Best U.G. Krishnamurti Quotes

On Life and Individuality

• “Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture has invented a single mold to which all must conform. It is grotesque.”
• “We are not created for any grander purpose than the ants that are there or the flies that are hovering around us or the mosquitoes that are sucking our blood.”
• “The body is a fortuitous concourse of atoms. There is no death for the body, only an exchange of atoms.”
• “To be yourself requires extraordinary intelligence. You are blessed with that intelligence; nobody need give it to you; nobody can take it away from you.”

On Thought and the Illusion of Self

• “Thought can never capture the movement of life; it is much too slow.”
• “The plain fact is that if you don't have a problem, you create one. If you don't have a problem, you don't feel that you are living.”
• “Human thinking is born out of a neurological defect in the human species. Anything that is born out of human thinking is destructive.”
• “What you know can never be the beyond. Whatever you experience is not the beyond.”

On Freedom and Enlightenment

• “I discovered for myself and by myself that there is no self to realize—that's the realization I am talking about. It comes as a shattering blow.”
• “Don't follow me, I'm lost.”
• “Freedom exists not in finding answers, but in the dissolution of all questions.”
• “The fact is that we don't want to be free. What is responsible for our problems is the fear of losing what we have and what we know.”

On Society and Spirituality

• “Society has put before you the ideal of a 'perfect man'. No matter in which culture you were born, you have scriptural doctrines and traditions handed down to you to tell you how to behave.”
• “A messiah is the one who leaves a mess behind him in this world.”
• “If you have the courage to touch life for the first time, you will never know what hit you.”
• “Only if you reject all the other paths can you discover your own path.”

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why did U.G. Krishnamurti reject enlightenment?

U.G. Krishnamurti believed that enlightenment was an illusion and that the search for it was fueled by fear and psychological conditioning rather than reality.

2. What did U.G. mean by "thought is your enemy"?

He argued that thought creates artificial boundaries and illusions that prevent people from experiencing life as it is.

3. Did U.G. Krishnamurti have a philosophy?

He rejected all structured philosophies, stating that truth cannot be systematized or taught.

4. What was U.G.'s view on spirituality?

He dismissed spirituality as a fabricated industry, arguing that gurus and religious systems exploit people's insecurities.

5. What is U.G.'s most famous quote?

One of his most well-known quotes is: “Don't follow me, I'm lost.”