---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you know yourself, you are doomed."
description: "\"If you know yourself, you are doomed.\" — Alexey Brodovitch"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png"
---

#  If you know yourself, you are doomed.

![“If you know yourself, you are doomed.” quote by Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png)

> “If you know yourself, you are doomed.”

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Self‑knowledge can reveal uncomfortable truths, leading to existential discomfort.

**In simple terms:** Knowing yourself can be unsettling.

Key Takeaway

Accept uncertainty in self‑discovery.

Themes

self‑knowledge existential doom awareness

Mood

introspective cautious

Type

philosophical thought‑provoking

When to use this quote

- therapy
- journaling
- mindfulness practice
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology identity

Questions to Reflect On

- What parts of yourself are hardest to accept?
- How can you navigate self‑discovery safely?

A Different Perspective

Self‑knowledge may cause anxiety.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Doomed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-doomed-3663591/) [Know yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-yourself/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/)

## Related quotes

> [I do not want to belong to cinema history. I am a woman - I know I'm doomed anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-sciamma/i-do-not-want-to-belong-to-cinema-history-i-am-a-woman-i-know-i-m/)

[Celine Sciamma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-sciamma/)

> [“I know that I'm doomed and I'm not going to struggle against my fate. I am only writing this down so that when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/i-know-that-i-m-doomed-and-i-m-not-going-to-struggle-against-my-fate/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [I didn't have any role models. I really thought I was doomed to this loveless, lonely life. I didn't know any gay people until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-batt/i-didn-t-have-any-role-models-i-really-thought-i-was-doomed-to-this/)

[Bryan Batt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-batt/)

> [You never really know yourself until you see yourself under pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/you-never-really-know-yourself-until-you-see-yourself-under-pressure/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [Know yourself to improve yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auguste-comte/know-yourself-to-improve-yourself/)

[Auguste Comte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auguste-comte/)

> [There is nothing to do, just be. Do nothing. Be. No climbing mountains and sitting in caves. I do not even say "be yourself"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/there-is-nothing-to-do-just-be-do-nothing-be-no-climbing-mountains/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-like-ren-descartes-theory-about-a-ball-of-wax-you-can-change-its/)

[Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/)

> [It is important for investors to understand what they do and don't know. Learn to recognize that you cannot possibly know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/it-is-important-for-investors-to-understand-what-they-do-and-don-t/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [If you only know something one way, then you don't really know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arndt/if-you-only-know-something-one-way-then-you-don-t-really-know-it/)

[Michael Arndt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arndt/)

> [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [It won't do you a bit of good to know everything if you don't do anything with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/it-won-t-do-you-a-bit-of-good-to-know-everything-if-you-don-t-do/)

[Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/)

> [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/)

[Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/)

> [Use the creative process - singing, writing, art, dance, whatever - to get to know yourself better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catie-curtis/use-the-creative-process-singing-writing-art-dance-whatever-to-get-to/)

[Catie Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catie-curtis/)

> [In any competitive environment, whether you're in sales or marketing or whatever it is, you have to know your competition, understand who they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-moses/in-any-competitive-environment-whether-you-re-in-sales-or-marketing/)

[Edwin Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-moses/)

## More by Alexey Brodovitch

> [Astonish me! (Instruction to photographers)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/astonish-me-instruction-to-photographers/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [There is no recipe for good layout, what must be maintained is a feeling of change and contrast. A layout man should be simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/there-is-no-recipe-for-good-layout-what-must-be-maintained-is-a/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [What is of value is that a particular photographer sees the subject differently than I do. A good picture must be a completely individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/what-is-of-value-is-that-a-particular-photographer-sees-the-subject/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [Surprise quality can be achieved in many ways. It may be produced by a certain stimulating geometrical relationship between elements in the picture or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/surprise-quality-can-be-achieved-in-many-ways-it-may-be-produced-by-a/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [ Imitation is the greatest danger of the young \[artist\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/imitation-is-the-greatest-danger-of-the-young-artist/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [It is the photographer's decision at the two levels of seeing the picture - when it is shot and when it is chosen and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/it-is-the-photographer-s-decision-at-the-two-levels-of-seeing-the/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [It is the end result that counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/it-is-the-end-result-that-counts/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [What is good today may be a cliche tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/what-is-good-today-may-be-a-cliche-tomorrow/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [It is the unexpected and the surprise quality of a personal vision, rather than the emotion, which make people respond to a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/it-is-the-unexpected-and-the-surprise-quality-of-a-personal-vision/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [The personality and style of a photographer usually limits the type of subject with which he deals best. For example Cartier-Bresson is very interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/the-personality-and-style-of-a-photographer-usually-limits-the-type/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [Photographers should make three or four prints from one negative and then crop them differently. When I was art director at Harper's Bazaar and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/photographers-should-make-three-or-four-prints-from-one-negative-and/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [When I say that a good picture has surprise quality or shock appeal, I do not mean that it is a loud or vulgar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/when-i-say-that-a-good-picture-has-surprise-quality-or-shock-appeal-i/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [It is every photographer's responsibility to discover new images and a new personal way of looking at things. If he can do this his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/it-is-every-photographer-s-responsibility-to-discover-new-images-and/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [The photograph is not only a pictorial report; it is also a psychological report. It represents the feelings and point of view of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/the-photograph-is-not-only-a-pictorial-report-it-is-also-a/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

> [The creative life of the commercial photographer is like the life of a butterfly. Very seldom do we see a photographer who is really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/the-creative-life-of-the-commercial-photographer-is-like-the-life-of/)

[Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

[Explore all 21 Alexey Brodovitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/)

## More Doomed quotes

> [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/)

[Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [I didn't have any role models. I really thought I was doomed to this loveless, lonely life. I didn't know any gay people until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-batt/i-didn-t-have-any-role-models-i-really-thought-i-was-doomed-to-this/)

[Bryan Batt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-batt/)

> [“Despite which, Charlie seems doomed to stumble around in the dark, clutching pieces of a puzzle he still can't see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/despite-which-charlie-seems-doomed-to-stumble-around-in-the-dark/)

[Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/)

> [Monotheism is in its turn doomed to subtract one more God and become atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-warraq/monotheism-is-in-its-turn-doomed-to-subtract-one-more-god-and-become/)

[Ibn Warraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-warraq/)

> [“Why are we doomed to crave most that which we cannot have?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-are-we-doomed-to-crave-most-that-which-we-cannot-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I'm doomed! And all 'cause Miss Man decides to take her little drag show on the road. -Mushu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulan/i-m-doomed-and-all-cause-miss-man-decides-to-take-her-little-drag/)

[Mulan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulan/)

> [It is important for investors to understand what they do and don't know. Learn to recognize that you cannot possibly know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/it-is-important-for-investors-to-understand-what-they-do-and-don-t/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [O Logic: born gatekeeper to the Temple of Science, victim of capricious destiny: doomed hitherto to be the drudge of pedants: come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-bentham/o-logic-born-gatekeeper-to-the-temple-of-science-victim-of-capricious/)

[Jeremy Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-bentham/)

> [For the planet's sake, I hope we have bird flu or some other thing that will reduce the population, because otherwise we're doomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-blackmore/for-the-planet-s-sake-i-hope-we-have-bird-flu-or-some-other-thing/)

[Susan Blackmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-blackmore/)

> [The enemy's spies who have come to spy on us must be sought out, tempted with bribes, led away and comfortably housed. Thus they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/the-enemy-s-spies-who-have-come-to-spy-on-us-must-be-sought-out/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [I do honestly think that if women were running the world there would be more investment in peace, because basically as women we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/i-do-honestly-think-that-if-women-were-running-the-world-there-would/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [When you think that most of us are doomed by divine grace to roast in hell, to say nothing of mortgages and hail and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinclair-lewis/when-you-think-that-most-of-us-are-doomed-by-divine-grace-to-roast-in/)

[Sinclair Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinclair-lewis/)

> [I am doomed or fortunate to stick to what I do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-sobule/i-am-doomed-or-fortunate-to-stick-to-what-i-do-best/)

[Jill Sobule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-sobule/)

[Browse all 648 Doomed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doomed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you know yourself, you are doomed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexey Brodovitch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doomed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/alexey-brodovitch-27145_doomed_if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed-2850_2850045.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you know yourself, you are doomed.” — Alexey Brodovitch",
                "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": "Alexey Brodovitch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you know yourself, you are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/if-you-know-yourself-you-are-doomed/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
