--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're just trying on different…" description: "\"You're just trying on different identities, like everyone in those Shakespeare plays. And the people we pretend at, they're already in us. That's why w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/gayle-forman-312_different_you-re-just-trying-on-different-identiti_1680403.png" --- # You're just trying on different identities, like everyone… ![“You're just trying on different identities, like everyone in those Shakespeare plays. And the people we pretend at, they're already in us. That's why we pretend them in the first place.” quote by Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/gayle-forman-312_different_you-re-just-trying-on-different-identiti_1680403.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/gayle-forman-312_different_you-re-just-trying-on-different-identiti_1680403.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/gayle-forman-312_different_you-re-just-trying-on-different-identiti_1680403.png) > “You're just trying on different identities, like everyone in those Shakespeare plays. And the people we pretend at, they're already in us. That's why we pretend them in the first place.” [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People adopt personas from stories because those characters already reflect parts of themselves, leading to self‑discovery through role‑play. **In simple terms:** We mimic characters that echo our inner selves. Key Takeaway Explore the roles you embody. Themes identity self‑discovery role‑play Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - acting classes - reading fiction - personal reflection - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology literature empathy Questions to Reflect On - Which character traits do you recognize in yourself? - How does role‑play reveal hidden desires? A Different Perspective May blur lines between authentic self and performed self. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Shakespeare play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-play/) [Shakespeare Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-plays/) ## Related quotes > [“And the people we pretend at, they're already in us. That's why we pretend them in the first place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/and-the-people-we-pretend-at-they-re-already-in-us-that-s-why-we/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [People are going to say, ‘Well, it’s not very truthful.’ But a songwriter doesn’t care about what’s truthful. What he cares about is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/people-are-going-to-say-well-it-s-not-very-truthful-but-a-songwriter/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [You travel the world, you go see different things. I like to see Shakespeare plays, so I'll go - I mean, even if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/you-travel-the-world-you-go-see-different-things-i-like-to-see/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Literate households in the 17th century would have had the Bible, John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress," and a couple of other books. Shakespeare plays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/literate-households-in-the-17th-century-would-have-had-the-bible-john/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [I am a man who used to wear the tights. We traveled the country doing two Shakespeare plays for bored college students for about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-corddry/i-am-a-man-who-used-to-wear-the-tights-we-traveled-the-country-doing/) [Rob Corddry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-corddry/) > [One of the things that gives me a lot of pleasure about both the solo show and the book is that it tells people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lithgow/one-of-the-things-that-gives-me-a-lot-of-pleasure-about-both-the-solo/) [John Lithgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lithgow/) > [I got an M.F.A. in acting from NYU, and part of our training is to learn how to use swords in combat situations in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danai-gurira/i-got-an-m-f-a-in-acting-from-nyu-and-part-of-our-training-is-to/) [Danai Gurira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danai-gurira/) > [All the great Shakespeare plays are about killing. 'Alas, poor Yorick,' that's about death. And in 'Romeo and Juliet' everyone up ends up dying.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-winstone/all-the-great-shakespeare-plays-are-about-killing-alas-poor-yorick/) [Ray Winstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-winstone/) > [Whether it is the cavemen in the caves thousands of years ago, Shakespeare plays, television, movies and books, stories and characters take us on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-burnett/whether-it-is-the-cavemen-in-the-caves-thousands-of-years-ago/) [Mark Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-burnett/) > [Everyone has different identities and different characters that live within them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ridloff/everyone-has-different-identities-and-different-characters-that-live/) [Lauren Ridloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ridloff/) > [My books are more about people experimenting with different identities and social models in a short-term way before they can break through to something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/my-books-are-more-about-people-experimenting-with-different/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [There's so many different identities out there and I think they all deserve some visibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/violet-chachki/there-s-so-many-different-identities-out-there-and-i-think-they-all/) [Violet Chachki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/violet-chachki/) > [“Facebook is the perfect place to try on different identities until she finds one that sticks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-hauser/facebook-is-the-perfect-place-to-try-on-different-identities-until/) Brooke Hauser > [“If I pretend … If I pretend I didn’t do those things, it means that I can’t have grown to become someone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-i-pretend-if-i-pretend-i-didn-t-do-those-things-it-means-that-i/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You can pretend to be serious; but you can't pretend to be witty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sacha-guitry/you-can-pretend-to-be-serious-but-you-can-t-pretend-to-be-witty/) [Sacha Guitry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sacha-guitry/) ## More by Gayle Forman > [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [I don’t want to be that person, who just takes things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-don-t-want-to-be-that-person-who-just-takes-things/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [I’ve blamed her for all of this, for leaving, for ruining me. And maybe that was the seed of it, but from that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-ve-blamed-her-for-all-of-this-for-leaving-for-ruining-me-and-maybe/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [There are like twenty people in that waiting room right now. Some of them are related to you. Some of them are not. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/there-are-like-twenty-people-in-that-waiting-room-right-now-some-of/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“It’s like an ache, how much I miss them. How much I miss her. I’m so tired of missing things I don’t have”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/it-s-like-an-ache-how-much-i-miss-them-how-much-i-miss-her-i-m-so/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Whoever said that the past isn’t dead had it backward. It’s the future that’s already dead, already played out. This whole night has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/whoever-said-that-the-past-isn-t-dead-had-it-backward-it-s-the-future/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“We drank Pepsi out of these old-fashioned bottles that Dad had found at some ancient country store, and I swear they tasted better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/we-drank-pepsi-out-of-these-old-fashioned-bottles-that-dad-had-found/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Pero si voy a sobrevivir, no puedo nunca, jamás volver a repasar este día.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/pero-si-voy-a-sobrevivir-no-puedo-nunca-jam-s-volver-a-repasar-este-d/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Some things are impossible to tear yourself away from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/some-things-are-impossible-to-tear-yourself-away-from/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [You meet people, you part ways, sometimes you cross paths again. Mostly, you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/you-meet-people-you-part-ways-sometimes-you-cross-paths-again-mostly/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Do you honestly think that where you’re buried has any bearing on where your spirit lives?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/do-you-honestly-think-that-where-you-re-buried-has-any-bearing-on/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“Jazz je punk pro staré lidi.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/jazz-je-punk-pro-star-lidi/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [Hate me. Devastate me. Annihilate me. Re-create me. Re-create me. Won't you, won't you won't you re-create me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/hate-me-devastate-me-annihilate-me-re-create-me-re-create-me-won-t/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“I can't lose you again. It really will kill me this time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-can-t-lose-you-again-it-really-will-kill-me-this-time/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) [Explore all 598 Gayle Forman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) ## More Different quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. 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But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. 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