--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Begin with an individual, and before you…" description: "\"“Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find that you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find that you have created—nothing...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_identity_begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you_1302510.jpg" --- # Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find… ![“Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find that you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find that you have created—nothing. That is because we are all queer fish, queerer behind our faces and voices than we want any one to know or than we know ourselves. When I hear a…” quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_identity_begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you_1302510.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_identity_begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you_1302510.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/f-scott-fitzgerald-72_identity_begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you_1302510.jpg) > ““Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find that you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find that you have created—nothing. That is because we are all queer fish, queerer behind our faces and voices than we want any one to know or than we know ourselves. When I hear a man proclaiming himself an "average, honest, open fellow," I feel pretty sure that he has some definite and perhaps terrible abnormality which he has agreed to conceal—and his protestation of being average and honest and open is his way of reminding himself of his misprision.”” [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Individual identity shapes perception; trying to fit a type erases uniqueness, revealing hidden complexities. **In simple terms:** Being yourself reveals hidden depths. Key Takeaway Embrace personal authenticity. Themes identity individuality conformity self‑deception Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal relationships - creative work - self‑reflection - team dynamics Key Concepts existentialism psychology social masks Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize your own hidden contradictions? - What pressures push you to adopt a “type”? A Different Perspective Attempting to label others can oversimplify and ignore nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-honest-4281964/) [Begin Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-individual-1549706/) [Created Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/created-queer-4281963/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-open-334874/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) ## Related quotes > [“Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find that you have created a type: begin with a type, and you find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you-know-it-you-find-that-you-2/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find that you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you-know-it-you-find-that-you-3/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Begin with an individual, and before you know it you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find you have created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/begin-with-an-individual-and-before-you-know-it-you-have-created-a/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [As any change must begin somewhere, it is the single individual who will experience it and carry it through. The change must indeed begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/as-any-change-must-begin-somewhere-it-is-the-single-individual-who/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Cover versions, that's my forte, that's all I ever used to do. When you play your own songs, it's quite scary, 'cause I'm quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-goulding/cover-versions-that-s-my-forte-that-s-all-i-ever-used-to-do-when-you/) [Ellie Goulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-goulding/) > [I just try to be as honest and open as possible with all my music, whether it's live shows or the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wade-bowen/i-just-try-to-be-as-honest-and-open-as-possible-with-all-my-music/) [Wade Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wade-bowen/) > [Be honest, be open, be real and don't be afraid to show/share when mistakes happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luz-morales/be-honest-be-open-be-real-and-don-t-be-afraid-to-show-share-when/) [Luz Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luz-morales/) > [I have a hard time not wearing my heart on my sleeve and answering people honestly. You know, my friends warn me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-van-etten/i-have-a-hard-time-not-wearing-my-heart-on-my-sleeve-and-answering/) [Sharon Van Etten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-van-etten/) > [Being totally open with your feelings can make everything difficult. However, in front of the person I love, I feel it is absolutely necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joo-won/being-totally-open-with-your-feelings-can-make-everything-difficult/) [Joo Won](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joo-won/) > [For me, living in the closet corroded my ability to have an honest, open relationship with my God, my loved ones, my constituency and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcgreevey/for-me-living-in-the-closet-corroded-my-ability-to-have-an-honest/) [James McGreevey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcgreevey/) > [Honest, open communication is the only street that leads us into the real world... We then begin to grow as never before. And once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/honest-open-communication-is-the-only-street-that-leads-us-into-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think a lot of people don't wear their hearts on their sleeves. I think people should, but a lot of people don't. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-smith/i-think-a-lot-of-people-don-t-wear-their-hearts-on-their-sleeves-i/) [Sam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-smith/) > [All of us must come to an honest, open self-examination, an awareness within as to who and what we want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-russell-ballard/all-of-us-must-come-to-an-honest-open-self-examination-an-awareness/) [M. Russell Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-russell-ballard/) > [You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life, so I need to tell you that part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-know-i-have-always-tried-to-be-honest-with-you-and-open-about-my/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I try to be as honest and open as I am with everything that I do because it's just, um, It helps me, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-foxx/i-try-to-be-as-honest-and-open-as-i-am-with-everything-that-i-do/) [Jamie Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-foxx/) ## More by F. Scott Fitzgerald > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“There was a ripe mystery about it, a hint of bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool than other bedrooms, of gay and radiant activities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/there-was-a-ripe-mystery-about-it-a-hint-of-bedrooms-upstairs-more/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [I found something! Courage--just that; courage as a rule of life and something to cling to always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-found-something-courage-just-that-courage-as-a-rule-of-life-and/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“Life is a series of successful gestures...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/life-is-a-series-of-successful-gestures/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“Another dawn flung itself across the river; a belated taxi hurried along the street, its lamps still shining like burning eyes in a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/another-dawn-flung-itself-across-the-river-a-belated-taxi-hurried/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“She plucked a twig and broke it, but she found no spring in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/she-plucked-a-twig-and-broke-it-but-she-found-no-spring-in-it/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“I'm one of those people who go through the world giving other people thrills but getting few myself except those I read into men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-m-one-of-those-people-who-go-through-the-world-giving-other-people/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The Montana sunset lay between the mountains like a giant bruise from which darkened arteries spread across a poisoned sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-montana-sunset-lay-between-the-mountains-like-a-giant-bruise-from/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“You loved me too?" he repeated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/you-loved-me-too-he-repeated/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“He was good looking, "sort of distinguished when he wants to be", had a line, and was properly inconstant. In fact, he summed up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/he-was-good-looking-sort-of-distinguished-when-he-wants-to-be-had-a/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [What are you going to do? "Can't say - run for president, write -" "Greenwich Village?" "Good heavens, no - I said write -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/what-are-you-going-to-do-can-t-say-run-for-president-write-greenwich/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“The latter was considered a good fellow and a fine leader, until a year later, when he disappeared with a mess fund of eleven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-latter-was-considered-a-good-fellow-and-a-fine-leader-until-a/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/it-eluded-us-then-but-that-s-no-matter-tomorrow-we-will-run-faster/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Explore all 1,568 F. Scott Fitzgerald quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) ## More Honest quotes > [How strong is a faith that can't stand up to a few honest questions?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-c-davis/how-strong-is-a-faith-that-can-t-stand-up-to-a-few-honest-questions/) [Kenneth C. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-c-davis/) > [What we shall need is not geniuses, or cynics, or misanthropes, or clever tacticians, but plain, honest, straghtforward men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-we-shall-need-is-not-geniuses-or-cynics-or-misanthropes-or/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Tobacco is the passion of honest men and he who lives without tobacco is not worthy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/tobacco-is-the-passion-of-honest-men-and-he-who-lives-without-tobacco/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“RIGHT Do you do what feels right or what is seen right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-downer/right-do-you-do-what-feels-right-or-what-is-seen-right/) [Kitty Downer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-downer/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [I don't know - to be honest, I don't really model myself after anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-klattenhoff/i-don-t-know-to-be-honest-i-don-t-really-model-myself-after-anybody/) [Diego Klattenhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-klattenhoff/) > [There's a certain edge about cruelty. If you're honest about it, most people wince, but say it had to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-waterman/there-s-a-certain-edge-about-cruelty-if-you-re-honest-about-it-most/) [Pete Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-waterman/) > [I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realizing that integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verghese-kurien/i-have-often-spoken-of-integrity-as-the-most-important-of-these/) [Verghese Kurien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verghese-kurien/) > [Honest people don't hide their deeds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/honest-people-don-t-hide-their-deeds/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [I used to not be really honest with girls and then I dropped a song called Starry Room and then I started turning over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-smith/i-used-to-not-be-really-honest-with-girls-and-then-i-dropped-a-song/) [Jaden Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-smith/) > [Fuck perfect, I want honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djsovviet/fuck-perfect-i-want-honest/) [Djsovviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djsovviet/) > [If I'm honest, I think everything is funny. You've just got to find the right way in. When I'm at my happiest and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcintyre/if-i-m-honest-i-think-everything-is-funny-you-ve-just-got-to-find-the/) [Michael McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcintyre/) > [I think managers see that I am honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lallana/i-think-managers-see-that-i-am-honest/) [Adam Lallana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lallana/) [Browse all 7,016 Honest quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Begin with an individual, and before you know it you find that you have created a type; begin with a type, and you find that you have created—nothing. That is because we are all queer fish, queerer behind our faces and voices than we want any one to know or than we know ourselves. 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