--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To mature is in part to realize that…" description: "\"To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to othe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png" --- # To mature is in part to realize that while complete… ![“To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to others are nevertheless within one's reach.” quote by Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png) > “To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to others are nevertheless within one's reach.” [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Maturity involves accepting limits while pursuing personal growth and deeper connections with others. **In simple terms:** Accept limits, seek growth and closeness. Key Takeaway Embrace growth within limits. Themes maturity growth relationships Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal development - therapy - community building Key Concepts self‑transcendence humility connection Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance acceptance and ambition? - What steps foster deeper relationships? A Different Perspective Idealizing perfection can hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Closeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closeness/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Intimacy Omniscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy-omniscience-6097511/) [Mature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature/) [Mature Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mature-realize-422671/) [Maturity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maturity/) [Nevertheless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nevertheless/) [Omniscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omniscience/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-transcendence-473860/) [Transcendence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence/) [Transcendence Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transcendence-growth-6097510/) ## Related quotes > [To be mature you have to realize what you value most... Not to arrive at a clear understanding of one's own values is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/to-be-mature-you-have-to-realize-what-you-value-most-not-to-arrive-at/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I was a very feisty teenager and I got into a few altercations, and, you know, you mature and realize that's not the proper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sable/i-was-a-very-feisty-teenager-and-i-got-into-a-few-altercations-and/) [Sable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sable/) > [The more you mature, you realize that this imperfections make your more beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/the-more-you-mature-you-realize-that-this-imperfections-make-your/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“To be mature you have to realize what you value most. It is extraordinary to discover that comparatively few people reach this level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/to-be-mature-you-have-to-realize-what-you-value-most-it-is/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I think when you mature, you realize that you really don't have to do anything you don't want to do or be represented in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-furtado/i-think-when-you-mature-you-realize-that-you-really-don-t-have-to-do/) [Nelly Furtado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly-furtado/) > [Ladies, never compromise who you are to be with a guy who isn't mature enough to realize your worth and value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ladies-never-compromise-who-you-are-to-be-with-a-guy-who-isn-t-mature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Books are not only the arbitrary sum of our dreams, and our memory. They also give us the model of self-transcendence. Some people think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/books-are-not-only-the-arbitrary-sum-of-our-dreams-and-our-memory/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The most transformative experiences people have - bliss, devotion, self transcendence - are currently anchored to the worst parts of culture and to ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-most-transformative-experiences-people-have-bliss-devotion-self/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [...(I)ndividual selfhood is expressed in the self's capacity for self-transcendence and not in its rational capacity for conceptual and analytic procedures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/i-ndividual-selfhood-is-expressed-in-the-self-s-capacity-for-self/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Individual self-transcendence collectively inspires humanity at large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/individual-self-transcendence-collectively-inspires-humanity-at-large/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Learning always involves self-transcendence. Learning calls forth what is in us, helping us to move toward authenticity and wholeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rahner/learning-always-involves-self-transcendence-learning-calls-forth-what/) [Karl Rahner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rahner/) > [“Victor Frankl: By declaring that man is responsible and must actualize the potential meaning of his life, I wish to stress that the true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/victor-frankl-by-declaring-that-man-is-responsible-and-must-actualize/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [To feel that you are the Buddha of all times and places and that in some way the salvation of anyone, including yourself, depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/to-feel-that-you-are-the-buddha-of-all-times-and-places-and-that-in/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [As always, the illusion of self-transcendence is far more facile and available than self-transcendence itself: in the vast majority of cases what human consciousness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/as-always-the-illusion-of-self-transcendence-is-far-more-facile-and/) [Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/) > [What gives life its value if not its constant cry for self-transcendence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/what-gives-life-its-value-if-not-its-constant-cry-for-self/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) ## More by Sissela Bok > [Secrecy is as indispensable to human beings as fire, and as greatly feared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/secrecy-is-as-indispensable-to-human-beings-as-fire-and-as-greatly/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Sitting too long in front of a screen proves both physically and psychologically debilitating, no matter how innocuous or even beneficial the programs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/sitting-too-long-in-front-of-a-screen-proves-both-physically-and/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Some level of truthfulness has always been seen as essential to human society, no matter how deficient the observance of other moral principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/some-level-of-truthfulness-has-always-been-seen-as-essential-to-human/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Are people the best judges of their own happiness, or outsiders? In defining happiness, should we think of entire lives or of shorter periods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/are-people-the-best-judges-of-their-own-happiness-or-outsiders-in/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Psychologists have found that we are more likely, in looking back at our lives, to remember high points and dramatic shifts in far greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/psychologists-have-found-that-we-are-more-likely-in-looking-back-at/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Confidentiality refers to the boundaries surrounding shared secrets and to the process of guarding these boundaries. While confidentiality protects much that is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/confidentiality-refers-to-the-boundaries-surrounding-shared-secrets/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Deceit and violence - these are the two forms of deliberate assault on human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/deceit-and-violence-these-are-the-two-forms-of-deliberate-assault-on/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Liars share with those they deceive the desire not to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/liars-share-with-those-they-deceive-the-desire-not-to-be-deceived/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Empathy and fellow feeling form the very basis of morality. The capacities for empathy, for feeling responsibility toward others and for reaching out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/empathy-and-fellow-feeling-form-the-very-basis-of-morality-the/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Whatever matters to human beings, trust is the atmosphere in which it thrives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/whatever-matters-to-human-beings-trust-is-the-atmosphere-in-which-it/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/we-are-all-in-a-sense-experts-on-secrecy-from-earliest-childhood-we/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Regardless of how often the appetite for entertainment violence becomes addictive, increased exposure does risk further desensitizing viewers. And the element of pleasure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/regardless-of-how-often-the-appetite-for-entertainment-violence/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Three sorts of goods, Aristotle specified, contribute to happiness: goods of the soul, including moral and intellectual virtues and education; bodily goods, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/three-sorts-of-goods-aristotle-specified-contribute-to-happiness/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [The television screen is the lens through which most children learn about violence. Through the magnifying power of this lens, their everyday life becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/the-television-screen-is-the-lens-through-which-most-children-learn/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Trust and integrity are precious resources, easily squandered, hard to regain. They can thrive only on a foundation of respect for veracity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/trust-and-integrity-are-precious-resources-easily-squandered-hard-to/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) [Explore all 22 Sissela Bok quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) ## More Closeness quotes > [How could they say that they truly loved each other? They had simply grown up together, been children together, and the proximity of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/how-could-they-say-that-they-truly-loved-each-other-they-had-simply/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [You can't find any true closeness in Hollywood, because everybody does the fake closeness so well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/you-can-t-find-any-true-closeness-in-hollywood-because-everybody-does/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [“How long has it been since you and me? Hugs and kisses. Blankets and snuggles. Our sparks smoldering without a fireplace. Losing time is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2019-fidelis-o-mkparu/how-long-has-it-been-since-you-and-me-hugs-and-kisses-blankets-and/) [2019 Fidelis O Mkparu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2019-fidelis-o-mkparu/) > [“I'd watch his smooth chest rise and fall with each steady breath, I'd watch the pulsating of his stomach when he laughed, and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-newell/i-d-watch-his-smooth-chest-rise-and-fall-with-each-steady-breath-i-d/) [Ashley Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-newell/) > [Jesus Christ does not teach us a spirituality “of closed eyes”, but one of “alertness”, one which entails an absolute duty to take notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/jesus-christ-does-not-teach-us-a-spirituality-of-closed-eyes-but-one/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [This is really skin privilege, the ranking of color in terms of its closeness to white people or white-skinned people and its devaluation according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/this-is-really-skin-privilege-the-ranking-of-color-in-terms-of-its/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Daily fervent prayers seeking forgiveness and special help and direction are essential to our lives and the nourishment of our testimonies. When we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-l-staheli/daily-fervent-prayers-seeking-forgiveness-and-special-help-and/) [Donald L. Staheli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-l-staheli/) > [Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [Women, understand that sex does not always equate to love, it just equates to a false sense of emotional closeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/women-understand-that-sex-does-not-always-equate-to-love-it-just/) [Enhance Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enhance-dreams/) > [The aesthetic event is something as evident, as immediate, as indefinable as love, the taste of fruit, as water. We feel poetry as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-aesthetic-event-is-something-as-evident-as-immediate-as/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“I do not know what to do with the emotions inside me. I do not know how to be this close to someone and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-renee-jones/i-do-not-know-what-to-do-with-the-emotions-inside-me-i-do-not-know/) [Lisa Renee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-renee-jones/) > [The aesthetic event is something as evident, as immediate, as indefinable as love, the taste of fruit, of water. We feel poetry as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-aesthetic-event-is-something-as-evident-as-immediate-as-2/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [ Faith is above all a personal, intimate encounter with Jesus, and to experience \[His\] closeness, \[His\] friendship, \[His\] Love; only in this way does… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/faith-is-above-all-a-personal-intimate-encounter-with-jesus-and-to/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“Dad?' 'Yeah?' 'Could you tell me a story?' 'Sure.' 'A good one.' 'As opposed to all the boring ones I tell.' 'Right.' I tucked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/dad-yeah-could-you-tell-me-a-story-sure-a-good-one-as-opposed-to-all/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“I look at you And I want to build things Four walls A roof A room with a view I look at you And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/i-look-at-you-and-i-want-to-build-things-four-walls-a-roof-a-room/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) [Browse all 316 Closeness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closeness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had, self-transcendence, growth, and closeness to others are nevertheless within one's reach.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sissela Bok" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-while-complete-intimacy-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Closeness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-while-complete-intimacy-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1df/sissela-bok-26105_closeness_to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-whi_2415797.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To mature is in part to realize that while complete intimacy and omniscience and power cannot be had…” — Sissela Bok", "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": "Sissela Bok", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To mature is in part to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-while-complete-intimacy-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/to-mature-is-in-part-to-realize-that-while-complete-intimacy-and/#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 } } ] } ```