To Know What We Want: Becoming Conscious of First Force

We really do not know what we want—that is, we are not conscious in 1st Force in us. If we take what we want, desire, wish for, expect, hope for, as 1st Force, then, whatever the nature of our wish, it will arouse a specific and definite 2nd Force that opposes the wish.

Since every 1st Force arouses its related 2nd Force, we cannot study 2nd Force in ourselves unless we are more conscious of 1st Force, which, as was said, may be acting all the time without our seeing it.

Maurice Nicoll, “Commentary on Second Force in Oneself" in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 2, p. 542)