--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was younger I was attracted to…" description: "\"When I was younger I was attracted to people who had that kind of artifice - people who were incredibly polished and had a complex persona that always ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/dan-chaon-2729_artifice_when-i-was-younger-i-was-attracted-to-pe_1576288.jpg" --- # When I was younger I was attracted to people who had that… ![“When I was younger I was attracted to people who had that kind of artifice - people who were incredibly polished and had a complex persona that always seemed to be turned on. I was really interested in these kinds of people because I felt so unformed.” quote by Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/dan-chaon-2729_artifice_when-i-was-younger-i-was-attracted-to-pe_1576288.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/dan-chaon-2729_artifice_when-i-was-younger-i-was-attracted-to-pe_1576288.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/422/dan-chaon-2729_artifice_when-i-was-younger-i-was-attracted-to-pe_1576288.jpg) > “When I was younger I was attracted to people who had that kind of artifice - people who were incredibly polished and had a complex persona that always seemed to be turned on. I was really interested in these kinds of people because I felt so unformed.” [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. The narrator is drawn to polished, artificial personalities because they highlight his own lack of self‑formation and desire for identity. **In simple terms:** He admires polished personas due to his own incompleteness. Key Takeaway Seek authentic self‑development. Themes identity self‑esteem authenticity Mood reflective curious Type literary psychological When to use this quote - social circles - career networking - personal growth - artistic communities Key Concepts persona artifice self‑construction Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself feel unformed? - How can you recognize genuine versus artificial confidence? A Different Perspective Polished façades can mask harmful manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Persona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persona/) ## Related quotes > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [I'm not as aware of categories in music as some people are. To me it's just music. I'm interested in all kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/i-m-not-as-aware-of-categories-in-music-as-some-people-are-to-me-it-s/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I'm only interested in two kinds of people, those who can entertain me and those who can advance my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-bergman/i-m-only-interested-in-two-kinds-of-people-those-who-can-entertain-me/) [Ingrid Bergman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-bergman/) > [I'm interested in all kinds of sports. I'll glance at the front page and then go straight to sports and then I'll come back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kroft/i-m-interested-in-all-kinds-of-sports-i-ll-glance-at-the-front-page/) [Steve Kroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kroft/) > [I have learned through time that not everyone is interested in the kinds of things that fascinate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-braxton/i-have-learned-through-time-that-not-everyone-is-interested-in-the/) [Anthony Braxton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-braxton/) > [From the time I was a kid, I was always interested in any and all kinds of new business ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-mccombs/from-the-time-i-was-a-kid-i-was-always-interested-in-any-and-all/) Red McCombs > [I wasn't interested in the kinds of books that I thought I should be reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/i-wasn-t-interested-in-the-kinds-of-books-that-i-thought-i-should-be/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [I'd read an enormous amount but had spent so much time in my own head that I didn't have extensive social skills. Suddenly I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-d-read-an-enormous-amount-but-had-spent-so-much-time-in-my-own-head/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [You always feel more attracted to people who play the way you play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silva/you-always-feel-more-attracted-to-people-who-play-the-way-you-play/) [David Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silva/) > [I guess I'm attracted to people who are singing about love or life, and they have a particular passion that I can connect with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langhorne-slim/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-people-who-are-singing-about-love-or-life-2/) [Langhorne Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langhorne-slim/) > [I realize I love crazy ladies. Of course I don't like to think of myself as one, but maybe I am, too. I dunno.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-watkins/i-realize-i-love-crazy-ladies-of-course-i-don-t-like-to-think-of/) [Michaela Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-watkins/) > [We are attracted to people who have traits we want in ourselves, and usually we are unattracted to people with traits that we share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/we-are-attracted-to-people-who-have-traits-we-want-in-ourselves-and/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I guess I'm attracted to people who are singing about love or life, and they have a particular passion that I can connect with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langhorne-slim/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-people-who-are-singing-about-love-or-life/) [Langhorne Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langhorne-slim/) > [I still get attracted to people but having a relationship isn't fair on the other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hegerty/i-still-get-attracted-to-people-but-having-a-relationship-isn-t-fair/) [Anne Hegerty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hegerty/) > [That's what I'm attracted to: how people face struggle - with humor - and how they handle tough situations in their lives and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-o-malley/that-s-what-i-m-attracted-to-how-people-face-struggle-with-humor-and/) [Mike O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-o-malley/) ## 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 Artifice quotes > [I did plays in college, and I have half of a play. But I'm kind of stuck. I keep revisiting it so maybe it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/i-did-plays-in-college-and-i-have-half-of-a-play-but-i-m-kind-of/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [It is sometimes necessary to play the fool to avoid being deceived by cunning men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-sometimes-necessary-to-play-the-fool-to-avoid-being-deceived-by/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [To the extent that I've ever understood postmodernism - and I'm sure there are people out there who do, but I'm not one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-erickson/to-the-extent-that-i-ve-ever-understood-postmodernism-and-i-m-sure/) [Steve Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-erickson/) > [Films are artifice. We're telling stories on film. At the same time, when it works, there is a real tough immediacy and spontaneity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mcgann/films-are-artifice-we-re-telling-stories-on-film-at-the-same-time/) [Paul McGann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mcgann/) > [Holidays are in no sense an alternative to the congestion and bustle of the cities and work. Quite the contrary. People look to escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/holidays-are-in-no-sense-an-alternative-to-the-congestion-and-bustle/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [But since the Modernists (as they are commonly and rightly called) employ a very clever artifice, namely, to present their doctrines without order and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/but-since-the-modernists-as-they-are-commonly-and-rightly-called/) [Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/) > [Being blond is definitely a different state of mind. I can't really put my finger on it, but the artifice of being blond has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/being-blond-is-definitely-a-different-state-of-mind-i-can-t-really/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Cupid is naked and does not like artifices contrived by beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/propertius/cupid-is-naked-and-does-not-like-artifices-contrived-by-beauty/) [Propertius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/propertius/) > [The girl in the mirror caught my eye briefly...It is an uncanny feeling, that rare occasion when one catches a glimpse of oneself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/the-girl-in-the-mirror-caught-my-eye-briefly-it-is-an-uncanny-feeling/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Each day is a miracle that intoxicates me. I want more. I greet every morning like a new pleasure. And yet I am keenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malika-oufkir/each-day-is-a-miracle-that-intoxicates-me-i-want-more-i-greet-every/) Malika Oufkir > [If a close examination of the evidences of Christianity may be expected of one class of men more than another, it would seem incumbent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-greenleaf/if-a-close-examination-of-the-evidences-of-christianity-may-be/) [Simon Greenleaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-greenleaf/) > [By the word simplicity, is not always meant folly or ignorance; but often, pure and upright Nature, free from artifice, craft or deceitful ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/by-the-word-simplicity-is-not-always-meant-folly-or-ignorance-but/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [The younger and healthier a woman is and the more her new and glossy body seems destined for eternal freshness, the less useful is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-younger-and-healthier-a-woman-is-and-the-more-her-new-and-glossy/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [What! Would you make no distinction between hypocrisy and devotion? Would you give them the same names, and respect the mask as you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/what-would-you-make-no-distinction-between-hypocrisy-and-devotion/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Art lies by its own artifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/art-lies-by-its-own-artifice/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) Browse all 166 Artifice quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was younger I was attracted to people who had that kind of artifice - people who were incredibly polished and had a complex persona that always seemed to be turned on. 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