--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the self is not engaged in…" description: "\"“When the self is not engaged in apprehending objects it becomes aware of itself.”\" — W.T. Stace" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/w-t-stace-83082_awareness_when-the-self-is-not-engaged-in-apprehen_1954350.jpg" --- # When the self is not engaged in apprehending objects it… ![“When the self is not engaged in apprehending objects it becomes aware of itself.” quote by W.T. Stace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/w-t-stace-83082_awareness_when-the-self-is-not-engaged-in-apprehen_1954350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/w-t-stace-83082_awareness_when-the-self-is-not-engaged-in-apprehen_1954350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/669/w-t-stace-83082_awareness_when-the-self-is-not-engaged-in-apprehen_1954350.jpg) > ““When the self is not engaged in apprehending objects it becomes aware of itself.”” W.T. Stace ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-awareness emerges when the mind stops focusing on external objects and turns inward, revealing its own consciousness. **In simple terms:** Turning inward reveals self-awareness. Key Takeaway Practice mindfulness to notice self. Themes philosophy psychology consciousness Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Meditation - therapy sessions - creative brainstorming - solo work Key Concepts Phenomenology self-reflection metacognition Questions to Reflect On - When does self-focus become counterproductive? - How can we balance inner and outer awareness? A Different Perspective May lead to excessive introspection, neglecting external responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [“But then is not life itself a fairy-tale which we lose the power of apprehending as we grow? 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The pity you feel for what you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/whenever-you-are-angry-take-a-beautiful-object-in-your-house-and/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Awareness is something apart from, and different from, all that of which we are aware: thoughts, emotions, images, sensations, desires and memory. Awareness is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-j-deikman/awareness-is-something-apart-from-and-different-from-all-that-of/) [Arthur J. Deikman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-j-deikman/) > [“The prevalence of the application as the Self in the applied awareness as the Self is absolute Knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/the-prevalence-of-the-application-as-the-self-in-the-applied/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [When you, awareness, are mastered by the deepest that you know the truth of, then you are no longer awareness. You are oneness aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/when-you-awareness-are-mastered-by-the-deepest-that-you-know-the/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-mind-of-one-meditating-on-a-single-object-becomes-one-pointed-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [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/) > [Be aware and hold the government accountable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-chauhan/be-aware-and-hold-the-government-accountable/) [Mohit Chauhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-chauhan/) > [We're all painfully aware of how suddenly violence can occur, how crippling it is, and how survivors have to find a way back from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/we-re-all-painfully-aware-of-how-suddenly-violence-can-occur-how/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [I'm aware of who I am and I'm comfortable with who I choose to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shibani-dandekar/i-m-aware-of-who-i-am-and-i-m-comfortable-with-who-i-choose-to-date/) [Shibani Dandekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shibani-dandekar/) > [I am an aware citizen, so I want my characters to be aware, too. They should be aware of what's happening in the society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/i-am-an-aware-citizen-so-i-want-my-characters-to-be-aware-too-they/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) ## More by W.T. Stace > [“Spinoza formulated the profoundly important principle that \*all determination is negation\*. To determine a thing is to cut it off from some sphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-t-stace/spinoza-formulated-the-profoundly-important-principle-that-all/) W.T. Stace > [“In music, sometimes a man will feel that he comes to the edge of breaking out from prison bars of existence, breaking out from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-t-stace/in-music-sometimes-a-man-will-feel-that-he-comes-to-the-edge-of/) W.T. Stace Explore all 3 W.T. Stace quotes ## More Aware quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I am an aware citizen, so I want my characters to be aware, too. 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She's more aware. It's like you carry a frequency she can tune into.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-laurens/whenever-you-re-around-her-she-s-calm-she-s-more-aware-it-s-like-you/) [Jennifer Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-laurens/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Once I get out onstage, it's the same sort of basic production that it is anywhere else. But I might be a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-snow/once-i-get-out-onstage-it-s-the-same-sort-of-basic-production-that-it/) [Phoebe Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-snow/) > [Museums, I think, are becoming more and more aware of how to turn themselves into a must-see spectacle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-barton/museums-i-think-are-becoming-more-and-more-aware-of-how-to-turn/) [Jake Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-barton/) > [“The more you become aware of and respond to the needs of others, the richer your own life becomes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mollie-marti/the-more-you-become-aware-of-and-respond-to-the-needs-of-others-the/) [Mollie Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mollie-marti/) Browse all 1,138 Aware quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When the self is not engaged in apprehending objects it becomes aware of itself.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "W.T. 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