--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes, I know, we are merely empty forms of…" description: "\"Yes, I know, we are merely empty forms of matter, but we are indeed sublime in having invented God and our soul. So sublime, my friend, that I want to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/st-phane-mallarm-15488_conscious_yes-i-know-we-are-merely-empty-forms-of_1450781.png" --- # Yes, I know, we are merely empty forms of matter, but we… ![“Yes, I know, we are merely empty forms of matter, but we are indeed sublime in having invented God and our soul. So sublime, my friend, that I want to gaze upon matter, fully conscious that it exists, and yet launching itself madly into Dream, despite its knowledge that Dream has no existence…” quote by Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/st-phane-mallarm-15488_conscious_yes-i-know-we-are-merely-empty-forms-of_1450781.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/st-phane-mallarm-15488_conscious_yes-i-know-we-are-merely-empty-forms-of_1450781.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9c/st-phane-mallarm-15488_conscious_yes-i-know-we-are-merely-empty-forms-of_1450781.png) > “Yes, I know, we are merely empty forms of matter, but we are indeed sublime in having invented God and our soul. So sublime, my friend, that I want to gaze upon matter, fully conscious that it exists, and yet launching itself madly into Dream, despite its knowledge that Dream has no existence, extolling the Soul and all the divine impressions of that kind which have collected within us from the beginning of time and proclaiming, in the face of the Void which is truth, these glorious lies!” [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on humanity’s paradoxical nature: material beings capable of creating concepts like God and soul, yet chasing illusory dreams while confronting the void of truth. **In simple terms:** Humans are material yet create divine ideas and chase dreams despite knowing they’re unreal. Key Takeaway Embrace consciousness while questioning the dreams we pursue. Themes philosophy existentialism creativity illusion spirituality Mood reflective melancholic inspired Type aphilosophical poetic existential When to use this quote - artistic creation - personal reflection - philosophical discourse - spiritual contemplation Key Concepts metaphysics self-awareness nihilism divine imagination Questions to Reflect On - What do you consider a “glorious lie” in your life? - How does recognizing the void affect your creative drive? A Different Perspective The pursuit of meaning can lead to self-deception and existential anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) [Conscious Exists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-exists-3135441/) [Despite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despite/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Glorious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glorious/) [Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Launching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/launching/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-sublime-5217167/) [My friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-friends/) [Proclaiming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proclaiming/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Sublime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime/) [Sublime Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sublime-having-1725701/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Void](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void/) [Void Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/void-truth-5217168/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [“The habit of thinking of ourselves as sublime, or having a lofty conception of our possibilities, of imagining ourselves as being commanded by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-habit-of-thinking-of-ourselves-as-sublime-or-having-a-lofty/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [There is only one thing in your life YOU can be sure of. That one thing is this moment, now. The last moment has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-long/there-is-only-one-thing-in-your-life-you-can-be-sure-of-that-one/) [Barry Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-long/) > [“If x is conscious with y, then x is conscious. If x exists alone, then x is not conscious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-lawsin/if-x-is-conscious-with-y-then-x-is-conscious-if-x-exists-alone-then-x/) [Joey Lawsin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-lawsin/) > [Cults and prophets proclaiming the imminent end of the world have been with us for several millennia, and it has been another sour sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-dennett/cults-and-prophets-proclaiming-the-imminent-end-of-the-world-have/) [Daniel Dennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-dennett/) > [And as we meet needs on earth, we are proclaiming a gospel that transforms lives for eternity. 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These religious movements are speeding the fulfillment of the prophecies of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-w-armstrong/protestant-churches-everywhere-are-gravitating-toward-union-with-the/) [Herbert W. Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-w-armstrong/) > [We were proclaiming ourselves political hypocrites before the world, by thus fostering Human Slavery and proclaiming ourselves, at the same time, the sole friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-were-proclaiming-ourselves-political-hypocrites-before-the-world/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [People who know nothing about advertising, nothing about pharmaceuticals, and nothing about economics have been loudly proclaiming that the drug companies spend too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/people-who-know-nothing-about-advertising-nothing-about/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“Anyone who thinks that he can live the Christian life himself is proclaiming that he is not a Christian.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/anyone-who-thinks-that-he-can-live-the-christian-life-himself-is/) [D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/) > [Wherever capitalism appears, in pursuit of its mission of exploitation, there will Socialism, fertilized by misery, watered by tears, and vitalized by agitation be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-v-debs/wherever-capitalism-appears-in-pursuit-of-its-mission-of-exploitation/) [Eugene V. Debs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-v-debs/) > [Jesus, I don't want to be a secret keeper with my faith. I want to be a bold and gracious truth proclaimer. For You.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/jesus-i-don-t-want-to-be-a-secret-keeper-with-my-faith-i-want-to-be-a/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [Every acknowledgment of gratitude is a circumstance of humiliation; and some are found to submit to frequent mortifications of this kind, proclaiming what obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/every-acknowledgment-of-gratitude-is-a-circumstance-of-humiliation/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [I think fiction allows you to inhabit new domains and it's you, the reader living in that domain for a few days that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-fiction-allows-you-to-inhabit-new-domains-and-it-s-you-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## More by Stephane Mallarme > [The flesh is sad, alas, and I have read all the books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/the-flesh-is-sad-alas-and-i-have-read-all-the-books/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [Dreams have as much influence as actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/dreams-have-as-much-influence-as-actions/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [I have made a long enough descent into the void to speak with certainty. There is nothing but beauty--and beauty has only one perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/i-have-made-a-long-enough-descent-into-the-void-to-speak-with/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [A soul trembling to sit by a hearth so bright, To exist again, it’s enough if I borrow from Your lips the breath of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/a-soul-trembling-to-sit-by-a-hearth-so-bright-to-exist-again-it-s/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [In reading, a lonely quiet concert is given to our minds; all our mental faculties will be present in this symphonic exaltation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/in-reading-a-lonely-quiet-concert-is-given-to-our-minds-all-our/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [O naked flower of my lips, you lie! I await a thing unknown or perhaps, unaware of the mystery and your cries you give,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/o-naked-flower-of-my-lips-you-lie-i-await-a-thing-unknown-or-perhaps/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [“...for we are always at one with the instrument of our magic spells.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/for-we-are-always-at-one-with-the-instrument-of-our-magic-spells/) [Stéphane Mallarmé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [“exiled spirits, red as the spotless toe of a seraph spread with scarlet by the shame of rumpled dawns”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/exiled-spirits-red-as-the-spotless-toe-of-a-seraph-spread-with/) [Stéphane Mallarmé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [The reproach that superficial people formulate against Manet, that whereas once he painted ugliness, now he paints vulgarity, falls harmlessly to the ground, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/the-reproach-that-superficial-people-formulate-against-manet-that/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [A throw of the dice will never abolish chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/a-throw-of-the-dice-will-never-abolish-chance/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [As for me, Poetry takes the place of love, because it is enamored of itself, and because this self-lust has a delightful dying fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/as-for-me-poetry-takes-the-place-of-love-because-it-is-enamored-of/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [It is in front of the the paper that the artist creates himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/it-is-in-front-of-the-the-paper-that-the-artist-creates-himself/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [The world exists to end up in a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/the-world-exists-to-end-up-in-a-book/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [Everything that is sacred and that wishes to remain so must envelop itself in mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/everything-that-is-sacred-and-that-wishes-to-remain-so-must-envelop/) [Stephane Mallarme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) > [“I go to see the shadow you have become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-phane-mallarm/i-go-to-see-the-shadow-you-have-become/) [Stéphane Mallarmé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) [Explore all 35 Stephane Mallarme quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-phane-mallarm/) ## More Conscious quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/repugnant-is-a-creature-who-would-squander-the-ability-to-lift-an-eye/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/) [Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I don't think my paintings are self-conscious but you feel the consciousness of them. Without them being self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-think-my-paintings-are-self-conscious-but-you-feel-the/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) [Browse all 3,716 Conscious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yes, I know, we are merely empty forms of matter, but we are indeed sublime in having invented God and our soul. 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