Photo of J. Krishnamurti

15 Quotes on Struggle by Krishnamurti

Curated by THE FOUNDATION STAFF

Aren’t you, in your very struggle to be different, the same as others? Why all this struggle?

Krishnamurti, The Only Revolution

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Aren’t you, in your very struggle to be different, the same as others? Why all this struggle? We think that if we don’t struggle and fight, we’ll be ordinary. Isn’t the whole movement of consciousness leading to isolation, to fear, and this incessant struggle to be different? It is all part of this urge to fulfil, to identify oneself with something, or to identify oneself with what one is.

Our whole life is based on the everlasting struggle to arrive, to achieve, to become. The more we struggle, the more significant and exaggerated the self becomes.

Krishnamurti, Reflections on the Self

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Have you noticed the constant effort you make to express yourself or to be something? This entails a great deal of striving. Our whole life is based on the everlasting struggle to arrive, to achieve, to become. The more we struggle, the more significant and exaggerated the self becomes, with all its limitations, fears, ambitions and frustrations. There must have been times when you have asked whether it is possible to be totally without the self. After all, we do have rare moments when the sense of the self is not. I am not talking of the transmutation of the self to a higher level, but of the simple cessation of the ‘me’ with its anxieties, worries and fears – the absence of the self. One realises that such a thing is possible, and then one sets about deliberately, consciously, to try to eliminate the self.

We struggle with an end in view; we strive after achievement. We make a constant effort to become something, positively or negatively. The struggle is always to be secure in some way.

Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living 2

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We struggle with an end in view; we strive after achievement. We make a constant effort to become something, positively or negatively. The struggle is always to be secure in some way, always towards or away from something. Effort is an endless battle to acquire, is it not? What we call effort is this constant process of travelling and arriving, of acquiring in different directions. We get tired of one kind of acquisition and turn to another, and when that is gathered, we turn to something else. Effort is a process of gathering knowledge, experience, efficiency, virtue, possessions, power, and so on – an endless becoming, expanding, growing. Effort towards an end, whether worthy or unworthy, must always bring conflict; conflict is antagonism, opposition and resistance. Is effort necessary?

We are so concerned with ourselves. We struggle to become somebody, to achieve and maintain a certain position; we have children and other responsibilities, and we have to earn money. All these external things soon weigh us down, and thereby we lose the joy of living.

Krishnamurti, Reflections on the Self

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Why is it that as people grow older, they seem to lose all joy in life? They lose that joyous intimation of something beyond, something of greater significance. Why do so many of us, as we grow into so-called maturity, become dull, insensitive to joy, to beauty, to the open skies and the marvellous earth? When one asks oneself this question, many explanations spring to mind. We are so concerned with ourselves. We struggle to become somebody, to achieve and maintain a certain position; we have children and other responsibilities, and we have to earn money. All these external things soon weigh us down, and thereby we lose the joy of living. Look at the older faces around you, see how sad most of them are, how careworn and rather ill, how withdrawn, aloof, and sometimes neurotic, without a smile. Don’t you ask yourself why? Yesterday evening, I saw a boat going up the river at full sail, driven by the west wind. It was a large boat, heavily laden with firewood for the town. The sun was setting, and this boat against the sky was astonishingly beautiful. The boatman was guiding it; there was no effort, for the wind was doing all the work. Similarly, if each one of us could understand the problem of struggle and conflict, we would be able to live effortlessly, happily, with a smile on our face.

If we did not worry, we would feel that we were not alive; to be struggling with a problem is, for the majority of us, an indication of existence.

Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living 1

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As we are concerned with what others think of us, we are anxious to know all about them. From this arise the crude and subtle forms of snobbishness and the worship of authority. So we become more and more externalised and inwardly empty. The more externalised we are, the more sensations and distractions there must be, and this gives rise to a mind that is never quiet, that is not capable of deep search and discovery. Gossip is an expression of a restless mind, but merely being silent does not indicate a tranquil mind. Tranquillity does not come into being with abstinence or denial; it comes with the understanding of ‘what is’. To understand what is needs swift awareness, for it is not static. If we did not worry, we would feel that we were not alive; to be struggling with a problem is, for the majority of us, an indication of existence. We cannot imagine life without a problem; and the more we are occupied with a problem, the more alert we think we are. The constant tension over a problem only dulls the mind, making it insensitive and weary. Why is there the ceaseless preoccupation with a problem? Will worry resolve it, or does the answer to the problem come when the mind is quiet?

This conflict, this struggling within the cage of thought, is what you call progress.

Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living 2

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Society is based on individual acquisitiveness. Its opposite, with the resulting synthesis, is what we call the new society. In your new society, individual acquisitiveness is opposed by state acquisitiveness, the state being the rulers; the state is now all-important, and not the individual. From this antithesis you say there will eventually be a synthesis in which all individuals are important. This future is imaginary, an ideal; it is the projection of thought, and thought is always the response of memory, of conditioning. It is really a vicious circle with no way out. This conflict, this struggling within the cage of thought, is what you call progress.

Humanity has always struggled against evil in order to be good, but goodness can never come into being if there is any form of violence or struggle.

Krishnamurti, The Whole Movement of Life Is Learning

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Goodness has no opposite. Most of us consider goodness to be the opposite of the bad or evil, and so throughout history, in any culture, goodness has been considered the other face of the brutal. Humanity has always struggled against evil in order to be good, but goodness can never come into being if there is any form of violence or struggle. Goodness shows itself in behaviour, in action and in relationship. Generally, our daily behaviour is based on following patterns, which are mechanical and therefore superficial, or on very carefully thought-out motives based on reward or punishment. So our behaviour, consciously or unconsciously, is calculated. This is not good behaviour. When one realises this, not merely intellectually, then good behaviour comes out of negating what it is not. Good behaviour is, in essence, the absence of the self, the ‘me’. It shows itself in politeness, in consideration for others, in yielding without losing integrity.

The more you resist or struggle against something, the less you comprehend it.

Krishnamurti, Life Ahead

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The more you resist or struggle against something, the less you comprehend it. Surely, it is only when there is freedom, real freedom to think, to discover, that you can find out anything. But freedom cannot exist in a frame; and most of us live in a frame, in a world enclosed by ideas. For instance, you are told by your parents and teachers what is right and wrong, what is bad and what is beneficial. You know what people say, what the priest says, what tradition says and what you have learned in school. All this forms a kind of enclosure within which you live; and, living in that enclosure, you say you are free. Are you? Can you ever be free as long as you live in a prison? So one has to break down the prison walls of tradition and find out for oneself what is real, what is true.

There is no being if there is a struggle to be. In the struggle to be, there is resistance and denial, mortification and renunciation.

Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living 1

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The mind cannot understand. To understand, there must be the warmth of recognition and reception, which only the heart can give when the mind is silent. But the silence of the mind is not the result of cunning calculation. The desire for silence is the curse of achievement, with its endless conflicts and pains. The craving to be, negatively or positively, is the denial of the virtue of the heart. Virtue is not conflict and achievement, prolonged practice and a result, but a state of being which is not the outcome of self-projected desire. There is no being if there is a struggle to be. In the struggle to be, there is resistance and denial, mortification and renunciation, but the overcoming of these is not virtue. Virtue is the tranquillity of freedom from the craving to be, and this tranquillity is of the heart, not of the mind. Through practice, compulsion and resistance, the mind may make itself quiet, but such a discipline destroys the virtue of the heart, without which there is no peace, no blessing; for virtue of the heart is understanding.

There is, consciously or unconsciously, a struggle between thought and the organism. In this way, thought destroys the natural intelligence of the body.

Krishnamurti, The Whole Movement of Life Is Learning

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Can the body be aware of itself? Not you being aware of your own body, but the body itself being aware. This is very important to find out. It cannot be taught by another, for then it is second-hand information, which thought then imposes. You must discover for yourself whether the whole organism, the physical entity, can be aware of itself. You may be aware of the movement of an arm, and through that movement feel that you are becoming aware of the whole, but what we are asking is: can the body be aware of itself without any movement? This is essential to find out because thought has imposed its pattern on the body – what it thinks is right exercise, right food and so on. So there is the domination of thought over the organism; there is consciously or unconsciously a struggle between thought and the organism. In this way, thought is destroying the natural intelligence of the body. Does the body, the physical organism, have its own intelligence? It has when all the senses are acting together in harmony so that there is no straining, no emotional or sensory demands of desire. A healthy body can be brought about only through the harmony of all the senses, which is the intelligence of the body itself.

Do we understand through effort, analysis, comparison or any form of mental struggle? Surely, understanding comes only when the mind is very quiet.

Krishnamurti, The First and Last Freedom

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To understand anything, it is necessary that the mind is still. If we have a problem, we worry over it, we go into it, we analyse it, we tear it to pieces, in the hope of understanding it. Do we understand through effort, analysis, comparison or any form of mental struggle? Surely, understanding comes only when the mind is very quiet. We say that the more we struggle with the question of starvation or war, or any other human problem, the more we come into conflict with it, the better we shall understand it. Now, is that true? Wars have been going on for centuries. Conflict between individuals, between societies – war, inward and outward – is constantly there. Do we resolve that conflict by further conflict, by further struggle, by cunning endeavour, or do we understand the problem only when we are directly in front of it, when we are faced with the fact? We can face the fact only when there is no interfering agitation between the mind and the fact. So is it not important, if we are to understand, that the mind be quiet?

Truth is in ‘what is’ – and that’s the beauty of it. The moment you conceive it, the moment you seek it, you begin to struggle, and one who struggles cannot understand. That is why we have to be still, observant, passively aware.

Krishnamurti, The First and Last Freedom

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The real is near; you do not have to seek it. One who seeks truth will never find it. Truth is in ‘what is’, and that is the beauty of it. The moment you conceive it, the moment you seek it, you begin to struggle, and one who struggles cannot understand. That is why we have to be still, observant, passively aware. We see that our living and action is always within the field of destruction, the field of sorrow; like a wave, confusion and chaos always overtake us – there is no interval in the confusion of existence. Whatever we do at present seems to lead to chaos, sorrow and unhappiness. Look at your own life and you’ll see that our living is always on the border of sorrow. Our work, our social activity, our politics, the various attempts by nations to stop war, all produce further war. Destruction follows in the wake of living; whatever we do leads to death. That is what is actually taking place. Can we stop this misery at once, and not go on always being caught by the wave of confusion and sorrow?

When you see a man struggling to gain, to achieve, to get ahead of somebody else, have you ever asked yourself what is in his heart?

Krishnamurti, Life Ahead

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What has ambition done in the world? When you see a man struggling to gain, to achieve, to get ahead of somebody else, have you ever asked yourself what is in his heart? If you look into your own heart when you are ambitious, when you are struggling to become somebody, spiritually or in the worldly sense, you will find there the worm of fear. The ambitious man is the most frightened of men because he is afraid to be what he is. He says, ‘If I remain what I am, I shall be nobody, therefore I must become somebody important.’ If you examine this process closely, if you go behind the screen of words and ideas, beyond the wall of status and success, you will find there is fear, because the ambitious man is afraid to be what he is. He thinks that what he is in himself is insignificant, poor, ugly; he feels lonely, utterly empty, therefore he says, ‘I must achieve something.’ So either he tries to become somebody in the world or he goes after what he calls God – which is just another form of ambition. In this way, his loneliness, his sense of inward emptiness – of which he is really frightened – is covered up. He runs away from it, and ambition becomes the means through which he can escape.

Why do we go through the struggle to be educated? Is it merely to pass exams and get a job? Or is it the function of education to prepare us to understand the whole process of life?

Krishnamurti, Think on These Things

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I wonder if we have ever asked ourselves what education means. Why do we go to school, why do we learn various subjects, why do we take exams and compete with each other for better grades? What does this so-called education mean, and what is it all about? This is a very important question, not only for students but also for parents, teachers, and for everyone who loves this earth. Why do we go through the struggle to be educated? Is it merely to pass exams and get a job? Or is it the function of education to prepare us to understand the whole process of life? Having a job and earning a livelihood is necessary – but is that all? Are we being educated only for that? Surely, life is not merely a job or occupation; life is something extraordinarily wide and profound, it is a great mystery, a vast realm in which we function as human beings. If we merely prepare ourselves to earn a livelihood, we shall miss the whole point of life; and to understand life is much more important than merely to prepare for exams and become proficient in mathematics, physics, or what you will. So, whether we are teachers or students, is it not important to ask ourselves why we are educating or being educated?

When you are doing something with your whole being, simply because you love to do it, in that there is no ambition, no competition; you are not struggling with anyone for first place.

Krishnamurti, Think on These Things

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Isn’t the ambitious man destroying himself? Look around you, observe the people who are ambitious. What happens when you are ambitious? You are thinking about yourself, you are cruel, you push other people aside because you are trying to fulfil your ambition, thereby creating conflict between those who are succeeding and those who are falling behind. There is a constant battle between you and others who are also after what you want. Is this conflict productive of creative living? Are you ambitious when you love to do something for its own sake? When you are doing something with your whole being, not because you want to get somewhere, or to have more profit, or greater results, but simply because you love to do it – in that there is no ambition, no competition; you are not struggling with anyone for first place. And shouldn’t education help you to find out what you really love to do so that you are working at something which is worthwhile and has deep significance? Otherwise, for the rest of your days, you will be miserable. Not knowing what you really want to do, your mind falls into a routine in which there is only boredom, decay and death. That is why it is very important to find out what you really love to do; and this is the only way to create a new society.

These quotes only touch on the many subjects Krishnamurti inquired into during his lifetime. His timeless and universal teachings can be explored using the Index of Topics where you will find texts, audio and video related on many themes. Another option is to browse our selection of curated articles or more short quotes. Krishnamurti’s reply when asked what lies at the heart of his teachings can be found here. Many Krishnamurti books are available, a selection of which can be explored here. To find out more about Krishnamurti’s life, please see our introduction and the biography. We also host a weekly podcast, and offer free downloads. Please visit our YouTube channel for hundreds of specially selected shorter clips. Below, you can learn more about Krishnamurti and our charity which he founded in 1968.

Krishnamurti outdoors smiling

Who Was Krishnamurti?

J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) is widely regarded as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He spoke throughout the world to large audiences and to individuals, including writers, scientists, philosophers and educators, about the need for a radical change in mankind. Referring to himself, Krishnamurti said:

He is acting as a mirror for you to look into. That mirror is not an authority. It has no authority, it’s just a mirror. And when you see it clearly, understand what you see in that mirror, then throw it away, break it up.

Krishnamurti was concerned with all humanity and held no nationality or belief and belonged to no particular group or culture. In the latter part of his life, along with continuing to give public talks, he travelled mainly between the schools he had founded in India, Britain and the United States, which educate for the total understanding of man and the art of living. He stressed that only this profound understanding can create a new generation that will live in peace.

Krishnamurti reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another. He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. He communicated to his listeners a deep sense of respect for nature. His teachings transcend man-made belief systems, nationalistic sentiment and sectarianism. At the same time, they give new meaning and direction to mankind’s search for truth. His teaching is timeless, universal and increasingly relevant to the modern age.

I am nobody. It is as simple as that. I am nobody. But what is important is who you are, what you are.

Krishnamurti

Krishnamurti spoke not as a guru but as a friend. His talks and discussions are based not on tradition-based knowledge but on his own insights into the human mind and his vision of the sacred, so he always communicated a sense of freshness and directness, although the essence of his message remained unchanged over the years. When Krishnamurti addressed large audiences, people felt that he was talking to each of them personally, addressing their own particular problem. In his private interviews, he was a compassionate teacher, listening attentively to those who came to him in sorrow, and encouraging them to heal themselves through their own understanding. Religious scholars found that his words threw new light on traditional concepts. Krishnamurti took on the challenge of modern scientists and psychologists and went with them step by step, discussing their theories and sometimes enabling them to discern the limitations of their theories.

Krishnamurti left a large body of literature in the form of public talks, writings, discussions with teachers and students, scientists, psychologists and religious figures, conversations with individuals, television and radio interviews, and letters. Many of these have been published as books, in over 60 languages, along with hundreds of audio and video recordings.

Three-quarters portrait photo of Krishnamurti

The Krishnamurti Foundation

Established in 1968 as a registered charity, and located at The Krishnamurti Centre, Krishnamurti Foundation Trust exists to preserve and make available Krishnamurti’s teachings.

The Foundation serves a global audience by providing worldwide free access to Krishnamurti videos, audio and texts to those who may be interested in pursuing an understanding of Krishnamurti’s work in their own lives.

In describing his intentions for the Foundations, Krishnamurti said: 

The Foundations will see to it that these teachings are kept whole, are not distorted, are not made corrupt.

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