--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You say I am repeating Something I have…" description: "\"“You say I am repeating Something I have said before. I shall say it again. Shall I say it agian? In order to arrive there, To arrive where you are, to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/t-s-eliot-2-1761_ignorance_you-say-i-am-repeating-something-i-have_1312677.jpg" --- # You say I am repeating Something I have said before. I… ![“You say I am repeating Something I have said before. I shall say it again. Shall I say it agian? In order to arrive there, To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not, You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy. In order to arrive at what you do not know You must go by a way which…” quote by T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/t-s-eliot-2-1761_ignorance_you-say-i-am-repeating-something-i-have_1312677.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/t-s-eliot-2-1761_ignorance_you-say-i-am-repeating-something-i-have_1312677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70b/t-s-eliot-2-1761_ignorance_you-say-i-am-repeating-something-i-have_1312677.jpg) > ““You say I am repeating Something I have said before. I shall say it again. Shall I say it agian? In order to arrive there, To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not, You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy. In order to arrive at what you do not know You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance. In order to possess what you do not possess You must go by the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not You must go through the way in which you are not. And what you do not know is the only thing you know And what you own is what you do not own And where you are is where you are not.”” [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem explores paradoxical truths: understanding comes through embracing ignorance, loss, and non‑being, revealing that what we lack defines what we know. **In simple terms:** Understanding comes from embracing lack and loss. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty to grow. Themes paradox spirituality self‑knowledge transcendence Mood contemplative enigmatic Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - meditation - philosophical inquiry - creative writing - personal transformation Key Concepts negative essence non‑duality Questions to Reflect On - How can you apply the idea of “knowing what you do not know” in daily life? - What does “possessing what you do not possess” mean for personal growth? A Different Perspective The message may seem abstract and hard to apply in everyday decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ignorance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ## Related quotes > [To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not, You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-arrive-where-you-are-to-get-from-where-you-are-not-you-must-go-by-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“you start repeating what’s already been said, as lawyers have a natural inclination to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/you-start-repeating-what-s-already-been-said-as-lawyers-have-a/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [“You didn't even know my name, I thought. You're just repeating what he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-didn-t-even-know-my-name-i-thought-you-re-just-repeating-what-he/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Am I worried people will say I'm repeating myself? Sure. One thought I had was to publish it as a novel but eventually I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/am-i-worried-people-will-say-i-m-repeating-myself-sure-one-thought-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [“After repeating almost everything I said, I excused my accent and told them that I knew I spoke like I had plums in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hogben/after-repeating-almost-everything-i-said-i-excused-my-accent-and-told/) [Greg Hogben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hogben/) > [Sages do not accumulate for themselves. The more they give to others, the more they possess of their own. The way of Heaven is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/sages-do-not-accumulate-for-themselves-the-more-they-give-to-others/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [In order to possess what you do not possess, you must go by the way of dispossession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/in-order-to-possess-what-you-do-not-possess-you-must-go-by-the-way-of/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [To be able to give away riches is mandatory if you wish to possess them. This is the only way that you will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/to-be-able-to-give-away-riches-is-mandatory-if-you-wish-to-possess/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [To actually be possessed or possess someone in a way that is unimaginable when you're a young person struggling about your body and whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hollibaugh/to-actually-be-possessed-or-possess-someone-in-a-way-that-is/) [Amber Hollibaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hollibaugh/) > [In order to arrive at what you are not, you must go through the way in which you are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-arrive-at-what-you-are-not-you-must-go-through-the-way-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness is not a station at which you arrive: It is a way of travellin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-lee-runbeck/happiness-is-not-a-station-at-which-you-arrive-it-is-a-way-of/) [Margaret Lee Runbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-lee-runbeck/) > [To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not / You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/to-arrive-where-you-are-to-get-from-where-you-are-not-you-must-go-by/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Happiness is not station you arrive, but the way you travel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reyes/happiness-is-not-station-you-arrive-but-the-way-you-travel/) [John Reyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reyes/) > [I don't like repeating things and look out for work that could challenge me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/i-don-t-like-repeating-things-and-look-out-for-work-that-could/) [Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/) > [I'm trying to be very aware of not repeating myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/i-m-trying-to-be-very-aware-of-not-repeating-myself/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) ## More by T.S. Eliot > [“I have measured out my life in coffee spoons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/i-have-measured-out-my-life-in-coffee-spoons/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Shakespeare acquired more essential history from Plutarch than most men could from the whole British Museum. What is to be insisted upon is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/shakespeare-acquired-more-essential-history-from-plutarch-than-most/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Bustopher Jones is not skin and bones — In fact, he's remarkably fat. He doesn't haunt pubs — he has eight or nine clubs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/bustopher-jones-is-not-skin-and-bones-in-fact-he-s-remarkably-fat-he/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Politic, cautious, and meticulous; full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/politic-cautious-and-meticulous-full-of-high-sentence-but-a-bit-obtuse/) [T.S. 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Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“The world turns and the world changes, But one thing does not change. In all of my years, one thing does not change, However…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/the-world-turns-and-the-world-changes-but-one-thing-does-not-change/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“It is essential that a work of art should be self-consistent, that an artist should consciously or unconsciously draw a circle beyond which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/it-is-essential-that-a-work-of-art-should-be-self-consistent-that-an/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“By destroying traditional social habits of the people, by dissolving their natural collective consciousness into individual constituents, by licensing the opinions of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/by-destroying-traditional-social-habits-of-the-people-by-dissolving/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“We returned to our palaces, these Kingdoms, but no longer at ease here in the old dispensation, with an alien people clutching their gods.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/we-returned-to-our-palaces-these-kingdoms-but-no-longer-at-ease-here/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“…Lady of silences Calm and distressed Torn and most whole Rose of memory Rose of forgetfulness Exhausted and life-giving Worried reposeful The single Rose…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/lady-of-silences-calm-and-distressed-torn-and-most-whole-rose-of/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“Destiny waits in the hand of god, shaping the still unshapen..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/destiny-waits-in-the-hand-of-god-shaping-the-still-unshapen/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [“I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/i-said-to-my-soul-be-still-and-wait-without-hope-for-hope-would-be-2/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) [Explore all 206 T.S. Eliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) ## More Ignorance quotes > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“If knowledge does not liberate the self from the self, then ignorance is better than such knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hakim-sanai/if-knowledge-does-not-liberate-the-self-from-the-self-then-ignorance/) [Hakim Sanai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hakim-sanai/) > [You are senile old fool, and because of your impudence, I cannot fathom how you still live!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-senile-old-fool-and-because-of-your-impudence-i-cannot-fathom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/knowledge-will-forever-govern-ignorance-and-a-people-who-mean-to-be/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The only victories which leave no regret are those which are gained over ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-only-victories-which-leave-no-regret-are-those-which-are-gained/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/) John P Lintz Sr > [“You are a lawmaker in your own right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-are-a-lawmaker-in-your-own-right/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Sanity can take one of only two forms: that of ignorance, or denial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-r-audette/sanity-can-take-one-of-only-two-forms-that-of-ignorance-or-denial/) [Derek R. Audette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-r-audette/) [Browse all 5,657 Ignorance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ignorance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You say I am repeating Something I have said before. I shall say it again. Shall I say it agian? In order to arrive there, To arrive where you are, to get from where you are not, You must go by a way wherein there is no ecstasy. In order to arrive at what you do not know You must go by a way which is the way of ignorance. In order to possess what you do not possess You must go by the way of dispossession. In order to arrive at what you are not You must go through the way in which you are not. And what you do not know is the only thing you know And what you own is what you do not own And where you are is where you are not.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "T.S. 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