---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: for the more a man restricts himself the…"
description: "\"for the more a man restricts himself the closer he is, conversely, to infinity.\" — Stefan Zweig"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg"
---

#  for the more a man restricts himself the closer he is…

![“for the more a man restricts himself the closer he is, conversely, to infinity.” quote by Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg)

> “for the more a man restricts himself the closer he is, conversely, to infinity.”

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

## About This Quote

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

Limiting oneself narrows focus, bringing one closer to deeper understanding, even toward the infinite.

**In simple terms:** Self‑restraint sharpens insight.

Key Takeaway

Embrace constraints to deepen perception.

Themes

self‑discipline philosophy infinity

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- scientific research
- spiritual practice
- athletic training

Key Concepts

existential focus personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits have you set?
- Do they expand your horizon?

A Different Perspective

Too much restriction can stifle creativity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Infinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinity/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/)

## Related quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-goodness-of-god-is-infinitely-more-wonderful-than-we-will-ever-be/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Even to the sage who's doing Sahaja Samadhi, the great guru, I'd say: "Hey buddy, you know, I like the robes and everything, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/even-to-the-sage-who-s-doing-sahaja-samadhi-the-great-guru-i-d-say/)

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

> [Roads of infinity had a stop sign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/roads-of-infinity-had-a-stop-sign/)

C-DASH

> [Desire is this absurdity that holds open the infinity of possibility. Ever optimistic, ever resourceful, desire tells us what it sees as it speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-farley/desire-is-this-absurdity-that-holds-open-the-infinity-of-possibility/)

Wendy Farley

> [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/)

Alan Sheinwald

> [If there is anything like infinity in the world then I know where it lives. It stays in the form of love in between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-there-is-anything-like-infinity-in-the-world-then-i-know-where-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm not going into infinity. I'm going into low earth orbit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-sharman/i-m-not-going-into-infinity-i-m-going-into-low-earth-orbit/)

[Helen Sharman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-sharman/)

> [Think of the Earth as a turning point in eternity. Think of the Earth as a meeting point in infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/think-of-the-earth-as-a-turning-point-in-eternity-think-of-the-earth/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [I decided to lock myself in. A forced segregation. Sabbatical. A retreat into myself. My selves. Play hide and go seek in the looking-glass.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-decided-to-lock-myself-in-a-forced-segregation-sabbatical-a-retreat/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [Feeling and experiencing infinity within this finite body, living timelessness within the time span of life - this is what you are here for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/feeling-and-experiencing-infinity-within-this-finite-body-living/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Where is the subject that does not branch out into infinity? For every grain of sand is a mystery; so is every daisy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/where-is-the-subject-that-does-not-branch-out-into-infinity-for-every/)

[William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/)

> [The infinity of All ever bringing forth anew, and even as infinite space is around us, so is infinite potentiality, capacity, reception, malleability, matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giordano-bruno/the-infinity-of-all-ever-bringing-forth-anew-and-even-as-infinite/)

[Giordano Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giordano-bruno/)

> [My very first real job in the industry was as a production assistant on a show called 'Infinity Factory' in 1976.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/my-very-first-real-job-in-the-industry-was-as-a-production-assistant/)

[Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/)

> [Between earth and earth's atmosphere, the amount of water remains constant; there is never a drop more, never a drop less. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hogan/between-earth-and-earth-s-atmosphere-the-amount-of-water-remains/)

[Linda Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hogan/)

## More by Stefan Zweig

> [“Madness,” he exclaimed to himself, in astonishment, faltering. “Madness! What do they want? Once again, once again!” War once again, war that had so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/madness-he-exclaimed-to-himself-in-astonishment-faltering-madness/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [It is never until one realizes that one means something to others that one feels there is any point or purpose in one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/it-is-never-until-one-realizes-that-one-means-something-to-others/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [“And if I am asked today to advise a young writer who has not yet made up his mind what way to go, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/and-if-i-am-asked-today-to-advise-a-young-writer-who-has-not-yet-made/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [“Live and let live” was the famous Viennese motto, which today still seems to me to be more humane than all the categorical imperatives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/live-and-let-live-was-the-famous-viennese-motto-which-today-still/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [“Değerli olan her zaman için gerçeğin yarısı değil, tamamıdır.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/de-erli-olan-her-zaman-i-in-ger-e-in-yar-s-de-il-tamam-d-r/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [One never gets to know a person's character better than by watching his behavior during decisive moments… It is always only danger which forces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/one-never-gets-to-know-a-person-s-character-better-than-by-watching/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [Names have a mysterious transforming power. Like a ring on a finger, a name may at first seem merely accidental, committing you to nothing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/names-have-a-mysterious-transforming-power-like-a-ring-on-a-finger-a/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [There is no sense to a sacrifice after you come to feel that it is a sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/there-is-no-sense-to-a-sacrifice-after-you-come-to-feel-that-it-is-a/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [No guilt is forgotten so long as the conscience still knows of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/no-guilt-is-forgotten-so-long-as-the-conscience-still-knows-of-it/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [Nothing that has ever been thought and said with a clear mind and pure ethical strength is totally in vain; even if it comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/nothing-that-has-ever-been-thought-and-said-with-a-clear-mind-and/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [It is the way of youth that each fresh piece of knowledge of life should go to its head, and that once uplifted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/it-is-the-way-of-youth-that-each-fresh-piece-of-knowledge-of-life/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [“The truths that he finds may in the coming months or even the coming years be truths no more. He must be forever searching.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-truths-that-he-finds-may-in-the-coming-months-or-even-the-coming/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [The union of opposites, in so far as they are really complementary, always results in the most perfect harmony; and the seemingly incongruous is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-union-of-opposites-in-so-far-as-they-are-really-complementary/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [The sight of a wedding always has a disturbing effect on young girls; at such moments a mysterious sense of solidarity with their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-sight-of-a-wedding-always-has-a-disturbing-effect-on-young-girls/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [“Lightly, caressingly, Marie Antoinette picked up the crown as a gift. She was still too young to know that life never gives anything for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/lightly-caressingly-marie-antoinette-picked-up-the-crown-as-a-gift-2/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

[Explore all 267 Stefan Zweig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

## More Infinity quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [My very first real job in the industry was as a production assistant on a show called 'Infinity Factory' in 1976.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/my-very-first-real-job-in-the-industry-was-as-a-production-assistant/)

[Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/)

> [The infinity of All ever bringing forth anew, and even as infinite space is around us, so is infinite potentiality, capacity, reception, malleability, matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giordano-bruno/the-infinity-of-all-ever-bringing-forth-anew-and-even-as-infinite/)

[Giordano Bruno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giordano-bruno/)

> [Where is the subject that does not branch out into infinity? For every grain of sand is a mystery; so is every daisy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mountford/where-is-the-subject-that-does-not-branch-out-into-infinity-for-every/)

[William Mountford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mountford/)

> [Feeling and experiencing infinity within this finite body, living timelessness within the time span of life - this is what you are here for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/feeling-and-experiencing-infinity-within-this-finite-body-living/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [I decided to lock myself in. A forced segregation. Sabbatical. A retreat into myself. My selves. Play hide and go seek in the looking-glass.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-decided-to-lock-myself-in-a-forced-segregation-sabbatical-a-retreat/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [Think of the Earth as a turning point in eternity. Think of the Earth as a meeting point in infinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/think-of-the-earth-as-a-turning-point-in-eternity-think-of-the-earth/)

[Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/)

> [I'm not going into infinity. I'm going into low earth orbit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-sharman/i-m-not-going-into-infinity-i-m-going-into-low-earth-orbit/)

[Helen Sharman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-sharman/)

> [If there is anything like infinity in the world then I know where it lives. It stays in the form of love in between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-there-is-anything-like-infinity-in-the-world-then-i-know-where-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The definition of a professional is one who does a job well even when they don't like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/the-definition-of-a-professional-is-one-who-does-a-job-well-even-when/)

Alan Sheinwald

> [Desire is this absurdity that holds open the infinity of possibility. Ever optimistic, ever resourceful, desire tells us what it sees as it speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-farley/desire-is-this-absurdity-that-holds-open-the-infinity-of-possibility/)

Wendy Farley

> [Roads of infinity had a stop sign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/roads-of-infinity-had-a-stop-sign/)

C-DASH

> [Even to the sage who's doing Sahaja Samadhi, the great guru, I'd say: "Hey buddy, you know, I like the robes and everything, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/even-to-the-sage-who-s-doing-sahaja-samadhi-the-great-guru-i-d-say/)

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

> [The goodness of God is infinitely more wonderful than we will ever be able to comprehend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-goodness-of-god-is-infinitely-more-wonderful-than-we-will-ever-be/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Between earth and earth's atmosphere, the amount of water remains constant; there is never a drop more, never a drop less. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-hogan/between-earth-and-earth-s-atmosphere-the-amount-of-water-remains/)

[Linda Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-hogan/)

[Browse all 948 Infinity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "for the more a man restricts himself the closer he is, conversely, to infinity.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stefan Zweig"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the-closer-he-is-conversely-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Infinity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the-closer-he-is-conversely-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06b/stefan-zweig-811_infinity_for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the_2056876.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“for the more a man restricts himself the closer he is, conversely, to infinity.” — Stefan Zweig",
                "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": "Stefan Zweig",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "for the more a man restricts...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the-closer-he-is-conversely-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/for-the-more-a-man-restricts-himself-the-closer-he-is-conversely-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
