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Spartan Surfers

1877–1962

Hermann Hesse

German-Swiss novelist. Siddhartha (1922) tells of a young man in the Buddha's India who learns more from a river than from any teacher.

8 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. I can think. I can wait. I can fast.

    Asked what he can do, the penniless Siddhartha names three skills. Clear thought, patience and the ability to go without are worth more than money. Train all three.

    Siddhartha (1922), Kamala, our translation from the German

  2. Anyone can reach their goals who can think, wait and fast.

    Siddhartha tells Kamala there is no magic, only these three disciplines. What fools call sorcery is patience and self-control. You have access to the same power.

    Siddhartha (1922), Kamala, our translation from the German

  3. Knowledge can be shared. Wisdom cannot.

    Siddhartha says wisdom can be found and lived but not taught. Others can give you facts; wisdom you have to earn. Go live it.

    Siddhartha (1922), Govinda, our translation from the German

  4. To seek is to have a goal. To find is to be free.

    A seeker obsessed with a goal misses what is right in front of him. Finding needs openness. Loosen your grip and look around.

    Siddhartha (1922), Govinda, our translation from the German

  5. The water ran and ran, and was always there, and always new.

    Siddhartha sits by the river and sees it is always leaving and always present. Life is the same: constant change inside a steady whole. Watch moving water and you will see it.

    Siddhartha (1922), The Ferryman, our translation from the German

  6. The river is everywhere at once. There is no time.

    The ferryman Vasudeva agrees the river is at its source and its mouth at the same moment. Past and future are only ways of looking at one present. Live where the river is: now.

    Siddhartha (1922), The Ferryman, our translation from the German

  7. The opposite of every truth is just as true.

    Siddhartha says words can only express one side of a truth. The whole is always larger. Hold your opinions loosely.

    Siddhartha (1922), Govinda, our translation from the German

  8. Love seems to me the most important thing of all.

    After a lifetime of seeking, Siddhartha concludes that explaining the world matters less than being able to love it. Thinkers analyze; he chooses to love. End there too.

    Siddhartha (1922), Govinda, our translation from the German