--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I contemplate the idea that maybe I'm an…" description: "\"I contemplate the idea that maybe I'm an alcoholic. I get this occassionally, the need to define myself as something-or-the-other, and at various times..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/david-nicholls-873_ability_i-contemplate-the-idea-that-maybe-i-m-an_1409690.jpg" --- # I contemplate the idea that maybe I'm an alcoholic. I get… ![“I contemplate the idea that maybe I'm an alcoholic. I get this occassionally, the need to define myself as something-or-the-other, and at various times in my life have wondered if I'm a Goth, a homosexul, a Jew, a Catholic or a manic depressive, whether I am adopted, or have a hole in my heart, or…” quote by David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/david-nicholls-873_ability_i-contemplate-the-idea-that-maybe-i-m-an_1409690.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/david-nicholls-873_ability_i-contemplate-the-idea-that-maybe-i-m-an_1409690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/597/david-nicholls-873_ability_i-contemplate-the-idea-that-maybe-i-m-an_1409690.jpg) > “I contemplate the idea that maybe I'm an alcoholic. I get this occassionally, the need to define myself as something-or-the-other, and at various times in my life have wondered if I'm a Goth, a homosexul, a Jew, a Catholic or a manic depressive, whether I am adopted, or have a hole in my heart, or possess the ability to move objects with the power of my mind, and have always, most regretfully, come to the conclusion that I'm none of the above. The fact is I'm actually not ANYTHING.” [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects labeling himself, concluding that identity is not a fixed set of categories. **In simple terms:** He is beyond all labels. Key Takeaway Embrace fluid identity. Themes identity self‑concept freedom Mood introspective confessional Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - personal growth - creative expression Key Concepts labeling existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does being “nothing” mean to you? - How can you live authentically without fixed labels? A Different Perspective Labels can help navigate society, even if they’re imperfect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Adopted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adopted/) [Alcoholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholic/) [Alcoholic Occassionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholic-occassionally-4964585/) [Alcoholics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcoholics/) [Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Conclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conclusion/) [Contemplate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplate/) [Contemplate Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplate-idea-4964586/) [Contemplating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplating/) [Define Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/define-myself/) [Depressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressive/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Goth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goth/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hole in my heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hole-in-my-heart/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Jew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jew/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Manic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manic/) [Maybe Alcoholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-alcoholic-4964584/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [My heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-heart/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Of my mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/of-my-mind/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) ## Related quotes > [“I get this occasionally, the need to define myself as a something-or-other, and at various times in my life I have wondered if I´m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-get-this-occasionally-the-need-to-define-myself-as-a-something-or/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [This hole in my heart is in the shape of you. 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After Black Saturday I saw a world that was black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-reid/the-love-i-have-for-our-wildlife-is-so-great-it-fills-my-world-after/) [Stella Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-reid/) > [“I can't get those kids out of my head. I see their little faces, and I know I have to help them." I raised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mateer/i-can-t-get-those-kids-out-of-my-head-i-see-their-little-faces-and-i/) [Anne Mateer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mateer/) > [There's a hole in my heart where you used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-day-to-remember/there-s-a-hole-in-my-heart-where-you-used-to-be/) [A Day To Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-day-to-remember/) > [“She wiped her eye and pressed her lips together. “I sleep in your room. I’m fairly pathetic about it, really. I wear your T-shirts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-hayes/she-wiped-her-eye-and-pressed-her-lips-together-i-sleep-in-your-room/) [Gwen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-hayes/) > [You have gone, gone and made a beautiful hole in my heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-gone-gone-and-made-a-beautiful-hole-in-my-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We touch I feel a rush We clutch It isn't much but its enough to make me wonder what's in store for us It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/we-touch-i-feel-a-rush-we-clutch-it-isn-t-much-but-its-enough-to-make/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [A family can be the bane of one's existence. A family can also be most of the meaning of one's existence. I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-hulme/a-family-can-be-the-bane-of-one-s-existence-a-family-can-also-be-most/) [Keri Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-hulme/) > [You keep running after the love of the people, but you’ll never get it. And what you do get, will never be enough. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/you-keep-running-after-the-love-of-the-people-but-you-ll-never-get-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [“You'll get over it...' It's the cliches that cause the trouble. To lose someone you love is to alter your life for ever. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-ll-get-over-it-it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-to-lose/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Do, do you got a first aid kit handy? Do, do you know how to patch up a wound? Tell me. Are, are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danity-kane/do-do-you-got-a-first-aid-kit-handy-do-do-you-know-how-to-patch-up-a/) [Danity Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danity-kane/) > [“It hurts, to be parted from him. I ache… ache for him. To see his smile, and hear his laughter. I can scarce breathe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-summers/it-hurts-to-be-parted-from-him-i-ache-ache-for-him-to-see-his-smile/) [Sasha Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-summers/) ## More by David Nicholls > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. 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And dangerous. One day it'll be a cyanide capsule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/you-ve-got-to-stop-letting-women-slip-drugs-into-your-mouth-dex-it-s/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“He presses two fingers against each eye and attempts to account for this crippling melancholy, but is having trouble with rational thought. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-presses-two-fingers-against-each-eye-and-attempts-to-account-for/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [She was reaching the limits of how much its possible to change a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/she-was-reaching-the-limits-of-how-much-its-possible-to-change-a-man/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“How would she fill the days? She had no idea. The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/how-would-she-fill-the-days-she-had-no-idea-the-trick-of-it-she-told/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/what-if-it-rained-or-you-felt-a-bit-glandy-it-just-wasn-t-practical/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Sometimes, when it is going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/sometimes-when-it-is-going-badly-she-wonders-if-what-she-believes-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [The city had defeated her, just like they said it would. Like some overcrowded party, no one had noticed her arrival, and would notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/the-city-had-defeated-her-just-like-they-said-it-would-like-some/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Most of the books and films I love walk a knife edge between romance and cynicism, and I wanted 'One Day' to stay on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/most-of-the-books-and-films-i-love-walk-a-knife-edge-between-romance/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Explore all 332 David Nicholls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I contemplate the idea that maybe I'm an alcoholic. I get this occassionally, the need to define myself as something-or-the-other, and at various times in my life have wondered if I'm a Goth, a homosexul, a Jew, a Catholic or a manic depressive, whether I am adopted, or have a hole in my heart, or possess the ability to move objects with the power of my mind, and have always, most regretfully, come to the conclusion that I'm none of the above. 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