Aphorisms of Gurdjieff


George Ivanovich Gurdjieff was an important teacher of the 'Fourth Way' who transmitted ancient esoteric teachings to the West from 1912 until his death in 1949.

In 1922, he established The Institute for the Harmonious Development of Man at the Chateau du Prieuré in France. Thirty-eight of his aphorisms were written in a script invented by his senior pupil Alexandre de Salzmann, an artist and stage designer, and hung in the Study Hall of the Institute. Students studied the aphorisms as part of their training and used them as themes for contemplation.

Some of Gurdjieff's aphorisms highlight important concepts from his teaching while others are expressions of popular wisdom. The full collection of his aphorisms are published in a complilation of Gurdjieff's lectures entitled Views From the Real World: Early Talks of Gurdjieff.

 

Take the understanding of the East and the knowledge of the West -- and then seek.

He who has freed himself from the disease of "tomorrow" has a chance to attain what he came here for.

Judge others by yourself and you will rarely be mistaken.

Consider what people think of you -- not what they say.

Conscious love evokes the same in response. Emotional love evokes the opposite. Physical love depends on type and polarity.
It is better to be temporarily an egoist than never to be just.
By teaching others you will learn yourself.
Only he can be just who is able to put himself in the position of others.
One of the best means for arousing the wish to work on yourself is to realize that you may die at any moment. But first you must learn how to keep it in mind.

 

 

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