Labels seem to give satisfaction. We accept the category to which we are supposed to belong as a satisfying explanation of life. We are worshippers of words and labels; we never seem to go beyond the symbol, to comprehend the worth of the symbol. By calling ourselves this or that, we ensure ourselves against further disturbance, and settle back. One of the curses of ideologies and organized beliefs is the comfort, the deadly gratification they offer. They put us to sleep, and in the sleep we dream, and the dream becomes action. How easily we are distracted! And most of us want to be distracted; most of us are tired out with incessant conflict, and distractions become a necessity, they become more important than 'what is'.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- We use labels and ideologies to avoid deeper inquiry and settle into comfortable, limiting explanations of life.
- In plain terms
- Labels comfort us but stop us from seeing reality clearly.
- What can you take from it?
- Avoid letting labels or beliefs replace direct understanding.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What label do you cling to for comfort?
- When did you last question a belief?
Another view
Sometimes labels are necessary for communication.
More from Jiddu Krishnamurti
I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhe…
Permalink to quote #6 The fact is there is nothing that you can trust; and that is a terrible fact, whether you like it or not. Psychologically, there is nothing in the world that y…
Permalink to quote #8 Thought itself must deny itself. Thought itself sees what it is doing and therefore thought itself realizes that it has to come of itself to an end. There is n…
Permalink to quote #5
Related quotes
Wir sein pettler. Hoc est verum.
Martin LutherMartin Luther quote #1 What does Christianity mean today? National Socialism is a religion. All we lack is a religious genius capable of uprooting outmoded religious practices and pu…
Joseph GoebbelsJoseph Goebbels quote #2 The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth …
Alan MooreAlan Moore quote #3