--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The true inner self must be drawn up like…" description: "\"The true inner self must be drawn up like a jewel from the bottom of the sea, rescued from confusion, from indistinction, from immersion in the common,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/thomas-merton-231_bottom_the-true-inner-self-must-be-drawn-up-lik_1284689.jpg" --- # The true inner self must be drawn up like a jewel from the… ![“The true inner self must be drawn up like a jewel from the bottom of the sea, rescued from confusion, from indistinction, from immersion in the common, the nondescript, the trivial, the sordid, the evanescent.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/thomas-merton-231_bottom_the-true-inner-self-must-be-drawn-up-lik_1284689.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/thomas-merton-231_bottom_the-true-inner-self-must-be-drawn-up-lik_1284689.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/thomas-merton-231_bottom_the-true-inner-self-must-be-drawn-up-lik_1284689.jpg) > “The true inner self must be drawn up like a jewel from the bottom of the sea, rescued from confusion, from indistinction, from immersion in the common, the nondescript, the trivial, the sordid, the evanescent.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The deepest authentic self must be extracted from ordinary confusion and triviality, like a precious gem from the sea. **In simple terms:** Find your true self beyond the mundane. Key Takeaway Seek depth, reject superficiality. Themes self‑discovery spirituality authenticity Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal meditation - creative work - spiritual practice - journaling Key Concepts existentialism inner truth metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate true insight from escapism? - What daily practice helps you uncover deeper self? A Different Perspective May idealizing the inner self ignore practical responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Immersion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immersion/) [Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner/) [Inner self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-self/) [Jewels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jewels/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Drawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-drawn-320653/) [True Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-inner-949669/) ## Related quotes > [Difficult circumstances serve to reacquaint us with this One True Inner Self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/difficult-circumstances-serve-to-reacquaint-us-with-this-one-true/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [“There is a symbiotic desire to get closer and closer, to enter the self of what is being drawn, and, simultaneously, there is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berger/there-is-a-symbiotic-desire-to-get-closer-and-closer-to-enter-the/) [John Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berger/) > [If one is true to one's inner self, and follows its wisdom, who is without a teacher?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/if-one-is-true-to-one-s-inner-self-and-follows-its-wisdom-who-is/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [Become the change show your true inner-self that you are one that's far from the rest you love, you care and you give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-manning/become-the-change-show-your-true-inner-self-that-you-are-one-that-s/) [Jeremy Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-manning/) > [There is always one true inner voice. 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We think, "He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latoya-jackson/everything-starts-with-the-inner-being-your-inner-self-it-all-comes/) [LaToya Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latoya-jackson/) > [“Only the balance of the scale, bedded love in the shells, teaches us to find the inner self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/only-the-balance-of-the-scale-bedded-love-in-the-shells-teaches-us-to/) [Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. 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