--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not about knowing who you are. It's…" description: "\"It's not about knowing who you are. It's about thinkin you got there without takin anything with you. Your notions about startin over. or anybody's. Yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-step_it-s-not-about-knowing-who-you-are-it-s_627766.jpg" --- # It's not about knowing who you are. It's about thinkin you… ![“It's not about knowing who you are. It's about thinkin you got there without takin anything with you. Your notions about startin over. or anybody's. You dont start over. That's what it's about. Every step you take is forever. You can't make it go away. None of it.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-step_it-s-not-about-knowing-who-you-are-it-s_627766.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-step_it-s-not-about-knowing-who-you-are-it-s_627766.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-step_it-s-not-about-knowing-who-you-are-it-s_627766.jpg) > “It's not about knowing who you are. It's about thinkin you got there without takin anything with you. Your notions about startin over. or anybody's. You dont start over. That's what it's about. Every step you take is forever. You can't make it go away. None of it.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity is fixed; you cannot carry past selves into the present, each moment is irreversible. **In simple terms:** You cannot bring past selves forward. Key Takeaway Accept the present as it is. Themes identity impermanence acceptance Mood reflective somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal growth - grief - mindfulness Key Concepts existentialism self Questions to Reflect On - How do you let go of past identities? - What does it mean to be truly present? A Different Perspective The past may still influence you despite this view. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Going away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-away/) [Starting over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-over/) ## Related quotes > [“It's not about knowin where you are. It's about thinkin you got there without takin anything with you. Your notions about startin over. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/it-s-not-about-knowin-where-you-are-it-s-about-thinkin-you-got-there/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Ever step you take is forever. You cant make it go away. None of it. You understand what I'm sayin?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ever-step-you-take-is-forever-you-cant-make-it-go-away-none-of-it-you/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Ever step you take is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ever-step-you-take-is-forever/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Each step may seem to take forever, but no matter how uninspired you feel, continue to follow your practice schedule precisely and consistently. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/each-step-may-seem-to-take-forever-but-no-matter-how-uninspired-you/) [Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzongsar-jamyang-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [I luv the book first step to forever by justin bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-luv-the-book-first-step-to-forever-by-justin-bieber/) [Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/) > [Branding is nothing but knowing who you are and what you do that makes you stand out from everyone else, then communicating that through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/branding-is-nothing-but-knowing-who-you-are-and-what-you-do-that/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) > [The concept, the label, is perpetually hiding from us all the nature of the real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-cary/the-concept-the-label-is-perpetually-hiding-from-us-all-the-nature-of/) [Joyce Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-cary/) > [Knowing who you are is confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/knowing-who-you-are-is-confidence/) [Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/) > [I don't know who I am but you know, life is for learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/i-don-t-know-who-i-am-but-you-know-life-is-for-learning/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [Let the world know you as you are, not as you think you should be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-brice/let-the-world-know-you-as-you-are-not-as-you-think-you-should-be/) [Fanny Brice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-brice/) > [Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/cherish-your-own-emotions-and-never-undervalue-them/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [Knowledge is knowing as little as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/knowledge-is-knowing-as-little-as-possible/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Independnce comes from you knowing who you are and you being happy with yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/independnce-comes-from-you-knowing-who-you-are-and-you-being-happy/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [Beware, gentle knight - the greatest monster of them all is reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/beware-gentle-knight-the-greatest-monster-of-them-all-is-reason/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Every step quotes > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. 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The advantages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/every-step-by-which-an-individual-substitutes-concerted-action-for/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I can let go of a lot of stuff, but I focus on things I think I should, like dancing, because it takes 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuan-yuan-tan/i-can-let-go-of-a-lot-of-stuff-but-i-focus-on-things-i-think-i-should/) [Yuan Yuan Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuan-yuan-tan/) > [“Savannah came to him instantly, her face lit up with some emotion he dared not name.She was in a man's silk shirt and nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/savannah-came-to-him-instantly-her-face-lit-up-with-some-emotion-he/) [Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/) > [“All religions worthy of the name are now making great efforts to purify their doctrines and return to their original standpoint, — all except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virchand-gandhi/all-religions-worthy-of-the-name-are-now-making-great-efforts-to/) [Virchand Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virchand-gandhi/) > [Loving someone isnt always about the good and bad things that happen in you relationships its about knowing that no matter what eachother go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-black/loving-someone-isnt-always-about-the-good-and-bad-things-that-happen/) Erika Black > [“When we arrived we were met by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, both producers of the film. Lorri and I hadn't seen them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-echols/when-we-arrived-we-were-met-by-peter-jackson-and-fran-walsh-both/) [Damien Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-echols/) > [“IT TOOK a conscious effort for Tallow to keep his hand off his gun as he walked up the apartment building’s stairs. 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The girls settled together on the entrance steps, not even breathing, for fear it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/i-will-tell-you-about-the-lady-i-loved-the-girls-settled-together-on/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) Browse all 976 Every step quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not about knowing who you are. It's about thinkin you got there without takin anything with you. Your notions about startin over. or anybody's. You dont start over. That's what it's about. Every step you take is forever. You can't make it go away. 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