Gurdjieff:
“Such is the ordinary average man—an unconscious slave of the whole service to all-universal purposes, which are alien to his own personal individuality…
“And although this is the lot of every life, yet at the same time Great Nature gave… to man corresponding possibilities to be not merely a blind tool of… the all-universal aim, but at the same time…to produce what is required in excess, and to utilize this excess for his ‘egoism,’ that is to say, for the definition and manifestation of his own individuality.
“This possibility is given also for serving the common aim, as…such relatively liberated, self-constructed, independent lives, and in particular of human origin, are also necessary. —Life Is Real Only Then When “I Am” – Third Talk
Maurice Nicoll:
If man were a unity instead of being a multiplicity, he would have true individuality. He would be one, and so would have one will. The illusion, therefore, that a man has about himself—that he is one—refers to a possibility… —Psychological Commentaries Vol. 1, Commentary II, Birdlip, June 6, 1941
Orage:
All that comes through heredity is called essence. While that which is the result of the interplay between essence and environment is termed personality…
Essence…contains all particles of planetary matter corresponding to all planets by which we are affected at the time of conception, or at the time of birth. Since the planetary influences are never the same, it follows, that each person in essence is constituted differently… —Gurdjieff’s Emissary in New York: Talks and Lectures with A.R. Orage 1924-1931 – January 1925
Gurdjieff:
“Essence in man is what is his own. Personality in man is what is ‘not his own.’ ‘Not his own’ means what has come from outside, what he has learned, or reflects, all traces of exterior impressions left in the memory and in the sensations, all words and movements that have been learned, all feelings created by imitation—all this is ‘not his own,’ all this is personality…
“…A man’s real I, his individuality, can grow only from his essence. It can be said that a man’s individuality is his essence, grown up, mature. But in order to enable essence to grow up…
“Personality must become passive and essence must become active. This can happen only if ‘buffers’ are removed or weakened, because ‘buffers’ are the chief weapon by the help of which personality holds essence in subjection…—In Search of the Miraculous, Chapter 8
Maurice Nicoll:
The only part of us that can get in touch with Real I is Essence. Real I—Master—is fully developed. Essence is not…
Essence…cannot develop by itself beyond a very small point, unless first of all it is surrounded with a side acquired from this planet, which is called Personality, which in turn, if we begin to work against the aspect of it called False Personality, will feed undeveloped Essence. As Essence begins to grow…so does the possibility of finding flashes of Real I… —Psychological Commentaries, Vol 4, Commentary On Real I, Amwell, Jan 29, 1949
Jean Vaysse:
Essence and personality have as their support a third constituent of man: his organic body. This is the instrument through which all the exchanges which make life possible take place. These are the three basic elements given to man. Each of them has its center of gravity in one of the principal centers of man. The center of gravity of the body is the moving center; the center of gravity of essence is the emotional center; and the center of gravity of the personality is the intellectual center…
In the natural order of man’s life, these three parts… are only occasionally connected together… The establishment of real connections can only come as the result of a specially directed work of man on himself, and carrying out such work is the first step toward achieving unity and individuality
His threefold constitution makes this individuality possible for man, with the quality of presence that goes with it… but since his three parts are independent of each other by nature, individuality is not given to man at birth. It can only be attained as a result of a long work on himself… —Toward Awakening, Essence and Personality
Mme. de Salzmann
Real “I” comes from essence. Its development depends on the wish of essence—a wish to be and then a wish to become able to be. Essence is formed from impressions that are assimilated in early childhood, usually up to the age of five or six when a fissure appears between essence and personality. In order to develop further, essence must become active in spite of resistance from the pressure of personality. We need to “remember ourselves” for our essence to receive impressions…
In order to be assimilated and transformed, impressions have to be received by essence. This requires a conscious effort at the moment of the impression. And it requires a definite feeling, a feeling of love for being, for being present… —The Reality of Being – 4. “I” am not here