Who said “It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never…”?

Verified

George Gurdjieff. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceIn Search of the Miraculous (1949)

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“It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.”
— George Gurdjieff
VerifiedIn Search of the Miraculous (1949) · evidenceChange

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: In Search of the Miraculous (1949).

APA

Gurdjieff, G. (n.d.). It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/9177-it-is-the-greatest-mistake-to-think-that/

MLA

Gurdjieff, George. “It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/9177-it-is-the-greatest-mistake-to-think-that/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Gurdjieff, George. “It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/9177-it-is-the-greatest-mistake-to-think-that/.

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More quotes by George Gurdjieff

“A man may be born, but in order to be born he must first die, and in order to die he must first awake.”
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“Man has the possibility of existence after death. But possibility is one thing and the realization of the possibility is quite a different thing.”
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“Without self knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave.”
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“Religion is doing; a man does not merely think his religion or feel it, he ''lives'' his religion as much as he is able, otherwise it is not religion but fantasy or philosophy.”
VerifiedIn Search of the Miraculous (1949) · evidenceDetails & citeReligion
All 12 George Gurdjieff quotes →