--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever you think you are, that's not…" description: "\"Whatever you think you are, that's not what you are.\" — Ajahn Sumedho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png" --- # Whatever you think you are, that's not what you are. ![“Whatever you think you are, that's not what you are.” quote by Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png) > “Whatever you think you are, that's not what you are.” [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑perception often mismatches reality; recognizing this gap is key to authentic growth. **In simple terms:** You may not be what you think. Key Takeaway Question self‑image, seek truth. Themes self‑knowledge identity mindfulness Mood thoughtful calm Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - spiritual practice - coaching Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What evidence challenges your self‑view? - How can you align perception with reality? A Different Perspective Self‑deception can be comforting but limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It's not a failure if a marriage or partnership ends after a certain number of years. 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You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-bregoli/do-what-you-re-happy-with-and-not-what-you-think-whoever-else-is/) [Danielle Bregoli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-bregoli/) > [I think Diana was a very friendly person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-corrin/i-think-diana-was-a-very-friendly-person/) [Emma Corrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-corrin/) > [I am mostly a positive person and I think I always have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-becker/i-am-mostly-a-positive-person-and-i-think-i-always-have-been/) [Jason Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-becker/) > [I like to think of myself as a very down-to-earth person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-hudson-odoi/i-like-to-think-of-myself-as-a-very-down-to-earth-person/) [Callum Hudson-Odoi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-hudson-odoi/) > [I like to play people that are real, a real person, and then something that's interesting with that person. 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Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) ## More by Ajahn Sumedho > [The problem is grasping the clock. So what do I do? Let it go, lay it aside - put it down gently without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/the-problem-is-grasping-the-clock-so-what-do-i-do-let-it-go-lay-it/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [The goal lies away from the sensual world. It is not a rejection of the sensual world, but understanding it so well that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/the-goal-lies-away-from-the-sensual-world-it-is-not-a-rejection-of/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [We look directly into our suffering rather than try to become happy. The happiness that arises from this approach is reliable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/we-look-directly-into-our-suffering-rather-than-try-to-become-happy/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [A new day is here. Yesterday is a memory. Tomorrow is unknown. Now is the knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/a-new-day-is-here-yesterday-is-a-memory-tomorrow-is-unknown-now-is/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [Instead of becoming the world’s expert on Buddhism, just let go, let go, let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/instead-of-becoming-the-world-s-expert-on-buddhism-just-let-go-let-go/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [Of course we can always imagine more perfect conditions, how it should be ideally, how everyone should behave. But it is not our task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/of-course-we-can-always-imagine-more-perfect-conditions-how-it-should/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [The empty mind - the pure mind - is not a blank, zero-land, where you're not feeling or caring about anything. It's an effulgence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/the-empty-mind-the-pure-mind-is-not-a-blank-zero-land-where-you-re/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [The mind of an enlightened human being is flexible and adaptable. The mind of the ignorant person is conditioned and fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/the-mind-of-an-enlightened-human-being-is-flexible-and-adaptable-the/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [Meditation is a skilful letting go: gently but with resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/meditation-is-a-skilful-letting-go-gently-but-with-resolution/) [Ajahn Sumedho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/) > [Suttas are not meant to be 'sacred scriptures' that tell us what to believe. 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Being their own person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/they-re-threatened-by-you-she-said-you-chose-to-do-something-they-d/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [I think a person has to just be herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nixon/i-think-a-person-has-to-just-be-herself/) [Pat Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nixon/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Sometimes, the person you trust most is the one who trusts you the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/sometimes-the-person-you-trust-most-is-the-one-who-trusts-you-the/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I'm not the sort of person who would want to just lie on the sofa watching TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-m-not-the-sort-of-person-who-would-want-to-just-lie-on-the-sofa/) [Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/) > [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Be proud of who you are & who you represent.You are unique, there is no other exactly like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/be-proud-of-who-you-are-who-you-represent-you-are-unique-there-is-no/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“if you act (and dress) as if you have a fascinating inner life, you may soon find that you actually do—and that you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-act-and-dress-as-if-you-have-a-fascinating-inner-life-you-may/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 19,722 Person quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whatever you think you are, that's not what you are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ajahn Sumedho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-what-you-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-what-you-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5df/ajahn-sumedho-38140_person_whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-wh_2864609.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whatever you think you are, that's not what you are.” — Ajahn Sumedho", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ajahn Sumedho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-sumedho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Whatever you think you are, that's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-what-you-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-sumedho/whatever-you-think-you-are-that-s-not-what-you-are/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```