--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can I defend myself against what I…" description: "\"How can I defend myself against what I want?\" — Henri Cole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg" --- # How can I defend myself against what I want? ![“How can I defend myself against what I want?” quote by Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg) > “How can I defend myself against what I want?” [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑conflict between desire and self‑defense, questioning personal motives. **In simple terms:** Struggle with inner desires. Key Takeaway Examine personal motivations. Themes psychology self‑reflection conflict Mood introspective melancholic Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing - personal growth Key Concepts desire defense identity Questions to Reflect On - What drives your cravings? - How to align actions with values? A Different Perspective Desire may be rationalized incorrectly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [I want to defend my throne. All my fans know. They love me. I want to defend this; I want to be a champ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-holloway/i-want-to-defend-my-throne-all-my-fans-know-they-love-me-i-want-to/) [Max Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-holloway/) > [People said, That's great for your career, but what have you done? I kept feeling I had to defend myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skeet-ulrich/people-said-that-s-great-for-your-career-but-what-have-you-done-i/) [Skeet Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skeet-ulrich/) > [Please, I'm a transgender former boy-bander. You think I don't know how to defend myself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/please-i-m-a-transgender-former-boy-bander-you-think-i-don-t-know-how/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [I’m fighting for my life, I have to defend myself. If I don’t defend myself, no one else will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-rodriguez/i-m-fighting-for-my-life-i-have-to-defend-myself-if-i-don-t-defend/) [Alex Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-rodriguez/) > [I don't really feel the need to defend myself for having a six-pack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-sorrentino/i-don-t-really-feel-the-need-to-defend-myself-for-having-a-six-pack/) [Michael Sorrentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-sorrentino/) > [When someone abuses me I can defend myself, but against praise I am defenceless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/when-someone-abuses-me-i-can-defend-myself-but-against-praise-i-am/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“For the record, while it's very charming that you keep trying to protect me, I would like to remind you that I actually know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/for-the-record-while-it-s-very-charming-that-you-keep-trying-to/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Being a black belt from the Nogueira brothers, I have the obligation to always defend myself well on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-silva/being-a-black-belt-from-the-nogueira-brothers-i-have-the-obligation/) [Anderson Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-silva/) > [My parents taught me the way to deal with being picked on was to be compassionate. I had to defend myself physically, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-rubinek/my-parents-taught-me-the-way-to-deal-with-being-picked-on-was-to-be/) [Saul Rubinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-rubinek/) > [On a few words of what is real in the world I nourish myself. I defend myself against Whatever remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/on-a-few-words-of-what-is-real-in-the-world-i-nourish-myself-i-defend/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“...I long ago gave up defending humanity. It's beyond me on most days to defend myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-long-ago-gave-up-defending-humanity-it-s-beyond-me-on-most-days-to/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“One day I had nothing but my childhood to defend myself…..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/one-day-i-had-nothing-but-my-childhood-to-defend-myself/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [For me, I don't have to defend myself that I am not a racist. I won't go in that discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/for-me-i-don-t-have-to-defend-myself-that-i-am-not-a-racist-i-won-t/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [I cannot defend myself during a trial if there is no charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sooraj-pancholi/i-cannot-defend-myself-during-a-trial-if-there-is-no-charge/) [Sooraj Pancholi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sooraj-pancholi/) > [Swearing's my release. It's the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-pirlo/swearing-s-my-release-it-s-the-one-weapon-i-have-to-defend-myself/) [Andrea Pirlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-pirlo/) ## More by Henri Cole > [“We all came from our mothers' bellies. We all have hope in our veins. We don't want history to forget us, but the dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/we-all-came-from-our-mothers-bellies-we-all-have-hope-in-our-veins-we/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [Over the past 30 years, hand grenades, tanks, fighter jets, missiles, helicopters and assault rifles have replaced traditional floral patterns in rug making and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/over-the-past-30-years-hand-grenades-tanks-fighter-jets-missiles/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [You see, my mind takes me far, but my heart dreams of return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/you-see-my-mind-takes-me-far-but-my-heart-dreams-of-return/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“Proximity to this death makes me nostalgic for the French language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/proximity-to-this-death-makes-me-nostalgic-for-the-french-language/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“Experience seems to come from a distance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/experience-seems-to-come-from-a-distance/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“Introducing the idea of beauty as a salve and of aesthetics making something difficult accessible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/introducing-the-idea-of-beauty-as-a-salve-and-of-aesthetics-making/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [In French, one can say I am alone or I feel alone but nothing as baldly distressing as I am lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/in-french-one-can-say-i-am-alone-or-i-feel-alone-but-nothing-as/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“My soft voice and demeanor were useless. In a pint jar, I carried a cremated friend, like flesh scraped from a cistern.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/my-soft-voice-and-demeanor-were-useless-in-a-pint-jar-i-carried-a/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“I'm standing in the lake, forming a whirlpool with my arms, letting the force of atonement pull me into its center until I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/i-m-standing-in-the-lake-forming-a-whirlpool-with-my-arms-letting-the/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“There's no animal that sleep-deprives itself like the human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/there-s-no-animal-that-sleep-deprives-itself-like-the-human/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [In truth, I'm still slightly embarrassed to say, I am a poet. I'd rather say, I make poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/in-truth-i-m-still-slightly-embarrassed-to-say-i-am-a-poet-i-d-rather/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“I feel like a jug in which wine is poured until it overflows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/i-feel-like-a-jug-in-which-wine-is-poured-until-it-overflows/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“the art of life, mostly, the art of avoiding pain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/the-art-of-life-mostly-the-art-of-avoiding-pain/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [“Words and phrases grew only slowly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/words-and-phrases-grew-only-slowly/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) > [A plague of snow, fluffy and dry before it hardens and grips the trees, the walls, and the cars parked haphazardly everywhere. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/a-plague-of-snow-fluffy-and-dry-before-it-hardens-and-grips-the-trees/) [Henri Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) [Explore all 16 Henri Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/) ## More Defend quotes > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [We fight to defend our democratic ideals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-austin/we-fight-to-defend-our-democratic-ideals/) [Lloyd Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-austin/) > [The pop culture has become more frenetic. There are more forces at work that are far more invasive. However, I think it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-gibson/the-pop-culture-has-become-more-frenetic-there-are-more-forces-at/) [Mel Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-gibson/) > [I don't need a perfect person. I just need someone who will defend me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-need-a-perfect-person-i-just-need-someone-who-will-defend-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Swearing's my release. It's the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-pirlo/swearing-s-my-release-it-s-the-one-weapon-i-have-to-defend-myself/) [Andrea Pirlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-pirlo/) > [Having kids is the deal-breaker on shyness! Once you have a baby, you learn to speak up loud and clear to protect them, defend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/having-kids-is-the-deal-breaker-on-shyness-once-you-have-a-baby-you/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [We will defend ourselves, and we have full rights to do so. If the authorities try to destroy us, we have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-udaltsov/we-will-defend-ourselves-and-we-have-full-rights-to-do-so-if-the/) Sergei Udaltsov > [I definitely want to defend my 145 belt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-nunes/i-definitely-want-to-defend-my-145-belt/) [Amanda Nunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-nunes/) > [In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were exterminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wurzelbacher/in-1911-turkey-established-gun-control-from-1915-to-1917-1-5-million/) [Joe Wurzelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wurzelbacher/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“defend women’s right to be wrong, at least occasionally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/defend-women-s-right-to-be-wrong-at-least-occasionally/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [There are a lot of things you can practise to unsettle teams that defend deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/there-are-a-lot-of-things-you-can-practise-to-unsettle-teams-that/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [The more you defend a lie, the angrier you become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-more-you-defend-a-lie-the-angrier-you-become/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I'm very willing to defend creative things that I believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-schneider/i-m-very-willing-to-defend-creative-things-that-i-believe-in/) [Dan Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-schneider/) > [Sometimes it is difficult to play against teams who just drop back and try to defend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadio-mane/sometimes-it-is-difficult-to-play-against-teams-who-just-drop-back/) [Sadio Mane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadio-mane/) Browse all 993 Defend quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How can I defend myself against what I want?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henri Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-want/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-want/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d54/henri-cole-31226_defend_how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-w_2800891.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How can I defend myself against what I want?” — Henri Cole", "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": "Henri Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How can I defend myself against...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-want/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cole/how-can-i-defend-myself-against-what-i-want/#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 } } ] } ```