--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My past made me who I am today. I can’t…" description: "\"My past made me who I am today. I can’t just pretend it never happened. But the biggest lesson I learnt from that, is that I can be an example for othe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/cory-monteith-9236_clarity_my-past-made-me-who-i-am-today-i-can-t-j_3190542.jpg" --- # My past made me who I am today. I can’t just pretend it… ![“My past made me who I am today. I can’t just pretend it never happened. But the biggest lesson I learnt from that, is that I can be an example for others who are still struggling! There’s always hope and help for everyone. I think it’s my responsibility to do that, to help. I always refer to this…” quote by Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/cory-monteith-9236_clarity_my-past-made-me-who-i-am-today-i-can-t-j_3190542.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/cory-monteith-9236_clarity_my-past-made-me-who-i-am-today-i-can-t-j_3190542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/cory-monteith-9236_clarity_my-past-made-me-who-i-am-today-i-can-t-j_3190542.jpg) > “My past made me who I am today. I can’t just pretend it never happened. But the biggest lesson I learnt from that, is that I can be an example for others who are still struggling! There’s always hope and help for everyone. I think it’s my responsibility to do that, to help. I always refer to this as the “moment of clarity”. It’s hard to explain what really happened, but it was a once in a lifetime kind of moment. I had reached my lowest point and I just knew things had to change quickly because there was just no other way, you know.” [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing past hardships can inspire us to help others and foster hope for those struggling. **In simple terms:** Past shapes us; we can help others. Key Takeaway Use your story to support others. Themes growth responsibility hope empathy Mood inspirational reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - support groups - counseling - public speaking - mentorship Key Concepts self‑actualization resilience role modeling Questions to Reflect On - How can you share your experience without imposing? - What support do you need to stay hopeful? A Different Perspective Personal stories may not resonate with everyone; some may feel judged. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Hard To Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-to-explain/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Lowest point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lowest-point/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Moments of clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments-of-clarity/) [Once in a lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-in-a-lifetime/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Who i am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-i-am/) ## Related quotes > [I had a moment of clarity, saw the feeling in the heart of things, walked out to the garden crying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/i-had-a-moment-of-clarity-saw-the-feeling-in-the-heart-of-things/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [He had a moment of clarity about how life should be lived: not as a child or as a woman. They were the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/he-had-a-moment-of-clarity-about-how-life-should-be-lived-not-as-a/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I'm going with the flow. I feel when the time is right to stop, it will be flashing in neon lights for me, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-davenport/i-m-going-with-the-flow-i-feel-when-the-time-is-right-to-stop-it-will/) [Lindsay Davenport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-davenport/) > [Once in a while you get a moment of clarity - an inspiration - and they don't come that frequently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-reiser/once-in-a-while-you-get-a-moment-of-clarity-an-inspiration-and-they/) [Paul Reiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-reiser/) > [Having a moment of clarity was one thing; I'd had moments like that before. It had to be followed with a dedicated push of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kiedis/having-a-moment-of-clarity-was-one-thing-i-d-had-moments-like-that/) [Anthony Kiedis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kiedis/) > [I used to blame my problems on other people. But my moment of clarity, if you want to call it that, came when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sizemore/i-used-to-blame-my-problems-on-other-people-but-my-moment-of-clarity/) [Tom Sizemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sizemore/) > [A great moment of clarity when I realized I'm dying. There's no reason to wait to do the things we want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/a-great-moment-of-clarity-when-i-realized-i-m-dying-there-s-no-reason/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [After you run, there's a sense of accomplishment; you feel like your life is meaningful. It's a moment of clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sakyong-mipham/after-you-run-there-s-a-sense-of-accomplishment-you-feel-like-your/) [Sakyong Mipham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sakyong-mipham/) > [If you can get absolutely still for just one moment, you have reached the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/if-you-can-get-absolutely-still-for-just-one-moment-you-have-reached/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“And for just a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach and which was the complete step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-for-just-a-moment-i-had-reached-the-point-of-ecstasy-that-i/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [And just for a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I always wanted to reach, which was the complete step across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-just-for-a-moment-i-had-reached-the-point-of-ecstasy-that-i-2/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Honest to God, this is the absolute best kind of moment. The auditorium lights are off except for ones over the stage, and we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-albertalli/honest-to-god-this-is-the-absolute-best-kind-of-moment-the-auditorium/) [Becky Albertalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-albertalli/) > [“It was the kind of moment, I see now, that could have gone several ways. She could have laughed, she could have cried, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/it-was-the-kind-of-moment-i-see-now-that-could-have-gone-several-ways/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [I've always kind of been an in-the-moment kind of person. I don't think that far in advance or have any idea what's around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flea/i-ve-always-kind-of-been-an-in-the-moment-kind-of-person-i-don-t/) [Flea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flea/) > [For me, the release was a spot in time with no past and no future. Just the extraordinary simplicity of a moment— the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/for-me-the-release-was-a-spot-in-time-with-no-past-and-no-future-just/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) ## More by Cory Monteith > [I've been very inspired by Virgin's model of business as a force for good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-ve-been-very-inspired-by-virgin-s-model-of-business-as-a-force-for/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I live in airports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-live-in-airports/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I'm a pretty good snowboarder but a terrible surfer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-m-a-pretty-good-snowboarder-but-a-terrible-surfer/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I spent as little time as I possibly could there. That's kinda what I was like in high school. I wasn't a big scholastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-spent-as-little-time-as-i-possibly-could-there-that-s-kinda-what-i/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I was 20 years old, working as a roofer and a telemarketer and driving a taxi, just barely getting by. A friend of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-was-20-years-old-working-as-a-roofer-and-a-telemarketer-and-driving/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [One of the reasons I got into acting was because its so fly-by-night. I never knew what was going to happen. Now all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/one-of-the-reasons-i-got-into-acting-was-because-its-so-fly-by-night/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [But when the 'Glee' audition came around, my manager literally had to talk me into it. I was petrified to sing in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/but-when-the-glee-audition-came-around-my-manager-literally-had-to/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I don't need to be wildly famous for my life to make sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-don-t-need-to-be-wildly-famous-for-my-life-to-make-sense/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I'm really pale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-m-really-pale/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I've worked as a labourer, driven taxis and school buses, and been a car mechanic - whatever I could do just to get by.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-ve-worked-as-a-labourer-driven-taxis-and-school-buses-and-been-a/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [If there was a toilet for adults that played certain music depending on the weight of the action, I'd totally buy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/if-there-was-a-toilet-for-adults-that-played-certain-music-depending/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I used to do tech support for MSN in Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-used-to-do-tech-support-for-msn-in-canada/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [Book of Mormon = the best thing I've ever seen, ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/book-of-mormon-the-best-thing-i-ve-ever-seen-ever/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I've got the rest of my life to be a grown-up. And for now, it's OK to be young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-ve-got-the-rest-of-my-life-to-be-a-grown-up-and-for-now-it-s-ok-to/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [I recently had a few days off while shooting a movie in Budapest, so I took a cab from the set to the airport,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-recently-had-a-few-days-off-while-shooting-a-movie-in-budapest-so-i/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) [Explore all 74 Cory Monteith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) ## More Clarity quotes > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It comes a moment that someone says something really small, but fits so perfect into your heart that everything start to make sense!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylablack/it-comes-a-moment-that-someone-says-something-really-small-but-fits/) Laylablack > [“Replaying the past in your mind won't change the present; it only steals the clarity needed to shape what comes next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-meyering-sr/replaying-the-past-in-your-mind-won-t-change-the-present-it-only/) Joseph Meyering Sr > [Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/rain-is-good-for-me-i-feel-like-i-achieve-clarity-actually-when-it/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/it-s-my-feeling-that-any-writer-can-get-an-emotion-into-a-story/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The law of polarity brings forth clarity to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mercado/the-law-of-polarity-brings-forth-clarity-to-your-life/) [Joseph Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mercado/) > [In meditation you withdraw from others and focus your attention inside to gain purity of mind and wisdom energy. Then you must become extroverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-n-goenka/in-meditation-you-withdraw-from-others-and-focus-your-attention/) [S. N. Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-n-goenka/) > [In stillness the muddied water returns to clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-stillness-the-muddied-water-returns-to-clarity/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I decided to be a filmmaker when I was 12. I had utter clarity that this would be my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-decided-to-be-a-filmmaker-when-i-was-12-i-had-utter-clarity-that/) [Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/) > [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) [Browse all 1,601 Clarity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My past made me who I am today. I can’t just pretend it never happened. But the biggest lesson I learnt from that, is that I can be an example for others who are still struggling! There’s always hope and help for everyone. I think it’s my responsibility to do that, to help. 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