--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't change what we are, we change…" description: "\"We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are.\" — Eric Butterworth" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png" --- # We don't change what we are, we change what we think what… ![“We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are.” quote by Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png) > “We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are.” [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) ## 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 shaped by our thoughts, not by fixed traits, so altering self‑perception transforms who we become. **In simple terms:** Changing thoughts changes self. Key Takeaway Reframe self‑beliefs. Themes self‑concept mindset personal growth Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - therapy - coaching - education - leadership Key Concepts psychology self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs limit your growth? - How can you consciously shift self‑perception? A Different Perspective Thoughts can be resistant to change, making self‑redefinition challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ## Related quotes > [I don't have to change anything. I think that's the secret to comedy. You want to be universal and appeal to everyone. You want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-don-t-have-to-change-anything-i-think-that-s-the-secret-to-comedy/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I don't have to change anything. I think that's the secret to comedy. You want to be universal and appeal to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-don-t-have-to-change-anything-i-think-that-s-the-secret-to-comedy-2/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [“sometimes things don’t change on their own. Sometimes we have to change them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-lafleur/sometimes-things-don-t-change-on-their-own-sometimes-we-have-to/) [Suzanne LaFleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-lafleur/) > [Well, sometimes things don't change on their own. Sometimes we have to change them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-lafleur/well-sometimes-things-don-t-change-on-their-own-sometimes-we-have-to/) [Suzanne LaFleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-lafleur/) > [Don't see the change... Be the change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/don-t-see-the-change-be-the-change/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [Things don't change. You change your way of looking, that's all](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/things-don-t-change-you-change-your-way-of-looking-that-s-all/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [People don't change who they are. They only change what they do with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/people-don-t-change-who-they-are-they-only-change-what-they-do-with-it/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Change before the change... but don't change with the change...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti/change-before-the-change-but-don-t-change-with-the-change/) Kirti > [“Things don’t only change, they also change you; sometimes for good, sometimes not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/things-don-t-only-change-they-also-change-you-sometimes-for-good/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [If you don't change and mix things up, you're going to get run over. One of the things we preach is change, change, change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilman-j-fertitta/if-you-don-t-change-and-mix-things-up-you-re-going-to-get-run-over/) [Tilman J. 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In no way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/religious-teachings-and-teachers-have-conditioned-us-to-think-of/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Affluence = abundant flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/affluence-abundant-flow/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Most people show up for work being physically accoutered but mentally disheveled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/most-people-show-up-for-work-being-physically-accoutered-but-mentally/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [I tell you and you forget. I show you and you remember. I involve you and you understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/i-tell-you-and-you-forget-i-show-you-and-you-remember-i-involve-you/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [The thing I fear comes upon me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-thing-i-fear-comes-upon-me/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Under the sustaining influence of love, the physical body is always at its best. It is probably true that more people are sick from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/under-the-sustaining-influence-of-love-the-physical-body-is-always-at/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [There is only one way in which you can "change your luck" and that is by altering your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/there-is-only-one-way-in-which-you-can-change-your-luck-and-that-is/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [The ideal is not believing in, but believing from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-ideal-is-not-believing-in-but-believing-from/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [The great piano virtuoso Paderewski was once playing before an audience of the rich and the royal. After a brilliant performance, an elegant lady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/the-great-piano-virtuoso-paderewski-was-once-playing-before-an/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Missing the mark is one of the ways in which we learn to hit the target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/missing-the-mark-is-one-of-the-ways-in-which-we-learn-to-hit-the/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [While many people are trying to be in tune with infinite, what they really are is in tune with the indefinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/while-many-people-are-trying-to-be-in-tune-with-infinite-what-they/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [Your most important asset is the conscious control of your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/your-most-important-asset-is-the-conscious-control-of-your-own-life/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [We have been taught to keep the commandments, and we have kept them all too well. We have enshrined them like religious relics in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-have-been-taught-to-keep-the-commandments-and-we-have-kept-them/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) [Explore all 75 Eric Butterworth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eric Butterworth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-what-we-think-what-we-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-what-we-think-what-we-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e1b/eric-butterworth-9094_change_we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-wh_2112411.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We don't change what we are, we change what we think what we are.” — Eric Butterworth", "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": "Eric Butterworth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We don't change what we are,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-what-we-think-what-we-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/we-don-t-change-what-we-are-we-change-what-we-think-what-we-are/#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 } } ] } ```