--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had been easier to present a self in…" description: "\"“It had been easier to present a self in full possession of pride and confidence.”\" — Colm Tóibín" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png" --- # It had been easier to present a self in full possession of… ![“It had been easier to present a self in full possession of pride and confidence.” quote by Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png) > ““It had been easier to present a self in full possession of pride and confidence.”” [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Presenting oneself with full pride and confidence is easier than confronting vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Confidence feels easier than vulnerability. Key Takeaway Balance confidence with humility. Themes pride confidence self‑presentation Mood reflective introspective Type personal observational When to use this quote - public speaking - interviews - social media Key Concepts identity psychology Questions to Reflect On - When have you hidden insecurity behind confidence? - How can authenticity improve connections? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can blind self‑awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) ## Related quotes > [“It is easy to tell confidence from pride. Confidence lifts, encourages, helps, and is full of gratitude. Pride demeans, mocks, destroys, and is bitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-throop/it-is-easy-to-tell-confidence-from-pride-confidence-lifts-encourages/) Damon Throop > [“It hadn't occurred to him that if she had little else, it would be that much more important to Joan Findlay to cling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/it-hadn-t-occurred-to-him-that-if-she-had-little-else-it-would-be/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [In zazen, one is one's present self, what one was, and what one will be, all at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/in-zazen-one-is-one-s-present-self-what-one-was-and-what-one-will-be/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [“As the two of us—past self, my present self—hovered over her bed, I could see each cruel damage written across her skin, beneath her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/as-the-two-of-us-past-self-my-present-self-hovered-over-her-bed-i/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“When your present self and your ideal self are in different time zones, figure out what’s keeping you apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/when-your-present-self-and-your-ideal-self-are-in-different-time/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [Psychologists and economists love to talk about the notion of two selves: present self and future self. It's a nice way to explain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goldstein/psychologists-and-economists-love-to-talk-about-the-notion-of-two/) [Daniel Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goldstein/) > [“Moreover, painful feelings can only arise and remain in our mind because of our present self-grasping.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsang-gyatso/moreover-painful-feelings-can-only-arise-and-remain-in-our-mind/) [Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsang-gyatso/) > [Knowing oneself is not so much a question of discovering what is present in one's self, but rather the creation of who one wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/knowing-oneself-is-not-so-much-a-question-of-discovering-what-is/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Fashion can be about escapism but I have always been interested in the aspirational side of it - wanting to present the self you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-owens/fashion-can-be-about-escapism-but-i-have-always-been-interested-in/) [Rick Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-owens/) > [Let's face it: the present self is present. It's in control. It's in power right now. It has these strong, heroic arms that can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goldstein/let-s-face-it-the-present-self-is-present-it-s-in-control-it-s-in/) [Daniel Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goldstein/) > [When I'm feeling sad, or lonely, and I don't know what I'm doing and I don't know where I'm going, I imagine the Cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-marbles/when-i-m-feeling-sad-or-lonely-and-i-don-t-know-what-i-m-doing-and-i/) [Jenna Marbles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-marbles/) > [“Because if every moment of a life is present in every other, so is every old self you've ever tried to outrun. And then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/because-if-every-moment-of-a-life-is-present-in-every-other-so-is/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [Old Etonians are the most charming people in the world. It's not just the analytic ability and the great education; there is a really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wade/old-etonians-are-the-most-charming-people-in-the-world-it-s-not-just/) [Laura Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wade/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [Proud create excitement, excitement produce anger and finally lost of mental and physical of human. Gn: don't keep proud, keep only confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapesh/proud-create-excitement-excitement-produce-anger-and-finally-lost-of/) Tapesh ## More by Colm Tóibín > [I first went to Barcelona in 1975 after university, and I stayed for three years. I learnt Catalan because that's what everyone speaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-first-went-to-barcelona-in-1975-after-university-and-i-stayed-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“What is hard to understand is that our dreams matter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/what-is-hard-to-understand-is-that-our-dreams-matter/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Suffering is too strong a word, but writing is serious work. I pull the stuff up from me - it's not as if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/suffering-is-too-strong-a-word-but-writing-is-serious-work-i-pull-the/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Three of my novels and a good number of my short stories are told from the point of view of men. I was brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/three-of-my-novels-and-a-good-number-of-my-short-stories-are-told/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [It may be enough to study history in all its nuance and ambiguity for its own sake. But there is no country free of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-may-be-enough-to-study-history-in-all-its-nuance-and-ambiguity-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [The only routine I have is that I finish everything I start. I wake up early every day - about 6.30 A.M. - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-only-routine-i-have-is-that-i-finish-everything-i-start-i-wake-up/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [While historians may go on attempting grand, sweeping and defining narratives, they work in a time when readers know that another narrative always lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/while-historians-may-go-on-attempting-grand-sweeping-and-defining/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [John McGovern taught me that it's OK to write repeatedly about the same things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/john-mcgovern-taught-me-that-it-s-ok-to-write-repeatedly-about-the/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Some of our loves and attachments are elemental and beyond our choosing, and for that very reason they come spiced with pain and regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/some-of-our-loves-and-attachments-are-elemental-and-beyond-our/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Solitude is good in the evening. Dublin is a quiet city when you get to a certain age, when your friends settle down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/solitude-is-good-in-the-evening-dublin-is-a-quiet-city-when-you-get/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“The details of what I told him were with me all the years in the same way as my hands or my arms were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-details-of-what-i-told-him-were-with-me-all-the-years-in-the-same/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“Here in this cemetery, which they began to stroll around once more, the state of not-knowing and not-feeling which belonged to the dead seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/here-in-this-cemetery-which-they-began-to-stroll-around-once-more-the/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“I don’t go in for change. It is not one of my subjects. I have always taken the view that noticing change is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-don-t-go-in-for-change-it-is-not-one-of-my-subjects-i-have-always/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“There will always be reservations, things one must leave out, events one can’t explain without handing over a full map of one’s life, unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/there-will-always-be-reservations-things-one-must-leave-out-events/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) [Explore all 132 Colm Tóibín quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It had been easier to present a self in full possession of pride and confidence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colm Tóibín" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in-full-possession-of-pride-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in-full-possession-of-pride-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/colm-toibin-3377_confidence_it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in_2385949.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It had been easier to present a self in full possession of pride and confidence.” — Colm Tóibín", "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": "Colm Tóibín", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It had been easier to present...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in-full-possession-of-pride-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-had-been-easier-to-present-a-self-in-full-possession-of-pride-and/#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 } } ] } ```