--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To pretend, I actually do the thing: I…" description: "\"To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend.\" — Jacques Derrida" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg" --- # To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only… ![“To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend.” quote by Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg) > “To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend.” [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He blurs reality and pretense, questioning authenticity of actions. **In simple terms:** He pretends to truly act, yet only pretends. Key Takeaway Question the authenticity of your actions. Themes philosophy authenticity language Mood analytical thought‑provoking Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - artistic performance - political rhetoric - daily interactions Key Concepts deconstruction metafiction Questions to Reflect On - What does "pretending" mean to you? - When is pretense necessary? 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It didn’t mean anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-brien/she-pretended-not-to-notice-the-look-of-longing-in-his-eyes-it-didn-t/) Kevin O'Brien ## More by Jacques Derrida > [“Still less, despite appearances, will it have been a collection of three “essays” whose itinerary it would be time, after the fact, to recognize;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/still-less-despite-appearances-will-it-have-been-a-collection-of/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Cinema plus Psychoanalysis equals the Science of Ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/cinema-plus-psychoanalysis-equals-the-science-of-ghosts/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [The traditional statement about language is that it is in itself living, and that writing is the dead part of language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/the-traditional-statement-about-language-is-that-it-is-in-itself/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [We are all mediators, translators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/we-are-all-mediators-translators/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“... and in the homosexual phase which would follow Eurydice's death ... Orpheus sings no more, he writes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/and-in-the-homosexual-phase-which-would-follow-eurydice-s-death/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [These critics organize and practice in my case a sort of obsessive personality cult which philosophers should know how to question and above all,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/these-critics-organize-and-practice-in-my-case-a-sort-of-obsessive/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Each time this identity announces itself, someone or something cries: Look out for the trap, youre caught. Take off, get free, disengage yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/each-time-this-identity-announces-itself-someone-or-something-cries/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [Within the university... you can study without waiting for any efficient or immediate result. You may search, just for the sake of searching, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/within-the-university-you-can-study-without-waiting-for-any-efficient/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“Here again, the difference between the effective and the virtual, between mourning and its possibility, seems fragile and porous. The anguished apprehension of mourning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/here-again-the-difference-between-the-effective-and-the-virtual/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [“The wound can have (should only have) just one proper name. 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Let's pretend that we're human beings, and that we're actually alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-osborne/why-don-t-we-have-a-little-game-let-s-pretend-that-we-re-human-beings/) [John Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-osborne/) > [I pretend not to teach, but to inquire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/i-pretend-not-to-teach-but-to-inquire/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [Why is it that anyone can pretend to be someone there not and never be someone they are?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akeem/why-is-it-that-anyone-can-pretend-to-be-someone-there-not-and-never/) Akeem > [Act your age dont pretend to be older than you are, give yourself time to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/act-your-age-dont-pretend-to-be-older-than-you-are-give-yourself-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's hard to pretend you don't care about someone when really there all you think about](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-hard-to-pretend-you-don-t-care-about-someone-when-really-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yeah, okay, Brenna. You wanna pretend like you and me aren’t what we are, that’s fine. I’m not gonna pretend. I’m not takin’ your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-jacquelyn/yeah-okay-brenna-you-wanna-pretend-like-you-and-me-aren-t-what-we-are/) [Nicole Jacquelyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-jacquelyn/) > [Wear flats. You're short. It's much cooler not to pretend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/wear-flats-you-re-short-it-s-much-cooler-not-to-pretend/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [“I didn't normally talk this way: but sometimes you have to pretend to be an innocent child to learn something about the complicated world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brock-clarke/i-didn-t-normally-talk-this-way-but-sometimes-you-have-to-pretend-to/) [Brock Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brock-clarke/) > [Let's not pretend we have too much of a democracy here, because we don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-van-zandt/let-s-not-pretend-we-have-too-much-of-a-democracy-here-because-we-don/) [Steven Van Zandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-van-zandt/) > [Don't be ashamed if you don't like what others pretend to love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/don-t-be-ashamed-if-you-don-t-like-what-others-pretend-to-love/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [We must be careful about what we pretend to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/we-must-be-careful-about-what-we-pretend-to-be/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“the best way to avoid having your heart broken was to pretend you don’t have one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/the-best-way-to-avoid-having-your-heart-broken-was-to-pretend-you-don/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) Browse all 1,466 Pretend quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacques Derrida" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-have-therefore-only-pretended-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Pretend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-have-therefore-only-pretended-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a57/jacques-derrida-3948_pretend_to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-hav_520955.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To pretend, I actually do the thing: I have therefore only pretended to pretend.” — Jacques Derrida", "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": "Jacques Derrida", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To pretend, I actually do the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-have-therefore-only-pretended-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/to-pretend-i-actually-do-the-thing-i-have-therefore-only-pretended-to/#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 } } ] } ```