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Seeing


Seeing

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Quotations

Stanislaw Jerzy LecThe window to the world can be covered by a newspaper.

—  Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, 1906-1966, Polish author of maxims

11 likes
Oscar WildeNo great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.

—  Oscar Wilde, 1854-1900, Irish writer

9 likes
La RochefoucauldNeither the sun nor death can be looked at steadily.

—  La Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680, French writer

9 likes
Mignon McLaughlinIt upsets women to be, or not to be, stared at hungrily.

—  Mignon McLaughlin, 1913-1983, American magazine editor

8 likes
Benjamin DisraeliSeeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of learning.

—  Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Prime Minister

8 likes
Lord ChesterfieldYou must look into people, as well as at them.

—  Lord Chesterfield, 1694-1773, English statesman & writer

8 likes
Vincent Van GoghFor my part, I know nothing with any certainty but the sight of the stars makes me dream.

—  Vincent Van Gogh, 1853-1890, Dutch painter

8 likes
John SteinbeckI wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.

—  John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American writer, Nobel 1962

7 likes
Ralph Waldo EmersonAll I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.

—  Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1884, American philosopher

7 likes
Alfred TennysonSometimes the heart sees what's invisible to the eye.

—  Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892, English poet

6 likes
Francis BaconIf a man look sharply and attentively, he shall see Fortune; for though she is blind, she is not invisible.

—  Francis Bacon, 1561-1626, English philosopher

6 likes
Alain de BenoistMy identity is not a blind fortress, a breastplate behind which I hide to cut myself off from others. It is this window which belongs only to me thanks to which I can discover the world.

—  Alain de Benoist, 1943-, French philosopher

6 likes
Arthur KoestlerScientists are peeping toms at the keyhole of eternity.

—  Arthur Koestler, 1905-1983, Hungarian-British writer

6 likes
José SaramagoThe only thing more terrifying than blindness is being the only one who can see.

—  José Saramago, 1922-2010, Portuguese writer [Nobel 1998]

     (Blindness, 1995)

6 likes
José SaramagoI don't think we did go blind, I think we are blind, Blind but seeing. Blind people who can see, but do not see.

—  José Saramago, 1922-2010, Portuguese writer [Nobel 1998]

     (Blindness, 1995)

6 likes
Lao-TzuTo see things in the seed, that is genius.

—  Lao-Tzu, 6th cent. BC, Chinese philosopher

5 likes
William PrescottDon't one of you fire until you see the whites of their eyes.

—  William Prescott, 1726-1795, American colonel

5 likes
RumiLook at the moon in the sky, not the one in the lake.

—  Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet

5 likes
Henry MillerOne's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.

—  Henry Miller, 1891-1980, American writer

5 likes
Søren KierkegaardWhy I so much prefer autumn to spring is that in the autumn one looks at heaven--in the spring at the earth.

—  Søren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855, Danish philosopher

5 likes
Wallace StevensAccuracy of observation is the equivalent of accuracy of thinking.

—  Wallace Stevens, 1879-1955, American poet

4 likes
Winston ChurchillThe farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.

—  Winston Churchill, 1874-1965, British Prime Minister, Nobel 1953

4 likes
Jean-Paul SartreThe more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.

—  Jean-Paul Sartre, 1905-1980, French philosopher

4 likes
Henry David ThoreauIt's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

—  Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862, American writer

4 likes
Thomas CarlyleGo as far as you can see and you will see further.

—  Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, English writer

4 likes
Louise GlückThe master said You must write what you see.
But what I see does not move me.
The master answered Change what you see.

—  Louise Glück, 1943-2023, American poet, Nobel 2020

4 likes
Arthur SchopenhauerSo the problem is not so much to see what nobody has yet seen, as to think what nobody has yet thought concerning that which everybody sees.

—  Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860, German philosopher

3 likes
ConfuciusEverything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

—  Confucius, 551-479 BC, Chinese teacher & philosopher

3 likes
Ralph Waldo EmersonThe invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.

—  Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1884, American philosopher

3 likes
Ronald ReaganDon't be afraid to see what you see.

—  Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004, American President [1981-1989]

3 likes
Samuel JohnsonThe world is not yet exhausted; let me see something tomorrow which I never saw before.

—  Samuel Johnson, 1709-1784, English writer

3 likes
William BlakeA fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.

—  William Blake, 1757-1827, English poet & painter

3 likes
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.

—  H. Jackson Brown, Jr., 1940-2021, American self-help writer

3 likes
Samuel BeckettAny fool can turn a blind eye but who knows what the ostrich sees in the sand.

—  Samuel Beckett, 1906-1989, Irish writer, Nobel 1969

3 likes
Martin Luther KingEverything that we see is a shadow cast by that which we do not see.

—  Martin Luther King, 1929-1968, American leader in the Civil Rights Movement

3 likes
RumiEverything that is made beautiful and fair and lovely is made for the eye of one who sees.

—  Rumi, 1207-1273, Persian mystic & poet

3 likes
Antoin de Saint-ExupéryWhat is essential is invisible to the eye.

—  Antoin de Saint-Exupéry, 1900-1940, French writer

3 likes
Ingmar BergmanOld age is like climbing a mountain. You climb from ledge to ledge. The higher you get, the more tired and breathless you become, but your views become more extensive.

—  Ingmar Bergman, 1918 - 2007, Swedish filmmaker

3 likes
Joseph JoubertClose your eyes and see.

—  Joseph Joubert, 1754-1824, French author of maxims

3 likes
Bill CosbyEvery closed eye is not sleeping, and every open eye is not seeing.

—  Bill Cosby, 1937-, American comedian

3 likes
Andy WarholI'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning.

—  Andy Warhol, 1928-1987, American artist

2 likes
G. K. ChestertonThe things we see every day are the things we never see at all.

—  G. K. Chesterton, 1874-1936, English writer & critic

2 likes
Marcel ProustMy destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing.

—  Marcel Proust, 1871-1922, French writer

2 likes
Pablo PicassoPainting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen.

—  Pablo Picasso, 1881-1973, Spanish painter

2 likes
Joseph JoubertGenius is the ability to see things invisible, to manipulate things intangible, to paint things that have no shape.

—  Joseph Joubert, 1754-1824, French author of maxims

1 likes
André FrossardWho said love is blind? She is the only one who sees sharply: she discovers beauties where others do not notice.

—  André Frossard, 1915-1995, French politician & essayist

1 likes
Frida KahloTake a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic.

—  Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954, Mexican painter

1 likes
Charles BukowskiThere are times when those eyes inside your brain stare back at you.

—  Charles Bukowski, 1920-1994, American writer

Bob RossIt’s hard to see things when you are too close. Take a step back and look.

—  Bob Ross, 1942-1995, American painter & TV personality

Thomas CarlyleIt is the heart always that sees, before the head can see.

—  Thomas Carlyle, 1795-1881, English writer

Gertrude SteinI like a view but I like to sit with my back turned to it

—  Gertrude Stein, 1874-1946, American writer

Leonardo da VinciWhy does the eye see more clearly when asleep than the imagination when awake?

—  Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian polymath & painter

Leonardo da VinciLearn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.

—  Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian polymath & painter

John SteinbeckYou are one of the rare people who can separate your observation from your preconception. You see what is, where most people see what they expect.

—  John Steinbeck, 1902-1968, American writer, Nobel 1962

Honoré de BalzacThinking is seeing... all poetry like every work of art proceeds from a swift vision of things.

—  Honoré de Balzac, 1799-1850, French writer

Aldοus HuxleyTo see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift. Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves.

—  Aldοus Huxley, 1894-1963, English writer

Rainer Maria RilkeYou must give birth to your images. They are the future waiting to be born.

—  Rainer Maria Rilke, 1875-1926, Czech-German poet

Rainer Maria RilkeThe work of the eyes is done. Go now and do the heart-work on the images imprisoned within you.

—  Rainer Maria Rilke, 1875-1926, Czech-German poet

William Hazlitt We do not see nature with our eyes, but with our understandings and our hearts.

—  William Hazlitt , 1778-1830, English essayist & critic

Terry PratchettSeeing, contrary to popular wisdom, isn't believing. It's where belief stops, because it isn't needed any more.

—  Terry Pratchett, 1948-2015, British writer

Theodore AdornoThe splinter in your eye is the best magnifying-glass available.

—  Theodore Adorno, 1903-1969, German philosopher

Marshall McLuhanOnce you see the boundaries of your environment, they are no longer the boundaries of your environment.

—  Marshall McLuhan, 1911-1980, Canadian academic & media theorist

Marshall McLuhanIn the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is a hallucinating idiot...for he sees what no one else does: things that, to everyone else, are not there.

—  Marshall McLuhan, 1911-1980, Canadian academic & media theorist

SophoclesEvery man can see things far off but is blind to what is near.

—  Sophocles, 496-406 BC, Ancient tragic poet

D. H. LawrenceWhat the eye doesn't see and the mind doesn't know, doesn't exist.

—  D. H. Lawrence, 1885-1930, British writer

Philip RothSeeing is believing and believing is knowing and knowing beats unknowing and the unknown.

—  Philip Roth, 1933-2018, American writer

Douglas AdamsSee first, think later, then test. But always see first. Otherwise you will only see what you were expecting. Most scientists forget that.

—  Douglas Adams, 1952-2001, British Sci-Fi writer

Jules VerneLook with all your eyes, look.

—  Jules Verne, 1826-1905, French writer

Edgar Allan PoeTo observe attentively is to remember distinctly.

—  Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849, American writer

Arthur Conan DoyleYou know my method. It is founded upon the observation of trifles.

—  Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, British writer

Joseph ConradIt is not the clear-sighted who rule the world. Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed, warm fog.

—  Joseph Conrad, 1857-1924, British-Polish writer

Joseph ConradMy task, which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel – it is, before all, to make you see.

—  Joseph Conrad, 1857-1924, British-Polish writer

Malcolm de ChazalWhat prevents us from seeing God is that our spirit is complex, while God's is simple.

—  Malcolm de Chazal, 1902-1981, Mauritian thinker & aphorist

Malcolm de ChazalWhen it is indifferent, the eye takes still photographs. When it is interested, films.

—  Malcolm de Chazal, 1902-1981, Mauritian thinker & aphorist

Le CorbusierWhat modern man wants is a monk’s cell, well lit and heated, with a corner from which he may look at the stars.

—  Le Corbusier, 1887-1965, Swiss-French architect

Charlotte BrontëI try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.

—  Charlotte Brontë, 1816-1855, English novelist & poet

Franz KafkaIf a man has his eyes bound, you can encourage him as much as you like to stare through the bandage, but he'll never see anything.

—  Franz Kafka, 1883-1924, Bohemian writer

Bob RossLook around. Look at what we have. Beauty is everywhere, you only have to look to see it.

—  Bob Ross, 1942-1995, American painter & TV personality

Helen KellerWhen one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.

—  Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American writer

Leonardo da VinciThe artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.

—  Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian polymath & painter

Helen KellerThe only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.

—  Helen Keller, 1880-1968, American writer

Latin Quotes

Latin phraseLook behind, look here, look ahead.

Espice, adspice, prospice.

—  Latin phrase

104 likes
Latin phraseSee and believe.

Vide et credere.

—  Latin phrase

40 likes

Quotes in Verse

William BlakeTo see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower.
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

—  William Blake, 1757-1827, English poet & painter

7 likes
Alfred TennysonThings seen are mightier than things heard.

—  Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892, English poet

4 likes
Bob DylanHow many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?

—  Bob Dylan, 1941-, American singer [Nobel 2016]

3 likes
Yannis RitsosIf you can’t see it, it’s like I don’t have it.

—  Yannis Ritsos, 1909-1990, Greek poet

Louise GlückEven before you touched me,
I belonged to you;
all you had to do was look at me.

—  Louise Glück, 1943-2023, American poet, Nobel 2020

Funny Quotes

Groucho MarxAnyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot.

—  Groucho Marx, 1890-1977, American comedian

8 likes

Ancient Greek

HesiodThe eye of Zeus seeing all and understanding all.

Πάντα ιδών Διός οφθαλμός και πάντα νοήσας.

—  Hesiod, 7th cent. BC, Ancient Greek poet ‐ Works and Days -267

7 likes
Ancient Greek phraseNeighbors see better than foxes.

Οξύτερον οι γείτονες βλέπουσι των αλωπεκέων.

—  Ancient Greek phrase

6 likes
SolonPrudence is different from the other virtues as much as vision is different from the other senses.

Τοσούτω διαφέρει η φρόνησις των άλλων αρετών, όσω η όρασις των άλλων αισθήσεων.

—  Solon, 630-560 BC, Ancient Greek lawmaker & philosopher

4 likes
Epicharmus of KosIt is the mind that sees and hears; everything else is deaf and blind.

Νους ορά και νους ακούει. Τάλλα κωφά και τυφλά.

—  Epicharmus of Kos, 530-440 BC, Ancient Greek poet

3 likes
Ancient Greek proverbFrom seeing comes love.

Εκ του οράν το εράν.

—  Ancient Greek proverb

3 likes

Proverbs

English proverbBeauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

—  English proverb

4 likes
Polish ProverbA guest sees more in an hour than the host in a year.

—  Polish Proverb

3 likes
Chinese proverbClimb mountains to see lowlands.

—  Chinese proverb

3 likes
American proverbSeeing is believing.

—  American proverb

3 likes
Turkish proverbIn the company of the blind, close your eyes.

—  Turkish proverb

2 likes

Movie Quotes

Casablanca (1942)Here's looking at you, kid.

—  from the film Casablanca (1942)

5 likes



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Revelations

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2026: Manolis Papathanassiou