--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A self that goes on changing is a self…" description: "\"“A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living': so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don't stay still, so life-writi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/hermione-lee-46414_biography_a-self-that-goes-on-changing-is-a-self-t_1748050.jpg" --- # A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on… ![“A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living': so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don't stay still, so life-writing can't be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to…” quote by Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/hermione-lee-46414_biography_a-self-that-goes-on-changing-is-a-self-t_1748050.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/hermione-lee-46414_biography_a-self-that-goes-on-changing-is-a-self-t_1748050.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66d/hermione-lee-46414_biography_a-self-that-goes-on-changing-is-a-self-t_1748050.jpg) > ““A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living': so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don't stay still, so life-writing can't be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to pioneer, going 'ahead of the rest of us, like the miner's canary, testing the atmosphere, detecting falsity, unreality, and the presence of obsolete conventions'. So, 'There are some stories which have to be retold by each generation'. She is talking about the story of Shelley, but she could be talking about her own life-story. (Virginia Woolf, p. 11)”” [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Continuous self‑change is essential; life and identity are fluid, requiring ongoing reinterpretation and renewal. **In simple terms:** Keep evolving to stay alive Key Takeaway Embrace change and rewrite your story Themes identity change creativity Mood reflective literary Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - personal growth - cultural analysis Key Concepts self‑construction narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance continuity with transformation? - What stories in your life need retelling? A Different Perspective Constant change can cause instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography/) [Changing Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changing-self/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [There is no real escape from autobiography into biography. The self has to be faced, or we die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/there-is-no-real-escape-from-autobiography-into-biography-the-self/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [“Johnson argued that the most truthful life-writing is when ‘the writer tells his own story’, since only he knows the whole truth about himself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/johnson-argued-that-the-most-truthful-life-writing-is-when-the-writer/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [“For a self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-wolf/for-a-self-that-goes-on-changing-is-a-self-that-goes-on-living/) Virginia Wolf > [You don't have to change for someone, because you, on your own, can make a person fall in love with you without changing anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine-dandan/you-don-t-have-to-change-for-someone-because-you-on-your-own-can-make/) [Divine Dandan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine-dandan/) > [“Here’s the messed up thing: most of us take our ever-changing self and partner it to another ever-changing being, entering into an ever-changing romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lodro-rinzler/here-s-the-messed-up-thing-most-of-us-take-our-ever-changing-self-and/) [Lodro Rinzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lodro-rinzler/) > [“We all know that rainbows are temporary optical illusions based on the factors of sunlight, moisture, and heat. The environment creates each rainbow like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-levine/we-all-know-that-rainbows-are-temporary-optical-illusions-based-on/) [Noah Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-levine/) > [We can only conceive of changing the self-reflection in response to our concept of self-reflection, which is predicated on our concept of self, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-can-only-conceive-of-changing-the-self-reflection-in-response-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The past is not simply the past, but a prism through which the subject filters his own changing self-image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-past-is-not-simply-the-past-but-a-prism-through-which-the-subject/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“It is not true to say that there is no self at all or that everything is empty or illusory, but it is true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-levine/it-is-not-true-to-say-that-there-is-no-self-at-all-or-that-everything/) [Noah Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-levine/) > [A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-self-that-goes-on-changing-is-a-self-that-goes-on-living/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Much like Ella, I'd found myself with an excess of words, the wealth of which far exceeded the pathetic limits of my own biography.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/much-like-ella-i-d-found-myself-with-an-excess-of-words-the-wealth-of/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [Listening to learn isn't about giving advice--at least not until asked--but about trying to understand exactly what someone means,how it is that someone looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-debold/listening-to-learn-isn-t-about-giving-advice-at-least-not-until-asked/) [Elizabeth Debold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-debold/) > [Puberty is such a confusing time. You are still a child, with all that wonderful naivete and innocence, but your body is changing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimouna-doucoure/puberty-is-such-a-confusing-time-you-are-still-a-child-with-all-that/) [Maimouna Doucoure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimouna-doucoure/) > [“I think language beautifully full of the poetry of immanent clarification of some small pinprick of what living might mean. Fuck. Why else would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-talbot/i-think-language-beautifully-full-of-the-poetry-of-immanent/) [Jill Talbot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-talbot/) > [It's very unlikely that a writer is going to make a living by writing. So then the question is: how do you balance work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/it-s-very-unlikely-that-a-writer-is-going-to-make-a-living-by-writing/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) ## More by Hermione Lee > [“Johnson argued that the most truthful life-writing is when ‘the writer tells his own story’, since only he knows the whole truth about himself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/johnson-argued-that-the-most-truthful-life-writing-is-when-the-writer/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [“I lost count of the incidences of "We can imagine" or "It is safe to imagine" or "We can speculate" or "We can picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/i-lost-count-of-the-incidences-of-we-can-imagine-or-it-is-safe-to/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [“Biographers are not usually as explicit as philosophers such as Plato, Wittgenstein, Austin, or Moore on questions of the existence of an essential self,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/biographers-are-not-usually-as-explicit-as-philosophers-such-as-plato/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [Writing a biography is not a love affair. It’s not a marriage. It’s a job, it’s a piece of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/writing-a-biography-is-not-a-love-affair-it-s-not-a-marriage-it-s-a/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [“The belief in a definable, consistent self, an identity that develops through the course of a life-story and that can be conclusively described, breaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/the-belief-in-a-definable-consistent-self-an-identity-that-develops/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [“From Tudor to eighteenth-century England, there are many instances of women writers with no place or room of their own. The life-story of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/from-tudor-to-eighteenth-century-england-there-are-many-instances-of/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) > [Some cynical biographer said to me, Make sure it's a good death. Make sure you're not picking someone who just declined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermione-lee/some-cynical-biographer-said-to-me-make-sure-it-s-a-good-death-make/) [Hermione Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) [Explore all 8 Hermione Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermione-lee/) ## More Biography quotes > [I have my own biography of Gram Parsons - I don't want to be part of somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmylou-harris/i-have-my-own-biography-of-gram-parsons-i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of/) [Emmylou Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmylou-harris/) > [“If you can choose your way into a cage, you can choose your way out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-kempton/if-you-can-choose-your-way-into-a-cage-you-can-choose-your-way-out/) [Beth Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-kempton/) > [All Philosophy is Biography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/all-philosophy-is-biography/) [Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/) > [I've read every Madonna biography. I've also looked up every pop star to see how they first made it. The biggest thing I learnt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-and-the-diamonds/i-ve-read-every-madonna-biography-i-ve-also-looked-up-every-pop-star/) [Marina and the Diamonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-and-the-diamonds/) > [I went on a Buddha jag. I read 'Confession of a Buddhist Atheist' by Stephen Batchelor and Karen Armstrong's biography of Buddha, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-o-hare/i-went-on-a-buddha-jag-i-read-confession-of-a-buddhist-atheist-by/) [Denis O'Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-o-hare/) > [“What drove us crazy wasn't necessarily the sexual freedom his critic claimed he was unleashing, but freedom, period. Freedom to be yourself, to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-spector-larry-geller-patricia-romanowski/what-drove-us-crazy-wasn-t-necessarily-the-sexual-freedom-his-critic/) Joel Spector Larry Geller Patricia Romanowski > [“Maybe he'd never come acrross anybody as well versed at objectifying body parts as I was. In my defense, this was an occupational hazard;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-shaw/maybe-he-d-never-come-acrross-anybody-as-well-versed-at-objectifying/) [Aiden Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-shaw/) > [It's time for male leaders to not only ask for binders of qualified women, but to re-write the definition of 'qualified.' The best man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/it-s-time-for-male-leaders-to-not-only-ask-for-binders-of-qualified/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [“Pong had mutated into large stand-up Sega consoles by '82 and here was some extra revenue the guys were well up for. So the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-wilson/pong-had-mutated-into-large-stand-up-sega-consoles-by-82-and-here-was/) [Tony Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-wilson/) > [I think that I'm busy in the present, and I don't want to go back. Well, there's been an unauthorized biography, and you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-finney/i-think-that-i-m-busy-in-the-present-and-i-don-t-want-to-go-back-well/) [Albert Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-finney/) > [“The trouble with life (the novelist will feel) is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-the-novelist-will-feel-is-its-amorphousness-its/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [History is neither more nor less than biography on a large scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonse-de-lamartine/history-is-neither-more-nor-less-than-biography-on-a-large-scale/) [Alphonse de Lamartine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonse-de-lamartine/) > [“I don't know enough to have any regrets”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-grabin/i-don-t-know-enough-to-have-any-regrets/) Vince Grabin > [“Up to four chauffeurs, two secretaries, two personal maids, and a masseur traveled with her to each home”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estella-m-chung/up-to-four-chauffeurs-two-secretaries-two-personal-maids-and-a/) [Estella M. Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estella-m-chung/) > [I'm not spitting in my own soup, I love having spent my life thinking about these things-but you don't have to know anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/i-m-not-spitting-in-my-own-soup-i-love-having-spent-my-life-thinking/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) [Browse all 348 Biography quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biography/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living': so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don't stay still, so life-writing can't be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. 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