--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be enlightened is to know oneself and…" description: "\"To be enlightened is to know oneself and not run away.\" — Veronique Vienne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/veronique-vienne-32251_enlightened_to-be-enlightened-is-to-know-oneself-and_1502911.jpg" --- # To be enlightened is to know oneself and not run away. ![“To be enlightened is to know oneself and not run away.” quote by Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/veronique-vienne-32251_enlightened_to-be-enlightened-is-to-know-oneself-and_1502911.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/veronique-vienne-32251_enlightened_to-be-enlightened-is-to-know-oneself-and_1502911.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a02/veronique-vienne-32251_enlightened_to-be-enlightened-is-to-know-oneself-and_1502911.jpg) > “To be enlightened is to know oneself and not run away.” [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding oneself is the path to enlightenment; avoiding self‑knowledge hinders growth. **In simple terms:** Know yourself to be enlightened. Key Takeaway Seek self‑awareness. Themes self‑knowledge enlightenment personal growth Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy - meditation - coaching - personal development Key Concepts psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself do you avoid? - How can you face them compassionately? A Different Perspective Self‑knowledge can be uncomfortable and may reveal painful truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Knowing oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-oneself/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-away/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [Josh Billings said, It is not only the most difficult thing to know oneself, but the most inconvenient one, too. Human beings have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-gardner/josh-billings-said-it-is-not-only-the-most-difficult-thing-to-know/) [John W. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-gardner/) > [Is it true that one travels in order to know mankind? It is easier to get to know other people at home, but abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/is-it-true-that-one-travels-in-order-to-know-mankind-it-is-easier-to/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [To know oneself means, among other things, to know oneself qua non-sage: that is, not as a sophos, but as a philo-sophos, someone on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-hadot/to-know-oneself-means-among-other-things-to-know-oneself-qua-non-sage/) [Pierre Hadot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-hadot/) > [Is a little experience too much to pay for learning to know oneself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-van-vechten/is-a-little-experience-too-much-to-pay-for-learning-to-know-oneself/) [Carl Van Vechten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-van-vechten/) > [Psychology is action, not thinking about oneself. We continue to shape our personality all our life. To know oneself, one should assert oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/psychology-is-action-not-thinking-about-oneself-we-continue-to-shape/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [To be enlightened is to know that heaven is not "coming." Heaven is here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-d-chittister/to-be-enlightened-is-to-know-that-heaven-is-not-coming-heaven-is-here/) [Joan D. Chittister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-d-chittister/) > [As mankind becomes more enlightened to know their real interests, they will esteem the value of agriculture; they will find it in their natural--their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/as-mankind-becomes-more-enlightened-to-know-their-real-interests-they/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [To know oneself is the first step toward making flow a part of one's entire life. But just as there is no free lunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/to-know-oneself-is-the-first-step-toward-making-flow-a-part-of-one-s/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [One must know oneself as one is, not as one wishes to be, which is merely an ideal and therefore fictitious, unreal; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/one-must-know-oneself-as-one-is-not-as-one-wishes-to-be-which-is/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [ Thus one should know oneself to be of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss\[Sat-Chit-Ananda\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adi-shankara/thus-one-should-know-oneself-to-be-of-the-nature-of-existence/) [Adi Shankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adi-shankara/) > [It is wisdom to know others. It is enlightenment to know oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/it-is-wisdom-to-know-others-it-is-enlightenment-to-know-oneself/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [To know oneself is not necessarily to improve oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/to-know-oneself-is-not-necessarily-to-improve-oneself/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The purpose of life is undoubtedly to know oneself. We cannot do it unless we learn to identify ourselves with all that lives. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-purpose-of-life-is-undoubtedly-to-know-oneself-we-cannot-do-it/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [It is difficult to know oneself, but it isn't easy to paint oneself either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/it-is-difficult-to-know-oneself-but-it-isn-t-easy-to-paint-oneself/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [ \[To\] know oneself is, above all, to know what one lacks. It is to measure oneself against Truth, and not the other way around.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-know-oneself-is-above-all-to-know-what-one-lacks-it-is-to-measure/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More by Veronique Vienne > [The secret of surviving housework is simply to do it. Pull the plug on the part of your brain that always wants to negotiate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronique-vienne/the-secret-of-surviving-housework-is-simply-to-do-it-pull-the-plug-on/) [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) > [The things one wants the most, are not things after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronique-vienne/the-things-one-wants-the-most-are-not-things-after-all/) [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) > [Imagine a different world, one in which people do not spend an inordinate amount of energy fuming against their fate each time they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronique-vienne/imagine-a-different-world-one-in-which-people-do-not-spend-an/) [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) > [“The secret of surviving housework is simply to do it. 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Figure out early on in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronique-vienne/book-your-life-choices-in-advance-the-same-way-you-would-book-flights/) [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) > [“Are we alone? Over time, you will come up with various answers to that same nagging question. Eventually one day it will occur to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronique-vienne/are-we-alone-over-time-you-will-come-up-with-various-answers-to-that/) [Veronique Vienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronique-vienne/) > [“Living in Paris is "priceless," but it will cost you. It ain't cheap, yet it is one of the greatest bargains on earth. 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And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Beauty fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-fades-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't kind of take away, you either do or you don't. If you kind of take away something you're a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/you-can-t-kind-of-take-away-you-either-do-or-you-don-t-if-you-kind-of/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Please don't go away. You--you matter. To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. 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