--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were never there to begin with. What…" description: "\"We were never there to begin with. What we are, or conceive of ourselves as, is a perception.\" — Frederick Lenz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae7/frederick-lenz-8_birth_we-were-never-there-to-begin-with-what-w_1699141.jpg" --- # We were never there to begin with. What we are, or… ![“We were never there to begin with. What we are, or conceive of ourselves as, is a perception.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae7/frederick-lenz-8_birth_we-were-never-there-to-begin-with-what-w_1699141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae7/frederick-lenz-8_birth_we-were-never-there-to-begin-with-what-w_1699141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae7/frederick-lenz-8_birth_we-were-never-there-to-begin-with-what-w_1699141.jpg) > “We were never there to begin with. What we are, or conceive of ourselves as, is a perception.” [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## 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 how we view ourselves; self‑concept is a mental construct rather than an objective truth. **In simple terms:** Self‑image is a perception we create. Key Takeaway Question and reshape limiting self‑beliefs. Themes identity self‑perception psychology Mood reflective inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal coaching - therapy - team building - leadership development - creative work Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑fulfilling prophecy mindset Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs about yourself are self‑imposed? - How does others’ perception affect your self‑image? A Different Perspective Perception can be influenced by external feedback, making self‑assessment tricky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin/) [Begin Conceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin-conceive-1133423/) [Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Conceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceive/) [Conceive Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceive-perception-1133422/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nothingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothingness/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) ## Related quotes > [We erase ourselves; we go away. But we don't really go away, and we don't really erase ourselves, since we were never there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-erase-ourselves-we-go-away-but-we-don-t-really-go-away-and-we-don/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [None of this exists. All important decisions in the universe occur someplace else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/none-of-this-exists-all-important-decisions-in-the-universe-occur/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [None of this is real. All of this is an illusion and your acceptance of that fact is the beginning of the pathway to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/none-of-this-is-real-all-of-this-is-an-illusion-and-your-acceptance/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [All incarnations are lived at once, and yet there does seem to be a linear sense of time when you're in the vortex of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/all-incarnations-are-lived-at-once-and-yet-there-does-seem-to-be-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Life is a series of dreams, a series of interlocking awarenesses. I don't necessarily believe in linear time. Everything happens all at once forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/life-is-a-series-of-dreams-a-series-of-interlocking-awarenesses-i-don/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When you visit Nirvana, there is neither existence nor nonexistence. Your baggage never arrives because there is no one there to claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-visit-nirvana-there-is-neither-existence-nor-nonexistence/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Mind only comes into apparent existence through the action of perception. Mind appears to exist because it perceives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/mind-only-comes-into-apparent-existence-through-the-action-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a very exclusive club - no one is in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-very-exclusive-club-no-one-is-in-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Zen has lost its zip, if you will, or its nothingness and has become ritualistic Its established in monastaries with strict codes of koan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/zen-has-lost-its-zip-if-you-will-or-its-nothingness-and-has-become/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We are everything and we are nothing. We are a forgotten moment. We don't even exist, which is the freeing part. We just think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-are-everything-and-we-are-nothing-we-are-a-forgotten-moment-we-don/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [What is incarnation? Incarnation is self-reflection. The universe that we are in is constructed, is a reflection of ourselves. We picked the dimension according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/what-is-incarnation-incarnation-is-self-reflection-the-universe-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [So in the world of Enlightenment, things are just things, except they're not things. We're in nirvana. There is no debating team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/so-in-the-world-of-enlightenment-things-are-just-things-except-they/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The way of nothingness is the way of Zen. It is just a term. The contemplation of nothingness or everythingness is where everything starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-way-of-nothingness-is-the-way-of-zen-it-is-just-a-term-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [When you stop all thought, the battle is won. Everything is still and peaceful. You will come to see the eternal voidness of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/when-you-stop-all-thought-the-battle-is-won-everything-is-still-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We've decided what we are. That's the dream. When the dream fades, it's not that we don't exist. How could we not exist since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-ve-decided-what-we-are-that-s-the-dream-when-the-dream-fades-it-s/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Frederick Lenz > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [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/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More Begin quotes > [If you wanted to put the world to rights, who should you begin with: yourself or others?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/if-you-wanted-to-put-the-world-to-rights-who-should-you-begin-with/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Let the motherfucking games begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/let-the-motherfucking-games-begin/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [“Begin as you mean to go on, and go on as you began, and let the Lord be all in all to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-spurgeon/begin-as-you-mean-to-go-on-and-go-on-as-you-began-and-let-the-lord-be/) [Charles H. Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-spurgeon/) > [The world will only begin to have faith in you when you do too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-world-will-only-begin-to-have-faith-in-you-when-you-do-too/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [The idea with a collection is sort of to begin with a kind of bang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/the-idea-with-a-collection-is-sort-of-to-begin-with-a-kind-of-bang/) [Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/) > [“Humble yourself before the Lord and he will lift you high. People who are gentle, humble and able always have a great ending no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/humble-yourself-before-the-lord-and-he-will-lift-you-high-people-who/) [israelmore ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/just-begin-and-the-mind-grows-heated-continue-and-the-task-will-be/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“Quitters don’t gain what they have started working on; waiters don’t start what they could have gained. What is common there is failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/quitters-don-t-gain-what-they-have-started-working-on-waiters-don-t/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-don-t-know-the-future-i-didn-t-come-here-to-tell-you-how-this-is/) [Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/) > [The public should begin to understand that there's nothing that comes out of this campaign, or this Obama White House, that they can believe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sununu/the-public-should-begin-to-understand-that-there-s-nothing-that-comes/) [John Sununu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sununu/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I look forward to the day that a lot of the folks that you all talk about and cover on this network will begin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-look-forward-to-the-day-that-a-lot-of-the-folks-that-you-all-talk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...I'd be interested in any tips you have for somebody starting out.” “Uh-huh,” I said, looking out the window. I decided, as we drove…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/i-d-be-interested-in-any-tips-you-have-for-somebody-starting-out-uh/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [I'm Irish and always will be, but America has taught me so much. Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/) [Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/) > [Begin where you are. Read every word, every phrase, every paragraph of the mind, as it operates through thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/begin-where-you-are-read-every-word-every-phrase-every-paragraph-of/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) [Browse all 1,199 Begin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/begin/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We were never there to begin with. 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