"There's no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself"
- Hermann Hesse
About this Quote
This quote by Hermann Hesse speaks to the idea that our internal reality is the just one that really matters. We typically get captured up in the external world, taking images and ideas from outside of ourselves and thinking them to be true. This can cause a life that is not authentic or genuine, as we are not enabling our own internal reality to be revealed. Hesse is suggesting that we need to look within ourselves to find our true reality, which this is the only method to live an authentic life. We ought to not be swayed by the external world, but instead focus on our own internal reality. By doing this, we can live a life that is true to ourselves and that is based upon our own worths and beliefs.
"Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage"