What does from without mean?

Answer 1

'From without' means, quite simply, 'from outside of'.

To illustrate, look at this statement:

"The power to change one's self comes from within."

This statement essentially suggests that if one wants to change themselves, that change will start within them.

But what if a certain person felt that the power to change is something that originates outside of themselves? The statement might look like this:

"The power to change one's self comes from without."

The popularity of 'from within' is considerably greater in common parlance than it's counter-part 'from without'. This is probably because 'from without' seems confusing at first. In fact, I have found myself using 'from without' in many of my own writings in the past, and I oftentimes consider rephrasing simply because it sounds awkward.