The Emotional Center must take part

Suppose you attempt to work from memory of what you know of the Work and without any understanding of it. It is quite possible that you could say to me after a time: "I observe myself three times a day after meals for one minute. I remember myself before breakfast and after dinner for two minutes, if I remember to. I read the Commentaries—two pages a day—before going to bed. But I do not seem to get any result. I have not had any higher emotional experiences."

No—you would not. You will see at once, surely that such a person is not working from any understanding of the Work, but by a sort of rule of thumb. Nothing of the Emotional Center participates. It is just cut and dried stuff—like a daily dozen of bending and stretching, prescribed by the doctor. Efforts of this kind are useless. Indeed, every effort you make without understanding is useless. Only what you do from your understanding counts.

Maurice Nicoll, “Understanding the Work" in Psychological Commentaries on the Teaching of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky (Vol. 5, p. 1630)