Q0579
“Know yourself, for the knowledge of the self is the key to…” — Al-Ghazali (The Alchemy of Happiness)
Verified English quotation. Primary source: The Alchemy of Happiness. Theme: self.
English
Know yourself, for the knowledge of the self is the key to the knowledge of God.
Source and attribution
The archive attributes this English wording to The Alchemy of Happiness and files it under Islamic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
About Al-Ghazali
Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (1058–1111) taught law and theology in Baghdad before a crisis of certainty drove him from public office into Sufi practice and writing. He mastered the falāsifa well enough to attack their metaphysics in The Incoherence of the Philosophers, then narrated his own epistemic itinerary in Deliverance from Error.
How to read this passage
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, god, knowledge.
Concepts in this quote
- Self
- Philosophy quotes about self explore identity, responsibility, and the examined life—from Socrates’ unexamined life to modern phenomenology and existential authenticity.
- God
- God appears in this archive as a live philosophical concern—not a slogan. These verified English passages show how thinkers treat god as a problem of judgment, practice, or explanation.
- Knowledge
- Knowledge is the philosophical study of what we can justifiably claim to know—and where certainty ends.
How to cite this quotation
APA: Al-Ghazali. (n.d.). Know yourself, for the knowledge of the self is the key to the knowledge of God. In Philosophy Blind Box. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0579
MLA: Al-Ghazali. “Know yourself, for the knowledge of the self….” Philosophy Blind Box, https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0579.
Chicago: Al-Ghazali. “Know yourself, for the knowledge of the self….” Philosophy Blind Box. Accessed 2026. https://www.philosophydef.com/quotes/q0579.
Frequently asked questions
What is the source of the quotation “Know yourself, for the knowledge of the self…”?
The passage is attributed to Al-Ghazali, The Alchemy of Happiness. The archive attributes this English wording to The Alchemy of Happiness and files it under Islamic Philosophy. That locator distinguishes the passage from loose internet attributions: readers can return to the named work or section to check translation, surrounding argument, and edition-specific wording.
What does Al-Ghazali mean by self?
To ask about the self is to ask what persists through experience, what can be known from the first-person point of view, and how character is formed. Some traditions treat the self as a substantial soul; others as a stream of experience, a social role, or a practical center of agency. This passage enters that discussion through self, god, knowledge.