Siddhartha (a brahmin boy) in search of enlightenment lives life being a brahmin, a Samana, a rich merchant, a lover, a ferryman and a father on his path of spiritual awakening. He refuses to be a student or a devotee. He learns from child-like people, his own experiences and mostly from the nature - (the river). His journey is nothing but the path of finding the Aatman within himself and accepting the world with all it's flaws. The books perfectly depicts how one should be a devoted learner throughout the lifetime and how one can seek wisdom within themselves. One can easily follow through Siddhartha's persona to realise that - to achieve the eternal peace and consciousness, one must loose their sense of self and ego.

The following sentence by Siddhartha perfectly captures the essence of all his learning over the years...
"... To thoroughly understand the world, to explain it, to despise it, may be the thing great thinkers do. But I'm only interested in being able to love the world, not to despise it, not to hat it and me, to be able to look upon it and me, and all beings with love and admiration and great respect."