A man can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it. This must be understood from the very beginning. One must learn from him who knows.

He claimed that the teachings he brought to the West from his own experiences and early travels expressed the truth found in ancient religions and wisdom teachings relating to self-awareness in people's daily lives and humanity's place in the universe. According to his principles and instructions. At different times in his life Gurdjieff formed and closed various schools around the world to teach the work.

George Ivanovich Gurdjieff (Russian: Гео́ргий Ива́нович Гурджи́ев; January 13 1866 – October 29 1949) was an influential spiritual teacher of the early to mid-20th century who taught that most humans live their lives in a state of hypnotic "waking sleep" but that it is possible to transcend to a higher state of consciousness and achieve full human potential. Gurdjieff's method for awakening one's consciousness is different from that of the fakir monk or yogi so his discipline is also called (originally) the "Fourth Way".