--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You've got to know yourself so you can at…" description: "\"You've got to know yourself so you can at last be yourself.\" — D. H. Lawrence" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png" --- # You've got to know yourself so you can at last be yourself. ![“You've got to know yourself so you can at last be yourself.” quote by D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png) > “You've got to know yourself so you can at last be yourself.” [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑knowledge is prerequisite to authentic self‑expression. **In simple terms:** Know yourself to be truly yourself. Key Takeaway Know yourself to be authentic. Themes self‑discovery authenticity personal growth Mood introspective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - creative work Key Concepts philosophy psychology Practical Applications - reflect on values - act aligned with self Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself are you still discovering? - How does authenticity affect your relationships? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-yourself/) [Discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discovery/) [Finding yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/) [Know yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-yourself/) [Self discovery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-discovery/) ## Related quotes > [Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/give-him-a-mask-and-he-will-tell-you-the-truth/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Becoming conscious is of course a sacrilege against nature; it is as though you had robbed the unconscious of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/becoming-conscious-is-of-course-a-sacrilege-against-nature-it-is-as/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Man never knows what he wants; he aspires to penetrate mysteries and as soon as he has, wants to re-establish them. Ignorance irritates him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/man-never-knows-what-he-wants-he-aspires-to-penetrate-mysteries-and-2/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-went-to-the-woods-because-i-wished-to-live-deliberately/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The most important relationship we can all have is the one you have with yourself, the most important journey you can take is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-most-important-relationship-we-can-all-have-is-the-one-you-have/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Look into the depths of your own soul and learn first to know yourself, then you will understand why this illness was bound to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/look-into-the-depths-of-your-own-soul-and-learn-first-to-know/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [There is nothing to practice. To know yourself, be yourself. To be yourself, stop imagining yourself to be this or that. Just be. Let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/there-is-nothing-to-practice-to-know-yourself-be-yourself-to-be/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [There is nothing to do, just be. Do nothing. Be. No climbing mountains and sitting in caves. I do not even say "be yourself"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/there-is-nothing-to-do-just-be-do-nothing-be-no-climbing-mountains/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [The final aim is not to know, but to be… You've got to know yourself so that you can at last be yourself. "Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-final-aim-is-not-to-know-but-to-be-you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [You call it love, I call it the desire to conquer every obstacle that life throws our way while we discover ourselves and grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-call-it-love-i-call-it-the-desire-to-conquer-every-obstacle-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes we must lose ourselves to find ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-long/sometimes-we-must-lose-ourselves-to-find-ourselves/) [Sonny Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-long/) > [The foundation of life and purpose is to find the why in you. The why in you is purpose, knowing who you are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/the-foundation-of-life-and-purpose-is-to-find-the-why-in-you-the-why/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [Man never knows what he wants; he aspires to penetrate mysteries and as soon as he has, he wants to reestablish them. Ignorance irritates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/man-never-knows-what-he-wants-he-aspires-to-penetrate-mysteries-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I wish I didn’t want space, time to figure out what I want from life, but I can’t ignore it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-jane/i-wish-i-didn-t-want-space-time-to-figure-out-what-i-want-from-life/) Maria Jane > [What you discover on your own is always more exciting than what someone else discovers for you - it's like the marriage between romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-rafferty/what-you-discover-on-your-own-is-always-more-exciting-than-what/) Terrence Rafferty ## More by D. H. Lawrence > [Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me! A fine wind is blowing the new direction of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/not-i-not-i-but-the-wind-that-blows-through-me-a-fine-wind-is-blowing/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/and-venus-among-the-fishes-skips-and-is-a-she-dolphin-she-is-the-gay/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [We have to hate our immediate predecessors to get free of their authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/we-have-to-hate-our-immediate-predecessors-to-get-free-of-their/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Reach me a gentian, give me a torch! Let me guide myself with the blue, forked torch of a flower down the darker and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/reach-me-a-gentian-give-me-a-torch-let-me-guide-myself-with-the-blue/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The war is dreadful. It is the business of the artist to follow it home to the heart of the individual fighters - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-war-is-dreadful-it-is-the-business-of-the-artist-to-follow-it/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The nearer a conception comes towards finality, the nearer does the dynamic relation, out of which this concept has arisen, draw to a close.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-nearer-a-conception-comes-towards-finality-the-nearer-does-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [It is our business to go as we are impelled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/it-is-our-business-to-go-as-we-are-impelled/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/ours-is-essentially-a-tragic-age-so-we-refuse-to-take-it-tragically/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [If only we could live two lives: the first in which to make one's mistakes, and the second in which to profit by them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-only-we-could-live-two-lives-the-first-in-which-to-make-one-s/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [They say geniuses mostly have great mothers. They mostly have sad fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/they-say-geniuses-mostly-have-great-mothers-they-mostly-have-sad-fates/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [When one jumps over the edge, one is bound to land somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/when-one-jumps-over-the-edge-one-is-bound-to-land-somewhere/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [The living moment is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-living-moment-is-everything/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [If a woman's got nothing but her fair fame to feed on, why, it's thin tack, and a donkey would die of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-a-woman-s-got-nothing-but-her-fair-fame-to-feed-on-why-it-s-thin/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) [Explore all 570 D. H. Lawrence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) ## More Being yourself quotes > [Make-up can't cover up an ugly personality!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-up-can-t-cover-up-an-ugly-personality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [There is nothing to do, just be. Do nothing. Be. No climbing mountains and sitting in caves. I do not even say "be yourself"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/there-is-nothing-to-do-just-be-do-nothing-be-no-climbing-mountains/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [The thing about a pick-up line is, even if it works, then what? I just figure you unapologetically be yourself, and if it works,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skylar-astin/the-thing-about-a-pick-up-line-is-even-if-it-works-then-what-i-just/) [Skylar Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skylar-astin/) > [Say to yourself: 'Living essentially to please others is a monumental mistake.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-robinson/say-to-yourself-living-essentially-to-please-others-is-a-monumental/) George Robinson > [About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/about-all-you-can-do-in-life-is-be-who-you-are-some-people-will-love/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [If you don't feel free and be yourself, you can't connect. Find people who accept your quirks. They'll heal your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/if-you-don-t-feel-free-and-be-yourself-you-can-t-connect-find-people/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Give yourself a chance to live because nobody will live it for you when you die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-yourself-a-chance-to-live-because-nobody-will-live-it-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not pretty,I'm not smart.I'm not perfect and some people don't think I'm worth it.But if you look inside and see,you will see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-price/i-m-not-pretty-i-m-not-smart-i-m-not-perfect-and-some-people-don-t/) Lexi Price > [Your not born knowing what sex you like because you don't know what your feelings are, then before you know what sex you like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brown/your-not-born-knowing-what-sex-you-like-because-you-don-t-know-what/) [Charlie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brown/) > [You can't be everything to everyone. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who thinks differently. So concentrate on doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kitavi/you-can-t-be-everything-to-everyone-no-matter-what-you-do-there-will/) Jonathan Kitavi > [The clashes of people and the clashes of cultures have assisted me in learning the openness you have to be a part of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kissey/the-clashes-of-people-and-the-clashes-of-cultures-have-assisted-me-in/) [Kissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kissey/) > [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [“If you're the smartest person in the room, you might wanna switch rooms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-newby/if-you-re-the-smartest-person-in-the-room-you-might-wanna-switch-rooms/) [Sabrina Newby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-newby/) > [Stop trying to impress other and start impressing yourself !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kale-bell/stop-trying-to-impress-other-and-start-impressing-yourself/) [Kale Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kale-bell/) [Browse all 1,461 Being yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-yourself/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You've got to know yourself so you can at last be yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "D. H. Lawrence" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-at-last-be-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-at-last-be-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/d-h-lawrence-426_being-yourself_you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-a_127825.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You've got to know yourself so you can at last be yourself.” — D. H. Lawrence", "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": "D. H. Lawrence", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You've got to know yourself so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-at-last-be-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/you-ve-got-to-know-yourself-so-you-can-at-last-be-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```