The Battle of 'I's and the Practice of Inner Separation

The Work is a system of observation and comes from Conscious Humanity—that is, from those who have gone through this battle of 'I's and attained their goal. When we are in bad states of thinking and feeling, if we make no effort to recall better states we are dragged down. And yet we need not be dragged down.

Sometimes when we can do nothing with ourselves for the time being, we can at least retain the power of not completely consenting to our state, of not believing it entirely, and, as it were, being patient with ourselves and realizing we are all wrong, and yet not seeing how to get out of the state.

When you realize beyond any doubt that you have different 'I's in you, when you can hear them speaking or notice them working in your emotions, and yet remain separate from them, you begin to understand the Work on its practical side. You begin to understand the first line of the Work— i.e. on oneself.

Maurice Nicoll, “The Doctrine of I’s" in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 2, p. 596)