--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We breathe, we think, we conceive of our…" description: "\"We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as narratives.\" — Christopher Lehmann-Haupt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/780/christopher-lehmann-haupt-3581_breathe_we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-l_85429.jpg" --- # We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as… ![“We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as narratives.” quote by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/780/christopher-lehmann-haupt-3581_breathe_we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-l_85429.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/780/christopher-lehmann-haupt-3581_breathe_we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-l_85429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/780/christopher-lehmann-haupt-3581_breathe_we-breathe-we-think-we-conceive-of-our-l_85429.jpg) > “We breathe, we think, we conceive of our lives as narratives.” [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human existence is framed as a story we continuously construct, linking breath, thought, and identity. **In simple terms:** Life as a self‑authored narrative. Key Takeaway We shape meaning by storytelling. Themes identity meaning-making self‑perception narrative theory existentialism Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - personal journaling - therapy sessions - brand storytelling - historical memoirs Key Concepts self‑concept temporal continuity cognitive framing Practical Applications - coaching for personal growth - creative writing workshops Questions to Reflect On - How does viewing life as a story influence decisions? - What narratives limit or empower you? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Narratives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narratives/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [Narration is as much a part of human nature as breath and the circulation of the blood… storytelling is intrinsic to biological time, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-byatt-2/narration-is-as-much-a-part-of-human-nature-as-breath-and-the/) [A. 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Shen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-shen/) > [One doesn't have to pursue unhappiness. It comes to you. You come into the world screaming. You cry when you're born because your lungs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/one-doesn-t-have-to-pursue-unhappiness-it-comes-to-you-you-come-into/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [Cycling can be lonely, but in a good way. 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If language is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/even-if-language-is-a-living-evolving-organism-we-don-t-have-to/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [In the spirit of Julian Barnes's Flaubert's Parrot and Alain de Botton's How Proust Can Change Your Life, Mr. Dyer's Out of Sheer Rage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/in-the-spirit-of-julian-barnes-s-flaubert-s-parrot-and-alain-de/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [The beginning of a plot is the prompting of desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/the-beginning-of-a-plot-is-the-prompting-of-desire/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [The dream is everything in the sport of fishing. 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The result distinguishes him both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/one-is-happy-to-report-that-israel-shenker-is-still-at-the-aerosol/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [A brilliant and challenging discussion presented with extraordinary clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/a-brilliant-and-challenging-discussion-presented-with-extraordinary/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [There is no medical proof that television causes brain damage - at least from over five feet away. In fact, TV is probably the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/there-is-no-medical-proof-that-television-causes-brain-damage-at/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) > [Even when you disagree with her, she electrifies your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lehmann-haupt/even-when-you-disagree-with-her-she-electrifies-your-mind/) [Christopher Lehmann-Haupt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) [Explore all 13 Christopher Lehmann-Haupt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lehmann-haupt/) ## More Breathe quotes > [“Well come and stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher. 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Never give up on your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/live-your-dreams-breathe-your-dreams-never-give-up-on-your-dreams/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Before we can make seismic professional, economic, and sociological changes, we have to squeeze out of our Spanx and remember how it feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/before-we-can-make-seismic-professional-economic-and-sociological/) [Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/) > [Manchester United breathe football. 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