--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It must be obvious...that there is a…" description: "\"It must be obvious...that there is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose very nature is momentariness and fluidity.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png" --- # It must be obvious...that there is a contradiction in… ![“It must be obvious...that there is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose very nature is momentariness and fluidity.” quote by Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png) > “It must be obvious...that there is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose very nature is momentariness and fluidity.” [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He points out the paradox of seeking absolute security in an ever‑changing, impermanent world. **In simple terms:** Security is impossible in a fluid universe. Key Takeaway Embrace impermanence and let go of absolute security. Themes impermanence security paradox Mood thoughtful serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - mindfulness practice - stress management - spiritual counseling - creative work Key Concepts Zen Buddhism philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you find comfort in uncertainty? - What does “perfect security” mean to you? A Different Perspective It may be unsettling for those who crave stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Contradiction Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction-wanting-3601821/) [Fluidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fluidity/) [Momentariness Fluidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/momentariness-fluidity-3601822/) [Obvious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious/) [Obvious Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obvious-contradiction-4504064/) [Secure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secure/) [Secure Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secure-universe-4504065/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“There is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose very nature is momentariness and fluidity. But the contradiction lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-contradiction-in-wanting-to-be-perfectly-secure-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think everything has its place. So if the ideas or the fluidity isn't coming in writing, maybe it's related to ingestions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-williams/i-think-everything-has-its-place-so-if-the-ideas-or-the-fluidity-isn/) [Saul Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-williams/) > [In playwriting, you've got to be able to write dialogue. And if you write enough of it and let it flow enough, you'll probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/in-playwriting-you-ve-got-to-be-able-to-write-dialogue-and-if-you/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [The poems in Katherine Soniat's new collection, The Swing Girl, weave emotion's 'spray going farther than thought' with the 'bedrock things' of the trod-upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stripling-byer/the-poems-in-katherine-soniat-s-new-collection-the-swing-girl-weave/) [Kathryn Stripling Byer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stripling-byer/) > [The fluidity of thought is based on the flexibility of beliefs and the emotional boundaries surrounding them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arndt/the-fluidity-of-thought-is-based-on-the-flexibility-of-beliefs-and/) [Michael Arndt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arndt/) > [Could it be that toxic mimics are toxic because they ignore responsibility, they ignore relationship, they ignore presence, they substitute control for fluidity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/could-it-be-that-toxic-mimics-are-toxic-because-they-ignore/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [Ko Un's poems evoke the open creativity and fluidity of nature, and funny turns and twists of Mind. Mind is sometimes registered in Buddhist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-snyder/ko-un-s-poems-evoke-the-open-creativity-and-fluidity-of-nature-and/) [Gary Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-snyder/) > [“Whatever you become in life, always return to the shape of water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whatever-you-become-in-life-always-return-to-the-shape-of-water/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What you have as a result of past policies is that German entrepreneurs go outside of Germany for many of their activities. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/what-you-have-as-a-result-of-past-policies-is-that-german/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [...the only continuity possible in life, as in love, is in growth, in fluidity - in freedom. The only real security is... living in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/the-only-continuity-possible-in-life-as-in-love-is-in-growth-in/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Fluidity means that our black identities are constantly changing as we respond to circumstances in our families and communities of origin, and as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/fluidity-means-that-our-black-identities-are-constantly-changing-as/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [It's my experience that the fluidity of sexuality with younger people is more accepted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-schwartz/it-s-my-experience-that-the-fluidity-of-sexuality-with-younger-people/) [Josh Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-schwartz/) > [I think how strict my mother's home could be with my mom and my stepfather, there was a fluidity and freedom in my dad's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-think-how-strict-my-mother-s-home-could-be-with-my-mom-and-my/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [“Literature is the haven of fluidity, of slippage from one character to another, of movement. Women tend to read far more novels than men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-phillips/literature-is-the-haven-of-fluidity-of-slippage-from-one-character-to/) [Anita Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-phillips/) > [It's interesting. I've known quite a few good athletes that can't begin to play a beat on the drum set. Most team sport is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/it-s-interesting-i-ve-known-quite-a-few-good-athletes-that-can-t/) [Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/) ## More by Shunryu Suzuki > [The point we emphasize is strong confidence in our original nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-point-we-emphasize-is-strong-confidence-in-our-original-nature/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [If you continue this simple practice every day, you will obtain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/if-you-continue-this-simple-practice-every-day-you-will-obtain-some/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [You want to eliminate your evil desires in order to reveal your Buddha nature, but where will you throw them away?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/you-want-to-eliminate-your-evil-desires-in-order-to-reveal-your/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Ego is a social institution with no physical reality. The ego is simply your symbol of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/ego-is-a-social-institution-with-no-physical-reality-the-ego-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the experts mind, there are few.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/in-the-beginner-s-mind-there-are-many-possibilities-in-the-experts/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The seed has no idea of being some particular plant, but it has its own form and is in perfect harmony with the ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-seed-has-no-idea-of-being-some-particular-plant-but-it-has-its/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Whereever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/whereever-you-are-you-are-one-with-the-clouds-and-one-with-the-sun/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [When we become truly ourselves, we just become a swinging door, and we are purely independent of, and at the same time, dependent upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/when-we-become-truly-ourselves-we-just-become-a-swinging-door-and-we/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [“Zen is not some fancy, special art of living. Our teaching is just to live, always in reality, in its exact sense. To make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/zen-is-not-some-fancy-special-art-of-living-our-teaching-is-just-to/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [So the secret is just to say 'Yes!' and jump off from here. Then there is no problem. It means to be yourself, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/so-the-secret-is-just-to-say-yes-and-jump-off-from-here-then-there-is/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil itself. But if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/our-tendency-is-to-be-interested-in-something-that-is-growing-in-the/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The world is its own magic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-world-is-its-own-magic/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [People say that practicing Zen is difficult, but there is a misunderstanding as to why. It is not difficult because it is hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/people-say-that-practicing-zen-is-difficult-but-there-is-a/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [Each one of us must make his own true way, and when we do, that way will express the universal way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/each-one-of-us-must-make-his-own-true-way-and-when-we-do-that-way/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) > [The purpose of our practice is just to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/the-purpose-of-our-practice-is-just-to-be-yourself/) [Shunryu Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) [Explore all 262 Shunryu Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/) ## More Contradiction quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-almost-a-contradiction-in-terms-it-means-a-strong-desire/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Contradictions in human character are one of its most consistent notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/contradictions-in-human-character-are-one-of-its-most-consistent-notes/) [Muriel Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-spark/) > [“The tiny features below, taken together with the gentle mass of Montblanc towering above them, the Vanoise glacier almost invisible in the shimmering distance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald-2/the-tiny-features-below-taken-together-with-the-gentle-mass-of/) [W.G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald-2/) > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [To exist (in mathematics), said Henri Poincaré, is to be free from contradiction. But mere existence does not guarantee survival. To survive in mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kac/to-exist-in-mathematics-said-henri-poincar-is-to-be-free-from/) [Mark Kac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kac/) > [“In these creations, life and symbolic value are not in contradiction: they intensify each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-these-creations-life-and-symbolic-value-are-not-in-contradiction/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I have never agreed with my other self wholly. The truth of the matter seems to lie between us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/i-have-never-agreed-with-my-other-self-wholly-the-truth-of-the-matter/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“A truth is not necessary, because we negatively are not able to conceive the actual existence of the opposite thereof;but a truth is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-dabney/a-truth-is-not-necessary-because-we-negatively-are-not-able-to/) [R.L. Dabney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-dabney/) > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The reflection of nature in man's thought must be understood not lifelessly but in the eternal process of movement, the arising of contradictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-reflection-of-nature-in-man-s-thought-must-be-understood-not/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) [Browse all 1,263 Contradiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It must be obvious...that there is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose very nature is momentariness and fluidity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shunryu Suzuki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contradiction-in-wanting-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contradiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contradiction-in-wanting-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cb/shunryu-suzuki-1280_contradiction_it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contr_537833.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It must be obvious...that there is a contradiction in wanting to be perfectly secure in a universe whose…” — Shunryu Suzuki", "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": "Shunryu Suzuki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunryu-suzuki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It must be obvious...that there is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contradiction-in-wanting-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunryu-suzuki/it-must-be-obvious-that-there-is-a-contradiction-in-wanting-to-be/#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 } } ] } ```