„Owing to ignorance of the rope the rope appears to be a snake; owing to ignorance of the Self the transient state arises of the individualized, limited, phenomenal aspect of the Self.“

— Nanak

Guru Nanak quotes

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update Nov. 6, 2021.

Nanak24

Founder of Sikhism 1469 - 1539

Related quotes

„The little I know, I owe to my ignorance.“

— Sacha Guitry French dramatist and playwright 1885 - 1957

Book of Humorous Quotations, ed. Connie Robertson (1998), page 83

„A difference in self loathing? Please. The only difference between a gun and a rope is the time it takes to tie the knot.“

— Justine Larbalestier Australian young-adult fiction author 1967

Source: Zombies Vs. Unicorns

Time

„Truly there is no cause for you to be miserable and unhappy. You yourself impose limitations on your true nature of infinite Being and then weep that you are but a finite creature. Then you take up this or that sadhana to transcend the nonexistent limitations. But if your sadhana itself assumes the existence of the limitations, how can it help you to transcend them? Hence I say know that you are really the infinite, pure Being, the Self Absolute. You are always that Self and nothing but that Self. Therefore, you can never be really ignorant of the Self; your ignorance is merely a formal ignorance… Know then that true Knowledge does not create a new Being for you; it only removes your "ignorant ignorance." Bliss is not added to your nature; it is merely revealed as your true and natural state, eternal and imperishable. The only way to be rid of your grief is to know and be the Self.“

— Ramana Maharshi Indian religious leader 1879 - 1950

Abide as the Self

Way, Nature, Knowledge, Help

„Our ignorance allowed us to live, as you are in the mountains, and your rope is frayed and about to break, but you don't know it and feel safe.“

— Primo Levi, book The Periodic Table

Source: The Periodic Table

Feeling, Mountain

„He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody.“

— Joseph Heller, book Catch-22

Source: Catch-22

Success

„Self-knowledge can be painful, but not half so damaging as self-ignorance.“

— Orson Scott Card, book Stone Tables

Stone Tables (1997)

Pain, Knowledge

„When the bubble of ignorance bursts the self realizes its oneness with the indivisible Self.“

— Meher Baba Indian mystic 1894 - 1969

65 : Ignorance Personified, p. 111.
The Everything and the Nothing (1963)
Context: When the bubble of ignorance bursts the self realizes its oneness with the indivisible Self.
Words that proceed from the Source of Truth have real meaning. But when men speakthese words as their own, the words become meaningless.

„The Soul appears to be finite because of ignorance. When ignorance is destroyed the Self which does not admit of any multiplicity truly reveals itself by itself: like the Sun when the clouds pass away.“

— Adi Shankara Hindu philosopher monk of 8th century 788 - 820

Source: Atma Bodha (1987), p. 7: Quote nr. 4.

Soul, Appearance, Sun

„There are genuine mysteries in the world that mark the limits of human knowing and thinking. Wisdom is fortified, not destroyed, by understanding its limitations. Ignorance does not make a fool as surely as self-deception.“

— Mortimer J. Adler American philosopher and educator 1902 - 2001

Source: How to Read a Book: The Classic Bestselling Guide to Reading Books and Accessing Information

Wisdom, World, Fools, Understanding

„If we were to hang the last capitalist, another would appear to sell us the rope.“

— Karl Marx German philosopher, economist, sociologist, journalist and revolutionary socialist 1818 - 1883

A variant of the above misquote, sometimes also attributed to Lenin. This gained popularity during the glasnost era when black market activity was at its most visible in the USSR; meant to show the profit motive was human nature and cannot be eradicated.
Misattributed

Appearance