--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live counterfeit lives in order to…" description: "\"We live counterfeit lives in order to resemble the idea we first had of ourselves.\" — Andre Gide" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png" --- # We live counterfeit lives in order to resemble the idea we… ![“We live counterfeit lives in order to resemble the idea we first had of ourselves.” quote by Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png) > “We live counterfeit lives in order to resemble the idea we first had of ourselves.” [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People create false personas to match an ideal self‑image they once imagined. **In simple terms:** We fake lives to fit our original self‑idea. Key Takeaway Align actions with authentic self rather than imagined ideals. Themes identity authenticity self‑image illusion Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - social media presence - career branding - personal relationships - self‑development Key Concepts psychology existentialism social conformity Questions to Reflect On - What ideal self do you chase? - How can you live more authentically? A Different Perspective Changing self‑ideas can be painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Counterfeit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfeit/) [Counterfeit Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfeit-lives-1402725/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live Counterfeit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-counterfeit-1402726/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Resemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resemble/) [Resemble Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resemble-idea-1402727/) [Self identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-identity/) ## Related quotes > [“Always resemble yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-white/always-resemble-yourself/) [Cynthia White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-white/) > [Bridges with cables very easily resemble stringed instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/bridges-with-cables-very-easily-resemble-stringed-instruments/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I want my family to resemble the family I came from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-heigl/i-want-my-family-to-resemble-the-family-i-came-from/) [Katherine Heigl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-heigl/) > [Earth might one day soon resemble the planet Venus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/earth-might-one-day-soon-resemble-the-planet-venus/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I would love to play the President of the United States. I have been told we resemble each other, and it would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-would-love-to-play-the-president-of-the-united-states-i-have-been/) [Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/) > [“In time, they have lost their personalities and begun to resemble each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-donmez/in-time-they-have-lost-their-personalities-and-begun-to-resemble-each/) [Mustafa Donmez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-donmez/) > [“Next to me was Jacob, this riddle Laurie and I had made. His size, his resemblance to me, the likelihood that he would fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/next-to-me-was-jacob-this-riddle-laurie-and-i-had-made-his-size-his/) [William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/) > [My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-seattle/my-people-are-few-they-resemble-the-scattering-trees-of-a-storm-swept/) [Chief Seattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-seattle/) > [Originally I was opposed to gay assimilation and targeted gay marriage as just another effort on the part of gays to resemble their straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/originally-i-was-opposed-to-gay-assimilation-and-targeted-gay/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I really love Penelope Cruz, because she has the tan skin. I think it's important to look at people who resemble you and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-dupont/i-really-love-penelope-cruz-because-she-has-the-tan-skin-i-think-it-s/) [Tiffany Dupont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-dupont/) > [Politics has come to resemble a cynical team game played by politicians, while the public has been pushed aside as if sitting on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edi-rama/politics-has-come-to-resemble-a-cynical-team-game-played-by/) [Edi Rama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edi-rama/) > [Do not resemble me-Never be like a musk melon Cut in two identical halves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/do-not-resemble-me-never-be-like-a-musk-melon-cut-in-two-identical/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [You tell me you love me, but Im not sure you know what love is, or how fast it flies, or how much it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/you-tell-me-you-love-me-but-im-not-sure-you-know-what-love-is-or-how/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“The more time you spend with God, the more you will resemble Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/the-more-time-you-spend-with-god-the-more-you-will-resemble-him/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“One's own character inevitably comes to resemble the things one spends most of one's day with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antiphon/one-s-own-character-inevitably-comes-to-resemble-the-things-one/) [Antiphon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antiphon/) ## More by Andre Gide > [Without mysticism man can achieve nothing great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/without-mysticism-man-can-achieve-nothing-great/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“The things one feels are different about oneself are the things that are rare, that give each person their value - and these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/the-things-one-feels-are-different-about-oneself-are-the-things-that/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [I believe that in every circumstance I have been able to see rather clearly the most advantageous course I could follow, which is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/i-believe-that-in-every-circumstance-i-have-been-able-to-see-rather/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Know thyself. A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever studies himself arrest his own development. A caterpillar who seeks to know himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/know-thyself-a-maxim-as-pernicious-as-it-is-ugly-whoever-studies/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“There is a germ of revolt lying in the spirit of inquiry and critical curiosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-is-a-germ-of-revolt-lying-in-the-spirit-of-inquiry-and-critical/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Oh, would that my mind could let fall its dead ideas, as the tree does its withered leaves!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/oh-would-that-my-mind-could-let-fall-its-dead-ideas-as-the-tree-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [God lies ahead. I convince myself and constantly repeat to myself that: He depends on us. It is through us that God is achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/god-lies-ahead-i-convince-myself-and-constantly-repeat-to-myself-that/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“Welcome everything that comes to you, but do not long for anything else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/welcome-everything-that-comes-to-you-but-do-not-long-for-anything-else/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/there-are-many-things-that-seem-impossible-only-so-long-as-one-does/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [Envying another man's happiness is madness; you wouldn't know what to do with it if you had it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/envying-another-man-s-happiness-is-madness-you-wouldn-t-know-what-to/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [So long as we live among men, let us cherish humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/so-long-as-we-live-among-men-let-us-cherish-humanity/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is one of life's laws that as soon as one door closes another opens. But the tragedy is we look at the closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-one-of-life-s-laws-that-as-soon-as-one-door-closes-another/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“What would a narrative of happiness be like? All that can be described is what prepares it, and then what destroys it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/what-would-a-narrative-of-happiness-be-like-all-that-can-be-described/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [It is with noble sentiments that bad literature gets written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/it-is-with-noble-sentiments-that-bad-literature-gets-written/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“C'est dans l'extraordinaire que je me sens le plus naturel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/c-est-dans-l-extraordinaire-que-je-me-sens-le-plus-naturel/) [André Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) [Explore all 304 Andre Gide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) ## More Counterfeit quotes > [“If you think you are better than Stork, then by all means, get hold of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/if-you-think-you-are-better-than-stork-then-by-all-means-get-hold-of/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the case. The greater the good, the more likely we are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/we-think-that-idols-are-bad-things-but-that-is-almost-never-the-case/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [It is easier to counterfeit old age than youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mertz/it-is-easier-to-counterfeit-old-age-than-youth/) [Barbara Mertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mertz/) > [“A counterfeit can never be a substitute for the real thing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sipho-bayeto/a-counterfeit-can-never-be-a-substitute-for-the-real-thing/) [Sipho Bayeto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sipho-bayeto/) > [Perfectionism is the counterfeit of excellence. Excellence is Kingdom, while perfectionism is religion. What ever you do, do it with all you might, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/perfectionism-is-the-counterfeit-of-excellence-excellence-is-kingdom/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [“the Secret Service trains its agents to identify counterfeit bills by having them handle every possible kind of real REAL bill. Old ones. New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/the-secret-service-trains-its-agents-to-identify-counterfeit-bills-by/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [Yet simple souls, their faith it knows no stint: Things least to be believed are most preferred. All counterfeits, as from truth's sacred mint,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/yet-simple-souls-their-faith-it-knows-no-stint-things-least-to-be/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [What! Would you make no distinction between hypocrisy and devotion? Would you give them the same names, and respect the mask as you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/what-would-you-make-no-distinction-between-hypocrisy-and-devotion/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [“The idea of money is older than the idea of counterfeit money, but older, perhaps, by no more than a few minutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-clair-mckelway/the-idea-of-money-is-older-than-the-idea-of-counterfeit-money-but/) [St. Clair McKelway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-clair-mckelway/) > [The old spelling MAGICK has been adopted throughout in order to distinguish the Science of the Magi from all its counterfeits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/the-old-spelling-magick-has-been-adopted-throughout-in-order-to/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [The best and most telling speech is not the actual impromptu one but the counterfeit of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-best-and-most-telling-speech-is-not-the-actual-impromptu-one-but/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Everything was in stark and dreadful contrast with the trivial crises and counterfeit emotions of Hollywood, and I returned to England deeply moved and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-forester/everything-was-in-stark-and-dreadful-contrast-with-the-trivial-crises/) [C. S. Forester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-forester/) > [Like all valuable commodities, truth is often counterfeited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gibbons/like-all-valuable-commodities-truth-is-often-counterfeited/) [James Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gibbons/) > [A powerless church has nothing for the devil to counterfeit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/a-powerless-church-has-nothing-for-the-devil-to-counterfeit/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [We fear not the truth, even if it be gloomy, but its counterfeit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berl-katznelson/we-fear-not-the-truth-even-if-it-be-gloomy-but-its-counterfeit/) [Berl Katznelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berl-katznelson/) [Browse all 168 Counterfeit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counterfeit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live counterfeit lives in order to resemble the idea we first had of ourselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Andre Gide" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-resemble-the-idea-we-first-had/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Counterfeit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-resemble-the-idea-we-first-had/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79a/andre-gide-790_counterfeit_we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-re_1727809.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live counterfeit lives in order to resemble the idea we first had of ourselves.” — Andre Gide", "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": "Andre Gide", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We live counterfeit lives in order...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-resemble-the-idea-we-first-had/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/we-live-counterfeit-lives-in-order-to-resemble-the-idea-we-first-had/#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 } } ] } ```