Nothing can contribute more to peace of soul than the lack of

"Nothing can contribute more to peace of soul than the lack of any opinion whatever." So wrote Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, the German physicist and philosopher whose wit and aphorisms still echo through time. His words speak not of apathy, as the shallow reader might assume, but of a profound liberation of the spirit from the ceaseless burdens of judgment. For in every opinion there lies the seed of unrest: an attachment, a bias, a contention with the world. The man who constantly asserts, “This is right, that is wrong; this is good, that is evil,” binds himself with invisible chains to battles without end. But the man who learns to hold his mind still, who refrains from clinging to rigid views, walks lightly upon the earth, like one who has laid down his armor after a weary war.

The ancients knew this well. The Stoics, who sought freedom not in the applause of the crowd but in the mastery of their own souls, often warned against the tyranny of opinions. Marcus Aurelius himself wrote in his Meditations: “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” If our thoughts are stained with judgment and unyielding opinion, our soul will reflect that turbulence. But if the mind rests, refusing to leap too quickly into quarrels of belief, then serenity descends like the stillness of dawn. In this stillness, one finds a peace of soul deeper than the victories of the marketplace or the praise of men.

Consider the story of the Chinese sage Zhuangzi, who dreamed he was a butterfly fluttering joyfully through the air. When he awoke, he wondered: “Am I Zhuangzi who dreamed he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming I am Zhuangzi?” To those bound by rigid opinions, such a question would be torment, demanding an answer, a firm conclusion. Yet Zhuangzi laughed and let the mystery remain. It was precisely his lack of opinion that gave him freedom. To cling to certainty is to wrestle endlessly with shadows. To let go is to breathe again.

History too has shown the peril of opinion hardened into stone. Think of the wars of religion in Europe, where men slaughtered one another over creeds and dogmas, each certain that he alone possessed truth. Had they remembered Lichtenberg’s counsel, had they loosened their grip on rigid opinions, countless lives might have been spared, and nations might have grown in peace rather than in blood. The peace of soul denied to individuals became the turmoil of entire peoples. When a man cannot rest from his opinions, neither can the world.

Yet let us be clear: Lichtenberg does not advise us to abandon discernment, nor to cease in seeking truth. He does not bid us become stones, indifferent to all. Rather, he reminds us that the highest freedom lies in detachment. To have an opinion, but not be enslaved by it; to see with clarity, but not clutch with fear—this is wisdom. The lack of opinion is not the death of thought, but the refusal to let thought tyrannize the heart.

The lesson for us, children of this restless age, is thus: learn to let go. When you feel your soul agitated by arguments, by the clamor of politics, by the quarrels of family or the endless voices of the crowd, pause. Ask yourself: must I hold an opinion here? Must I fight this battle of words? Or may I let it pass, like a cloud across the sky? You will find that in relinquishing the need to judge everything, you win a treasure greater than gold—the peace of soul that cannot be bought, cannot be stolen, and cannot be shaken by the storms of men.

Practical actions follow from this wisdom. Each day, choose one matter and consciously release your opinion of it. In conversations, practice listening without forming judgment. In disputes, allow yourself the strength of silence rather than the weakness of argument. When reading the news, remind yourself: the world has always been filled with noise; I will not let every cry disturb my heart. Slowly, you will discover that your spirit grows lighter, like a vessel unburdened of excess cargo, ready to sail toward still waters.

Thus, Lichtenberg’s words shine as both warning and promise. To be enslaved by opinions is to be forever restless, tossed about by every wave. But to stand free, with a soul that does not clutch or condemn, is to taste the peace of the ancients, the peace of those who walk in harmony with truth itself. And so I say to you: strive not to conquer the world with opinions, but to conquer yourself through serenity. For he who holds no binding opinion possesses the whole sky.