Welcome to our collection of contemplation quotes, where profound thoughts and insightful reflections await you. Contemplation, the act of deep and thoughtful consideration, is a practice that has transcended cultures and generations, offering individuals a pathway to self-discovery and inner peace. Whether you’re seeking inspiration, guidance, or simply a moment of quiet reflection, these quotes are here to accompany you on your journey of contemplation.
Within these pages, you’ll find wisdom from philosophers, poets, spiritual leaders, and thinkers from all walks of life. Their words offer glimpses into the complexities of the human experience, inviting us to explore the depths of our minds and hearts. Contemplation is not merely a passive activity; it is a dynamic process that encourages us to engage with our thoughts and emotions, to question, to wonder, and to seek understanding.
One cannot long remain so absorbed in contemplation of emptiness without being increasingly attracted to it. In vain, one bestows on it the name of infinity; this does not change its nature. Emile Durkheim
Sadness does not inhere in things; it does not reach us from the world and through mere contemplation of the world. It is a product of our own thought. We create it out of whole cloth. Emile Durkheim
You should live in a manner that should enable you to devote time to writing and contemplation. As is often said, the writer is at work even when he is simply looking out the window. F. Sionil Jose
We want a state wise in its contemplation – just in its actions – and moderate in the reach of government into our lives. Sonny Perdue
Historically, China is not a nation of sportsmen. We traditionally put more emphasis on being close to nature than pushing endlessly to excel. A philosophy that values tranquil contemplation of the landscape cannot easily be adapted to the Olympic slogan of ‘higher, stronger, faster.’ Ai Weiwei
The senses are of the earth, the reason stands apart from them in contemplation. Leonardo da Vinci
Contemplation is a luxury of the middle class, the very rich. F. Sionil Jose
Enjoying art is a personal matter. It’s made up by contemplation, silence, abstraction. Renzo Piano
But active programming consists of the design of new programs, rather than contemplation of old programs. Niklaus Wirth
It may be added, to prevent misunderstanding, that when I speak of contemplated objects in this last phrase as objects of contemplation, the act of contemplation itself is of course an enjoyment. Samuel Alexander
It’s just as well that I write in the same facile way wherever I am – no blocks or anguish, no contemplation, no elaborate revision, no need for love-tokens or nice views. Peter York
The mysteries of faith are degraded if they are made into an object of affirmation and negation, when in reality they should be an object of contemplation. Simone Weil
I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life’s mystery and unpredictability, of life’s generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation. Jane Smiley
Contemplation and wisdom are highest achievements and man is not totally at home with them. Gabriel Marcel
If we know the divine art of concentration, if we know the divine art of meditation, if we know the divine art of contemplation, easily and consciously we can unite the inner world and the outer world. Sri Chinmoy
The so-called modern conveniences may, in fact, be extremely inconvenient – everything seems to exist as a distraction from any sort of deeper thought or contemplation. Michael Finkel
The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival. Aristotle
Action is greater than writing. A good man is a nobler object of contemplation than a great author. There are but two things worth living for: to do what is worthy of being written; and to write what is worthy of being read. Ross Perot
In contemplation and reverie, one thought introduces another perpetually; and it is by similarity, or the hooking of one upon the other, that the process of thinking is carried on. William Godwin
It is proper that noble spirits, equipped with truth and enlightened with the Divine intelligence, should arm themselves against dense ignorance by climbing up to the high rock and tower of contemplation. Giordano Bruno
What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action. Meister Eckhart
I have often thought with wonder of the great goodness of God; and my soul has rejoiced in the contemplation of His great magnificence and mercy. May He be blessed for ever! For I see clearly that He has not omitted to reward me, even in this life, for every one of my good desires. Saint Teresa of Avila
Woe to the man who is always busy – hurried in a turmoil of engagements, from occupation to occupation, and with no seasons interposed of recollection, contemplation and repose! Such a man must inevitably be gross and vulgar, and hard and indelicate – the sort of man with whom no generous spirit would desire to hold intercourse. William Godwin
In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way – an honorable way – in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment. Viktor E. Frankl
But unfortunately Locke treated ideas of reflection as if they were another class of objects of contemplation beside ideas of sensation. Samuel Alexander
Writers have an opinion about the world and offer arguments about the world. They should offer contemplation. Salman Rushdie
An art aims, above all, at producing something beautiful which affects not our feelings but the organ of pure contemplation, our imagination. Eduard Hanslick
I have created a life style that supports contemplation, service to words. bell hooks
What a man takes in by contemplation, that he pours out in love. Meister Eckhart
In the Buddhist learning process, we say three stages. The first is hearing, the second is contemplation, and the third is meditation. Lobsang Tenzin
What is high birth to him to whom high birth has never been the theme of his contemplation? What is a throne to him who has never dreamed of a throne? William Godwin
I think that the power of the Silent Minute lies in its inherent lack of external direction: what participants actually do during that minute – prayer, contemplation, focus – is up to them. Liz Williams
The great increase of our population throughout the Union will alone produce an important effect, and in no quarter will it be so sensibly felt as in those in contemplation. James Monroe
All women have a perception much more developed than men. So all women somehow, being repressed for so many millennia, they ended up by developing this sixth sense and contemplation and love. And this is something that we have a hard time to accept as part of our society. Paulo Coelho
By constant contemplation of excellence, we clear our selfhood of all dross and impurities. Orison Swett Marden
Many scientists think that philosophy has no place, so for me it’s a sad time because the role of reflection, contemplation, meditation, self inquiry, insight, intuition, imagination, creativity, free will, is in a way not given any importance, which is the domain of philosophers. Deepak Chopra
We have wasted our spirit in the regions of the abstract and general just as the monks let it wither in the world of prayer and contemplation. Alexander Herzen
The wise man knows how to run his life so that contemplation is Possible. Gabriel Marcel
One does not contemplate it like a picture. The idea of contemplation disappears completely. Simply take note that it’s a bottle rack, or that it’s a bottle rack that has changed its destination… It’s not the visual question of the readymade that counts; it’s the fact that it exists, even. Marcel Duchamp
If you are of the opinion that the contemplation of suicide is sufficient evidence of a poetic nature, do not forget that actions speak louder than words. Fran Lebowitz
What sort of person you grow into should not be achieved by default, and often that’s exactly what happens to kids. I see literature as a method of guidance, information, and contemplation, and consider it the greatest compliment possible when a reader tells me that a book of mine really made him/her think. Wendelin Van Draanen
Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing. Dodie Smith
A novel can be set in motion by an incident, a character, a location, a mood – by anything at all. Sometimes the stimulus can be an idea, which will rapidly clothe itself in character and incident. ‘Foreign Bodies’ came about through the contemplation of the contrast between post-second world war America and Europe. Cynthia Ozick
I feel like I’m stepping into a place of spiritual contemplation every time I enter a studio; it’s always had a certain magic to me that has never worn off with familiarity. David Knopfler
Contemplation is an alternative consciousness that refuses to identify with or feed what are only passing shows. It is the absolute opposite of addiction, consumerism or any egoic consciousness. Richard Rohr
Music inspires contemplation, dreams, and the imagination. Varg Vikernes
Science may eventually explain the world of How. The ultimate world of Why may remain for contemplation, philosophy, religion. Liberty Hyde Bailey
Few people even scratch the surface, much less exhaust the contemplation of their own experience. Randolph Bourne
I just want fiction to remain a vital force for entertainment and not just for contemplation. Both things can exist. Gary Shteyngart
The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is the cutting edge of the mind. Diane Arbus
Reformation ends not in contemplation, but in action. George Gillespie
Latins are predisposed to thinking about the past. Catholicism has a lot to do with it because Catholicism is a contemplation of the past, of symbols that are supposed to be eternally present. Oscar Hijuelos
Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there divines the spirit of which nature herself is animated. Auguste Rodin
Birth and death are the most singular events we experience – and the contemplation of death, as of birth, should be a thing of beauty, not ignobility. Jacob K. Javits
Give yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you. This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to focus your life in awe. Wayne Dyer
On the whole, when the unexpected danger happens to you, you’re thinking so fast, you’re thinking so hard, every bit of you is alive to ‘What should I do?’ ‘What can I do?’ There isn’t a lot of time for contemplation. Kate Adie
The Chautauqua Institution is truly a national treasure. It is a place for contemplation and a place for reflection, a place where platitudes and slogans can be set aside and be replaced by thoughtfulness and introspection. Eliot Spitzer
Politicians are addicted to spending and revenue extraction. As with an addict, there’s little pause for moral or legal contemplation. David Malpass
It is possible that the contemplation of cruelty will not make us humane but cruel; that the reiteration of the badness of our spiritual condition will make us consent to it. Lionel Trilling
I personally love the record-making more than the actually performing and travelling. It’s funny, the drastic shift in lifestyle that comes with it. It certainly satisfies my more adventurous side, but it leaves little time for contemplation and all of that. Washed Out
Death showed up in my life very early on, so I’m aware of it. If you look at most of the things I write there’s a sort of contemplation of mortality – although ‘True Blood’ doesn’t fall into that. Even though there’s such a ridiculously high body count! Alan Ball
There have been hours in my unhappy life, many of them, when the contemplation of death as the end of earthly sorrow – of the grave as a resting place for the tired and worn out body – has been pleasant to dwell upon. Solomon Northup
A day spent without the sight or sound of beauty, the contemplation of mystery, or the search of truth or perfection is a poverty-stricken day; and a succession of such days is fatal to human life. Lewis Mumford
The mind is exercised by the variety and multiplicity of the subject matter, while the character is moulded by the contemplation of virtue and vice. Quintilian
I think a lot of contemplation happens in bathtubs. It does for me. Nothing like a hot bath to ease the tension and think about what’s going to happen next. Sarah McLachlan
Vice: Whatever was passion in the contemplation of man, being brought forth by his will into action. James Harrington
Leisure activities such as contemplation, going for a stroll or a bike ride boost our overall health, wellbeing, and creativity. Jens Martin Skibsted
In certain strains of Judaism, there’s a profound passion for the ineffable. Contemplation of God is meant to be forever elusive, because, you know, our tiny minds can’t possibly comprehend Him. If we find ourselves comprehending Him, then we can be sure we’re off track. Ben Marcus
I decided years ago that if I’m going to keep teaching contemplation, then the last years of my life should be contemplative. Richard Rohr
I want to abolish time, especially in the contemplation of architecture. Piet Mondrian
The velocity and knee-jerk response to events happening in real time that television brings us precludes any kind of reflection or contemplation and therefore analysis. And that’s been one of the greatest political dangers in the post-war era. The idea of the reasoned, thoughtful response goes out of the window. Bill Viola
That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful. Edgar Allan Poe
Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live. Nicolas Chamfort
Our goodness comes solely from thinking on goodness; our wickedness from thinking on wickedness. We too are the victims of our own contemplation. John Jay Chapman
Well, I believe life is a Zen koan, that is, an unsolvable riddle. But the contemplation of that riddle – even though it cannot be solved – is, in itself, transformative. And if the contemplation is of high enough quality, you can merge with the divine. Tom Robbins
If there is a special Hell for writers it would be in the forced contemplation of their own works. John Dos Passos
Contemplation of life after retirement and life after death can help you deal with contemporary challenges. Russell M. Nelson
As Cuvier could correctly describe a whole animal by the contemplation of a single bone, so the observer who has thoroughly understood one link in a series of incidents should be able to accurately state all the other ones, both before and after. Arthur Conan Doyle
He had read much, if one considers his long life; but his contemplation was much more than his reading. He was wont to say that if he had read as much as other men he should have known no more than other men. Isaac Asimov
I’m not very religious, but having reached middle age I rather enjoy the quiet and the contemplation of spending an hour in an old building. Alexander Armstrong
Writing is work. It takes a lot of contemplation, concentration, and out-and-out sweat. People tend to romanticize it, that somehow your work appears by benefit of some mystical external force. In reality, to be a writer, you have to sit down and write. It’s work, and often it’s hard work. Wendelin Van Draanen
As we continue to become a society of tweets, shorter and shorter messages, there’s great value in the contemplation and reflection that comes from reading a long body of work. Elizabeth Berg
Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation. Jean Arp
The act of contemplation then creates the thing created. Isaac D’Israeli
We benefit, intellectually and personally, from the interplay between different selves, from the balance between long-term contemplation and short-term impulse. We should be wary about tipping the scales too far. The community of selves shouldn’t be a democracy, but it shouldn’t be a dictatorship, either. Paul Bloom
The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. Jacob Bronowski
Many museums are drawing audiences with art that is ostensibly more entertaining than stuff that just sits and invites contemplation. Interactivity, gizmos, eating, hanging out, things that make noise – all are now the norm, often edging out much else. Jerry Saltz
