--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A person wrapped up in himself makes a…" description: "\"A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.\" — Harry Emerson Fosdick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png" --- # A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package. ![“A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” quote by Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png) > “A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑absorption reduces a person to a tiny, self‑contained unit, limiting growth. **In simple terms:** Being self‑centered makes you small. Key Takeaway Cultivate humility and openness. Themes humility personal growth self‑awareness Mood reflective encouraging Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal development - teamwork - leadership - education Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What does “small package” mean to you? - How can you expand beyond self‑interest? A Different Perspective Self‑focus can be protective in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Makes Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makes-small-2085730/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Wrapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-wrapped-3484226/) [Wrapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrapped/) [Wrapped Makes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrapped-makes-3459905/) ## Related quotes > [Being all wrapped up in yourself makes you a very small package.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-all-wrapped-up-in-yourself-makes-you-a-very-small-package/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When a man is wrapped up in himself, he makes a pretty small package.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/when-a-man-is-wrapped-up-in-himself-he-makes-a-pretty-small-package/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [A person all wrapped up in themselves makes for a mighty small package.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-person-all-wrapped-up-in-themselves-makes-for-a-mighty-small-package/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-man-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-very-small-bundle/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small parcel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/a-man-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-very-small-parcel/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [The worlds smallest package is a person wrapped up in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/the-worlds-smallest-package-is-a-person-wrapped-up-in-themselves/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [Big government makes small citizens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-steyn/big-government-makes-small-citizens/) [Mark Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-steyn/) > [Country music makes small things really big and big things really small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/country-music-makes-small-things-really-big-and-big-things-really/) [CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/) > [It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small, and the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idina-menzel/it-s-funny-how-some-distance-makes-everything-seem-small-and-the/) [Idina Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idina-menzel/) > [Harmony makes small things grow; lack of it makes great things decay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/harmony-makes-small-things-grow-lack-of-it-makes-great-things-decay/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [When you figure out love is all that matters after all, it sure makes everything else seem so small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/when-you-figure-out-love-is-all-that-matters-after-all-it-sure-makes/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [Its funny how some distance makes everything seem small; And the fears that once controlled me cant get to me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-some-distance-makes-everything-seem-small-and-the-fears/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we fight with is so small, and when we win, it makes us small. What we want is to be defeated, decisively, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/what-we-fight-with-is-so-small-and-when-we-win-it-makes-us-small-what/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“She lay there like a beautiful lace covered present for the troll with her sweet hands wrapped up in the red bow of Lilith’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-swann/she-lay-there-like-a-beautiful-lace-covered-present-for-the-troll/) [Bella Swann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-swann/) > [We have created indoor installations inside museums, like the Wrapped Floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 1968, and not monumental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christo/we-have-created-indoor-installations-inside-museums-like-the-wrapped/) [Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christo/) ## More by Harry Emerson Fosdick > [Nothing in human life, least of all in religion, is ever right until it is beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/nothing-in-human-life-least-of-all-in-religion-is-ever-right-until-it/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [Life asks not merely what you can do; it asks how much can you endure and not be spoiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/life-asks-not-merely-what-you-can-do-it-asks-how-much-can-you-endure/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [It is cynicism and fear that freeze life; it is faith that thaws it out, releases it, sets it free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/it-is-cynicism-and-fear-that-freeze-life-it-is-faith-that-thaws-it/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [“Whatever the situation and however disheartening it may be, it is a great hour when a man ceases adopting difficulties as an excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/whatever-the-situation-and-however-disheartening-it-may-be-it-is-a/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [The all but unanimous judgment seems to be that we, the democracies, are just as responsible for the rise of the dictators as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/the-all-but-unanimous-judgment-seems-to-be-that-we-the-democracies/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [Atheism is a theoretical formulation of the discouraged life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/atheism-is-a-theoretical-formulation-of-the-discouraged-life/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [The most extraordinary thing about the oyster is this. Irritations set into his shell. He does not like them. But when he cannot get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/the-most-extraordinary-thing-about-the-oyster-is-this-irritations-set/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [The tragedy of war is that it uses man's best to do man's worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/the-tragedy-of-war-is-that-it-uses-man-s-best-to-do-man-s-worst/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [No one can be wrong with man and right with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/no-one-can-be-wrong-with-man-and-right-with-god/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [No man need stay the way he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/no-man-need-stay-the-way-he-is/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [Preaching is personal counseling on a group basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/preaching-is-personal-counseling-on-a-group-basis/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [Every year the inventions of science weave more inextricably the web that binds man to man, group to group, nation to nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/every-year-the-inventions-of-science-weave-more-inextricably-the-web/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/he-who-cannot-rest-cannot-work-he-who-cannot-let-go-cannot-hold-on-he/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [It is not marriage that fails; it is people that fail. All that marriage does is to show people up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/it-is-not-marriage-that-fails-it-is-people-that-fail-all-that/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) > [Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind's eye and you will be drawn toward it. Picture yourself vividly as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/hold-a-picture-of-yourself-long-and-steadily-enough-in-your-mind-s/) [Harry Emerson Fosdick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) [Explore all 123 Harry Emerson Fosdick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/) ## More Person quotes > [“Always resemble yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-white/always-resemble-yourself/) [Cynthia White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-white/) > [“They're threatened by you,' she said. 'You chose to do something they'd never have the gumption to choose for themselves. Being their own person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/they-re-threatened-by-you-she-said-you-chose-to-do-something-they-d/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [I think a person has to just be herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nixon/i-think-a-person-has-to-just-be-herself/) [Pat Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nixon/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [If you’re a person struggling to eat and stay healthy you might have heard about Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali, but you’ll never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/if-you-re-a-person-struggling-to-eat-and-stay-healthy-you-might-have/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [Sometimes, the person you trust most is the one who trusts you the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/sometimes-the-person-you-trust-most-is-the-one-who-trusts-you-the/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/) [Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/) > [If you expect the worst from a person you can never be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/if-you-expect-the-worst-from-a-person-you-can-never-be-disappointed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [I'd love to talk to myself at 40 and see what I've achieved and what I feel... but I will just be the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-d-love-to-talk-to-myself-at-40-and-see-what-i-ve-achieved-and-what/) [Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/) > [I'm not the sort of person who would want to just lie on the sofa watching TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-kvitova/i-m-not-the-sort-of-person-who-would-want-to-just-lie-on-the-sofa/) [Petra Kvitova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-kvitova/) > [Just be what it is that you are, and that is just fine. You don't have to be what you're not in any way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/just-be-what-it-is-that-you-are-and-that-is-just-fine-you-don-t-have/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Be proud of who you are & who you represent.You are unique, there is no other exactly like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/be-proud-of-who-you-are-who-you-represent-you-are-unique-there-is-no/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“if you act (and dress) as if you have a fascinating inner life, you may soon find that you actually do—and that you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-act-and-dress-as-if-you-have-a-fascinating-inner-life-you-may/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) [Browse all 19,722 Person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harry Emerson Fosdick" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-small-package/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-small-package/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/harry-emerson-fosdick-3672_person_a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-s_3014617.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A person wrapped up in himself makes a small package.” — Harry Emerson Fosdick", "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": "Harry Emerson Fosdick", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-emerson-fosdick/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A person wrapped up in himself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-small-package/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-emerson-fosdick/a-person-wrapped-up-in-himself-makes-a-small-package/#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 } } ] } ```