--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a…" description: "\"“Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their bread knows how it goes: When you board, you exhibit the same persona you use with your col..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/amor-towles-1249_persona_anyone-who-has-ridden-the-subway-twice-a_1774142.png" --- # Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their… ![“Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their bread knows how it goes: When you board, you exhibit the same persona you use with your colleagues and acquaintances. You've carried it through the turnstile and past the sliding doors, so that your fellow passengers can tell who you are…” quote by Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/amor-towles-1249_persona_anyone-who-has-ridden-the-subway-twice-a_1774142.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/amor-towles-1249_persona_anyone-who-has-ridden-the-subway-twice-a_1774142.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ed/amor-towles-1249_persona_anyone-who-has-ridden-the-subway-twice-a_1774142.png) > ““Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their bread knows how it goes: When you board, you exhibit the same persona you use with your colleagues and acquaintances. You've carried it through the turnstile and past the sliding doors, so that your fellow passengers can tell who you are - cocky or cautious, amorous or indifferent, loaded or on the dole. But you find yourself a seat and the train gets under way; it comes to one station and then another; people get off and others get on. And under the influence of the cradlelike rocking of the train, your carefully crafted persona begins to slip away. The super-ego dissolves as your mind begins to wander aimlessly over your cares and your dreams; or better yet, it drifts into ambient hypnosis, where even cares and dreams recede and the peaceful silence of the cosmos pervades.”” [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeated daily routines can strip away our social masks, revealing a more authentic self as we drift into a meditative state. **In simple terms:** Routine can reveal our true selves when we let go of pretenses. Key Takeaway Notice how familiar settings reveal your authentic thoughts. Themes authenticity routine identity mindfulness social masks Mood contemplative introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - commuting - daily work - public transport - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology social behavior mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What does your true self look like in mundane moments? - Can you maintain authenticity outside routine? A Different Perspective The effect may be temporary and situational. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Persona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persona/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sliding doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sliding-doors/) ## Related quotes > [“And under the influence of the cradle like rocking of the train, your carefully crafted persona begins to slip away. The superego dissolves as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/and-under-the-influence-of-the-cradle-like-rocking-of-the-train-your/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Meditation... dissolves the mind. It erases itself. Throws the ego out on its big brittle ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/meditation-dissolves-the-mind-it-erases-itself-throws-the-ego-out-on/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Meditation,” said his teacher, “hasn’t got a damn thing to do with anything, ‘cause all it has to do with is nothing. Nothingness. Okay?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/meditation-said-his-teacher-hasn-t-got-a-damn-thing-to-do-with/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When you realize that the ego is making you miserable you don't identify with it. You identify with your soul's humility and the ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-realize-that-the-ego-is-making-you-miserable-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Until the ego dissolves or evolves to become one with our true self, we remain slaves of our own egos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assegid-habtewold/until-the-ego-dissolves-or-evolves-to-become-one-with-our-true-self/) [Assegid Habtewold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assegid-habtewold/) > [Nirvikalpa samadhi is a state of no mind, beyond the ten thousand states of mind, where there is nothing but perfection, where the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvikalpa-samadhi-is-a-state-of-no-mind-beyond-the-ten-thousand/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When someone becomes transparent, then something shines through that person that has nothing to do with the person or any of his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-someone-becomes-transparent-then-something-shines-through-that/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“When does the complete jagruti (awareness) occur? When the ego dissolves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/when-does-the-complete-jagruti-awareness-occur-when-the-ego-dissolves/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [When I won the competition, I had just been offered a job as a designer in Düsseldorf, so that's probably what I'd be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-klum/when-i-won-the-competition-i-had-just-been-offered-a-job-as-a/) [Heidi Klum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-klum/) > [“Autumn knocks on the window. I pull back the sliding doors and let it in. Lights from the meat market flicker and car lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/autumn-knocks-on-the-window-i-pull-back-the-sliding-doors-and-let-it/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [My path to motherhood was challenging, to say the least, and I always feel like I'm living a 'Sliding Doors' version of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-elise-goldsberry/my-path-to-motherhood-was-challenging-to-say-the-least-and-i-always/) [Renee Elise Goldsberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-elise-goldsberry/) > [“Smiling at me ruefully, Luka scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess you can.” He sauntered toward the sliding doors. “I’ll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-evangelista/smiling-at-me-ruefully-luka-scratched-the-back-of-his-head-yeah-i/) [Kate Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-evangelista/) > [In Sliding Doors, the whole idea is that every choice you make, and every single thing that happens to you changes the trajectory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/in-sliding-doors-the-whole-idea-is-that-every-choice-you-make-and/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“In the courtyard there was an angel of black stone, and its angel head rose above giant elephant leaves; the stark glass angel eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/in-the-courtyard-there-was-an-angel-of-black-stone-and-its-angel-head/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“The foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability. Floor layers, makers of sliding doors, thresholds and lintels, ceilings and so on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/the-foreman-carpenter-allots-his-men-work-according-to-their-ability/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) ## More by Amor Towles > [“To have even one year when you're presented with choices that can alter your circumstances, your character, your course- that's by the grace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/to-have-even-one-year-when-you-re-presented-with-choices-that-can/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Rather than sitting in orderly rows in a schoolhouse, wouldn't one be better served by working her way towards an actual horizon, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/rather-than-sitting-in-orderly-rows-in-a-schoolhouse-wouldn-t-one-be/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [That's how quickly New York City comes about - like a weather wane - or the head of a cobra. Time tells which.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/that-s-how-quickly-new-york-city-comes-about-like-a-weather-wane-or/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Mostly, he said, I've been thinking about what I'm not going to do. When I think of the last few years, I've been hounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mostly-he-said-i-ve-been-thinking-about-what-i-m-not-going-to-do-when/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“In the doleful court behind my building a patchwork of windows was all that separated me from a hundred muted lives being led without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/in-the-doleful-court-behind-my-building-a-patchwork-of-windows-was/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“That is how time passes when one is left waiting unaccountably. The hours become interminable. The minutes relentless. And the seconds? Why, not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/that-is-how-time-passes-when-one-is-left-waiting-unaccountably-the/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Mishka would pine for Katerina the rest of his life! Never again would he walk Nevsky Prospekt, however they chose to rename it, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mishka-would-pine-for-katerina-the-rest-of-his-life-never-again-would/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Every year, I would spend weeks at a time in the hotels of distant cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/every-year-i-would-spend-weeks-at-a-time-in-the-hotels-of-distant/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-eventually-we-come-to-hold-our-dearest-possessions-more-closely/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“As we age, we are bound to find comfort from the notion that it takes generations for a way of life to fade. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/as-we-age-we-are-bound-to-find-comfort-from-the-notion-that-it-takes/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For it is the role of the parent to express his concerns and then take three steps back. Not one, mind you, not two,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-it-is-the-role-of-the-parent-to-express-his-concerns-and-then/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“But I've come to realie that however blue my circumstance,s if after finishing a chapter of a Dickens novel I feel a miss-my-stop-on-the-train sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/but-i-ve-come-to-realie-that-however-blue-my-circumstance-s-if-after/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [I make extensive outlines before I write a book. I usually know what will happen. I know the characters, and I know what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/i-make-extensive-outlines-before-i-write-a-book-i-usually-know-what/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Sometimes,” Nina clarified, “everybody tells you something because they are everybody. But why should one listen to everybody? Did everybody write the Odyssey? Did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/sometimes-nina-clarified-everybody-tells-you-something-because-they/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. A man may have been born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-it-is-a-fact-that-a-man-can-be-profoundly-out-of-step-with-his/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) [Explore all 266 Amor Towles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## More Persona quotes > [Bobby Heenan did what every announcer should strive to do and that is to make talent bigger stars than they are and to embellish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/bobby-heenan-did-what-every-announcer-should-strive-to-do-and-that-is/) [Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [“A man's work reveals him. In social intercourse he gives you the surface that he wishes the world to accept, but in his book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/a-man-s-work-reveals-him-in-social-intercourse-he-gives-you-the/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [I got a different persona than a lot of these other guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aljamain-sterling/i-got-a-different-persona-than-a-lot-of-these-other-guys/) [Aljamain Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aljamain-sterling/) > [An artist is generally expected to stick to one motif, one persona. People get used to seeing someone put down a certain thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ad-rock/an-artist-is-generally-expected-to-stick-to-one-motif-one-persona/) [Ad-Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ad-rock/) > [Having an avatar doesn't give you an identity, and having a persona online doesn't make you a personality either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/having-an-avatar-doesn-t-give-you-an-identity-and-having-a-persona/) [Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/) > [I'd rather be dealt with as a person than a persona. With my children, I'm just 'Mom.' At the end of the day, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-rania-of-jordan/i-d-rather-be-dealt-with-as-a-person-than-a-persona-with-my-children/) [Queen Rania of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-rania-of-jordan/) > [I spent three years researching American Rose, research that included connecting with Gypsy's sister, the late actress June Havoc (I was the last person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-abbott/i-spent-three-years-researching-american-rose-research-that-included/) [Karen Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-abbott/) > [“Whatever they may think and say about their "egoism", the great majority nonetheless do nothing for their ego their whole life long: what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/whatever-they-may-think-and-say-about-their-egoism-the-great-majority/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus; and we petty men Walk under his huge legs, and peep about To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-man-he-doth-bestride-the-narrow-world-like-a-colossus-and-we/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [To combat social awkwardness, I would just act like I couldn't be bothered - that kind of aloof persona or aloof demeanor. It's so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/to-combat-social-awkwardness-i-would-just-act-like-i-couldn-t-be/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [She had always been a reader… but now she was obsessed. Since her discovery of the book hoard downstairs from her job, she’d been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/she-had-always-been-a-reader-but-now-she-was-obsessed-since-her/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [I'm a New York person. I've never gone out of the way to speak to the press to change my persona - I probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-rapaport/i-m-a-new-york-person-i-ve-never-gone-out-of-the-way-to-speak-to-the/) [Michael Rapaport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-rapaport/) > [I definitely play roles that are close to my persona. I was dying to be an actor, my whole life. I just always wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drea-de-matteo/i-definitely-play-roles-that-are-close-to-my-persona-i-was-dying-to/) [Drea de Matteo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drea-de-matteo/) > [The outgoing and spontaneous person that the world knew while I was boxing was a persona that I created to sell tickets and promote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/the-outgoing-and-spontaneous-person-that-the-world-knew-while-i-was/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) [Browse all 472 Persona quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persona/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their bread knows how it goes: When you board, you exhibit the same persona you use with your colleagues and acquaintances. 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