--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our sense of self is a kind of construct…" description: "\"Our sense of self is a kind of construct. It is in some ways like a novel, and it's like a fabric of fictions that we patch together from memory.\" — Da..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/dan-chaon-2729_constructs_our-sense-of-self-is-a-kind-of-construct_2740849.png" --- # Our sense of self is a kind of construct. It is in some… ![“Our sense of self is a kind of construct. It is in some ways like a novel, and it's like a fabric of fictions that we patch together from memory.” quote by Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/dan-chaon-2729_constructs_our-sense-of-self-is-a-kind-of-construct_2740849.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/dan-chaon-2729_constructs_our-sense-of-self-is-a-kind-of-construct_2740849.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b36/dan-chaon-2729_constructs_our-sense-of-self-is-a-kind-of-construct_2740849.png) > “Our sense of self is a kind of construct. It is in some ways like a novel, and it's like a fabric of fictions that we patch together from memory.” [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our identity is a narrative we build from memories, a mutable story rather than a fixed essence. **In simple terms:** Self is a story we tell ourselves. Key Takeaway Recognize the fluidity of self. Themes identity storytelling memory self-construction Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal growth - therapy - creative writing - self-reflection Key Concepts narrative psychology constructivism Questions to Reflect On - How does remembering reshape your self-view? - What stories do you choose to keep? A Different Perspective Self-concept can be destabilizing when challenged. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constructs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constructs/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Like Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-novel/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Patches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patches/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-kind-528177/) [Sense of self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-of-self/) [Sense Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-self/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [I think it's important to have your own individual style and sense of self. It's kind of what I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-graham/i-think-it-s-important-to-have-your-own-individual-style-and-sense-of/) [Kat Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-graham/) > [If you aren't nurturing your self, what kind of mother can you be, anyway?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-scofield/if-you-aren-t-nurturing-your-self-what-kind-of-mother-can-you-be/) [Sandra Scofield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-scofield/) > [Let me be to my sad self hereafter kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-pouncey/let-me-be-to-my-sad-self-hereafter-kind/) [Peter Pouncey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-pouncey/) > [You know, what's interesting is, being your own self is kind of a blur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chase/you-know-what-s-interesting-is-being-your-own-self-is-kind-of-a-blur/) [David Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chase/) > [I'm actively working hard on learning to appreciate yourself no matter what. If what someone else says can easily derail you, it means your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-m-actively-working-hard-on-learning-to-appreciate-yourself-no/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [“We were all searching outside ourselves for our missing pieces, and we were all looking in the wrong direction. Instead of finding ourselves, we'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-strauss/we-were-all-searching-outside-ourselves-for-our-missing-pieces-and-we/) [Neil Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-strauss/) > [When you lose all sense of self the bonds of a thousands chains will vanish. Lose yourself completely, return to the root of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/when-you-lose-all-sense-of-self-the-bonds-of-a-thousands-chains-will/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [The body is an object in which we are all privileged, or doomed, to dwell, the source of feelings of well-being and pleasure, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-giddens/the-body-is-an-object-in-which-we-are-all-privileged-or-doomed-to/) [Anthony Giddens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-giddens/) > [“Not only can depression separate you from yourself, if it lingers too long, as it did with Sally Brampton, you can lose your sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-dubin/not-only-can-depression-separate-you-from-yourself-if-it-lingers-too/) [Nick Dubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-dubin/) > [There are those who receive as birthright an adequate or at least unquestioned sense of self and those who set out to reinvent themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/there-are-those-who-receive-as-birthright-an-adequate-or-at-least/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“In no case should we abandon responsibility for our own choice-making or give someone else's conception of what we are more weight than our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-sinetar/in-no-case-should-we-abandon-responsibility-for-our-own-choice-making/) [Marsha Sinetar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-sinetar/) > [I will always be fashion. I try to pull it together. I think that comes from a sense of self. That's how you create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-jayne/i-will-always-be-fashion-i-try-to-pull-it-together-i-think-that-comes/) [Erika Jayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-jayne/) > [Figure out who you are separate from your family, and the man or woman you're in a relationship with. Find who you are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/figure-out-who-you-are-separate-from-your-family-and-the-man-or-woman/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Keep your sense of self; don't get caught up in what people want you to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/keep-your-sense-of-self-don-t-get-caught-up-in-what-people-want-you/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) ## More by Dan Chaon > [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Even when our death is imminent, we carry the image of ourselves moving forward, alive, into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/even-when-our-death-is-imminent-we-carry-the-image-of-ourselves/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [For the last few years I've tried to force myself to write at least one page every day, which doesn't sound like much but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/for-the-last-few-years-i-ve-tried-to-force-myself-to-write-at-least/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It's hard to believe that this is how it's done. That this is how we get here into the world, by accident or design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-hard-to-believe-that-this-is-how-it-s-done-that-this-is-how-we/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I also have just my own limits about stuff. I'm not interested in writing graphically about sexual assault for example. I feel like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-also-have-just-my-own-limits-about-stuff-i-m-not-interested-in/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I have to admit that most of the time I read in the same way that I smoke and chew gum and jiggle my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-have-to-admit-that-most-of-the-time-i-read-in-the-same-way-that-i/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Outside, the sleet had gotten thicker. You could hear it pebbling against the large glass windows, you could see it swirling wildly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/outside-the-sleet-had-gotten-thicker-you-could-hear-it-pebbling/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I was worried that, as a college teacher, if I wrote too much about intergenerational sex my students would be creeped out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-was-worried-that-as-a-college-teacher-if-i-wrote-too-much-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Plot and scene are still the hardest things for me, though I think they're the building blocks of what makes a story work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/plot-and-scene-are-still-the-hardest-things-for-me-though-i-think/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I've been talking to myself a lot lately. I don't know what that's about, but my mother was the same way. She hated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-ve-been-talking-to-myself-a-lot-lately-i-don-t-know-what-that-s/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Your Mom's Car. Think about that. Try to wrap your brain around the supernatural and spiritual implications that the name bears down you. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/your-mom-s-car-think-about-that-try-to-wrap-your-brain-around-the/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“He pictures amputated human arms flopping like fish down the center of the road; syringes floating on beds of liposuctioned fat; gelatinous human eyeballs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/he-pictures-amputated-human-arms-flopping-like-fish-down-the-center/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“In the basement of Sydney's new house is a little room that is about the size and shape of a coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/in-the-basement-of-sydney-s-new-house-is-a-little-room-that-is-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It’s called apophenia. It’s the tendency we humans have to find meaning in disconnected information. For example, some people believe in what’s called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-called-apophenia-it-s-the-tendency-we-humans-have-to-find/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I would say that all short stories have mystery naturally built into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-would-say-that-all-short-stories-have-mystery-naturally-built-into/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) [Explore all 152 Dan Chaon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## More Constructs quotes > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I reject the idea there are just two sides. I think that with the amount of ideas and thoughts there are, it's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-reject-the-idea-there-are-just-two-sides-i-think-that-with-the/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [My thinking was that today's spectator is so well-versed in film language that all theories about suspense, as argued by Dreyer and Hitchcock, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/my-thinking-was-that-today-s-spectator-is-so-well-versed-in-film/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [Charming Alnaschar visions! it is the happy privilege of youth to construct you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/charming-alnaschar-visions-it-is-the-happy-privilege-of-youth-to/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Want to talk third wave feminism, you could cite Ariel Levy and the idea that women have internalized male oppression. Going to spring break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/want-to-talk-third-wave-feminism-you-could-cite-ariel-levy-and-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Philosophy first constructs a scheme of happiness and then tries to fit the world to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/philosophy-first-constructs-a-scheme-of-happiness-and-then-tries-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [She and Thomas had helped construct the Maze; at the same time she’d exerted a lot of effort to build a wall holding back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/she-and-thomas-had-helped-construct-the-maze-at-the-same-time-she-d/) [James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/) > [Today, when we look at a brain, we see an intricate network of billions of neurons in constant, crackling communication, a chemical labyrinth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/today-when-we-look-at-a-brain-we-see-an-intricate-network-of-billions/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Inevitably we construct ourselves. Let me explain. 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