Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that is where

“Inside myself is a place where I live all alone, and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up.”
So spoke Pearl S. Buck, a woman whose heart bridged East and West, and whose wisdom was born from solitude as much as from love. Her words are not those of sorrow, but of deep knowing — a revelation that the truest strength flows not from the world outside, but from the inner sanctuary of the soul. She tells us that within every human being lies a sacred space, a quiet well untouched by the noise of the earth, where one may return and drink of peace when all else runs dry.

To live all alone inside oneself is not an act of isolation, but of renewal. The ancients knew this truth well. The desert fathers and the wandering philosophers sought silence, not because they despised the world, but because they wished to hear the voice beneath all voices — the whisper of the eternal. For in that inner chamber where no other can enter, the spirit drinks from the springs that never dry up — the source of creativity, courage, and compassion. The world may wound, deceive, and exhaust, but the inner well, if guarded, forever restores.

Consider the life of Pearl S. Buck herself. Raised between cultures, she often stood in the space between belonging and estrangement. She witnessed the turbulence of war and the poverty of nations, yet from her solitude she wrote stories that overflowed with humanity. Her strength came not from applause or companionship, but from that secret river within her — the wellspring of empathy and endurance. When others bent beneath the storms of history, Buck returned to that inner dwelling, and there she found the words that healed the hearts of millions.

Even Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome, spoke of this same sanctuary. Amid battles, betrayals, and the vast machinery of empire, he wrote to himself in Meditations: “Men seek retreats in the countryside, by the sea, or in the mountains; but you can retreat into yourself at any moment.” His wisdom mirrors Buck’s: that within each soul lies a citadel of calm, where no misfortune can intrude unless the gate is opened from within. To live wisely, one must know how to return to that inner kingdom — not as a fugitive, but as a king.

This inner dwelling, this place of renewal, is not built in a day. It must be cultivated with stillness, with reflection, and with honesty. To enter it, one must strip away all masks — ambition, pride, desire — and stand alone before one’s true nature. There, in the still water, the self sees its reflection clearly. It is a humbling sight, yet a freeing one. From that stillness comes strength that no external praise or scorn can shake.

Therefore, the teaching of this quote is both simple and eternal: go inward, and you shall be renewed. When the heart is weary, when the world feels hollow, return to that inner place. Sit in silence. Listen to the quiet pulse of your being. Write, pray, meditate, walk beneath the open sky — whatever leads you back to that sacred solitude where your soul breathes freely. The springs are always there; they only wait for you to remember their path.

Let those who hear these words understand: the greatest wisdom does not come from the noise of men, but from the stillness within. The heroes of every age — from sages to poets to warriors — have all known the power of returning to the source. Guard your inner spring, for it is the well from which your compassion, your creativity, and your purpose flow. The world will drain you if you let it, but your spirit, renewed in solitude, will never run dry.

And so, when life grows heavy and the heart feels barren, remember Pearl S. Buck’s truth: inside yourself lies a place that cannot be broken. Go there. Drink deeply. And rise again, refreshed by the waters that are eternal.