-or-another-so-how-can/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [Most of us make an effort to do and be the best we can be, which leads to a distinction we need to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/most-of-us-make-an-effort-to-do-and-be-the-best-we-can-be-which-leads/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [The more we enter our own gifts, the more we feel that sense of proportion. In that sense, I think our life lies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/the-more-we-enter-our-own-gifts-the-more-we-feel-that-sense-of/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

> [When the heart opens, we forget ourselves and the world pours in: this world, and also the invisible world of meaning that sustains everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-the-heart-opens-we-forget-ourselves-and-the-world-pours-in-this/)

[Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

[Explore all 60 Roger Housden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When we turn our gaze to the inside, it becomes difficult to locate this familiar sense of self. To overcome that fear we need to feel special in some way.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Housden"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-becomes-difficult-to-locate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-becomes-difficult-to-locate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/roger-housden-11285_difficult_when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-b_294842.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When we turn our gaze to the inside, it becomes difficult to locate this familiar sense of self. To overcome…” — Roger Housden",
                "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": "Roger Housden",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When we turn our gaze to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-becomes-difficult-to-locate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-turn-our-gaze-to-the-inside-it-becomes-difficult-to-locate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
