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Children Quote by Aidan Chambers

“I’ve always been a slow learner in some areas of my life.mostly the areas known as myself. Or maybe I should say ‘selves.’because the fact is, I’ve never, even as a child, felt I’m only one self, only one person. I’ve always felt I’m quite a few more than one. For example, there’s my jokey self…” quote by Aidan Chambers
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““I’ve always been a slow learner in some areas of my life.mostly the areas known as myself. Or maybe I should say ‘selves.’because the fact is, I’ve never, even as a child, felt I’m only one self, only one person. I’ve always felt I’m quite a few more than one. For example, there’s my jokey self, there’s my morose and fed-up self,there’s my lewd and disgusting self. There’s my clever-clogs self, and my fading-violet-who-cant-make-up-her-mind-about-anything self. There’s my untidy-clothes-everywhere-all-over-my-room self, and my manically tidy self when I want my room to be minimalist and Zen to the nth degree. There’s my confidant, arrogant self and my polite and reasonable and good listener self. There’s my self-righteous self and my wickedly bad self, my flaky self and my bsentimental self. There are selfs I like and selfs I don’t like.there’s my little-girl selfnwhonlikes to play silly games and there’s my old-woman self when I’m quite sure I’m eighty and edging towards geriatric. The self I show in action at any moment depends on where I am, who I’m with, the circumstances of the situation and the mood I’m in.””

Aidan Chambers

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Dream Catcher, Aidan Chambers, 1995

People contain multiple selves that shift with context, mood, and relationships, creating a fluid identity.

In simple terms: Identity is many selves, changing with context.

Key Takeaway

Accept and integrate your varied selves.

Themes

identity self‑concept fluidity context

Mood

introspective empathetic

Type

literary inspirational

When to use this quote

  • personal growth
  • therapy
  • role‑playing
  • team dynamics
  • creative writing

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy literature

Questions to Reflect On

  • Which self guides you most often?
  • How can you harmonize conflicting selves?
A Different Perspective

Fragmented selves may cause inner conflict and indecision.

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