---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are highly susceptible to self…"
description: "\"“We are highly susceptible to self destruction when we aren’t doing what we really want with our lives.”\" — James Dillehay"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg"
---

#  We are highly susceptible to self destruction when we…

![“We are highly susceptible to self destruction when we aren’t doing what we really want with our lives.” quote by James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg)

> ““We are highly susceptible to self destruction when we aren’t doing what we really want with our lives.””

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People self-destruct when they ignore their true desires.

**In simple terms:** Ignoring passions leads to self-destruction.

Key Takeaway

Pursue authentic goals.

Themes

psychology self purpose

Mood

cautionary motivational

Type

psychological inspirational

When to use this quote

- career change
- creative projects
- personal development
- mental health

Key Concepts

existential crisis self-determination

Questions to Reflect On

- What true desire are you avoiding?
- How can you safely explore it?

A Different Perspective

Fear of failure can stall pursuit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Personal development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-development/) [Personal growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-growth/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-destruction/) [Self help](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-help/) [Sufi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufi/)

## Related quotes

> [My life is on loan, like money borrowed from a bank. God is the lender, and He retains the right to call in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/my-life-is-on-loan-like-money-borrowed-from-a-bank-god-is-the-lender/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [I'm the perfect candidate to be affected by SARS. I'm highly susceptible to infections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-santo/i-m-the-perfect-candidate-to-be-affected-by-sars-i-m-highly/)

[Ron Santo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-santo/)

> [“The intelligence of the heart bypasses the intellect in the head which works on assumptions and requires a lot of thinking and confusion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/the-intelligence-of-the-heart-bypasses-the-intellect-in-the-head/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“If you don't know how to take care of your own needs, when you try to give to others, you are giving from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/if-you-don-t-know-how-to-take-care-of-your-own-needs-when-you-try-to/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [Ultimately though, we are not responsible for another's happiness. The unhappy person almost always suffers from self-inflicted pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/ultimately-though-we-are-not-responsible-for-another-s-happiness-the/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self destruction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/we-re-fickle-stupid-beings-with-poor-memories-and-a-great-gift-for/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [The naive is what is or appears to be natural, individual, or classical to the point of irony or to the point of continuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/the-naive-is-what-is-or-appears-to-be-natural-individual-or-classical/)

[Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wilhelm-friedrich-schlegel/)

> [If The World Does Not Change Course, We Risk Self-Destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/if-the-world-does-not-change-course-we-risk-self-destruction/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [Anger, envy, greed, arrogance, ego &amp; false pride inside a person makes them warehouse of self destruction.To win over these depends on how one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anger-envy-greed-arrogance-ego-false-pride-inside-a-person-makes-them/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Ready for the cheap escape On the brink of self destruction Widespread panic Broken glass inside my head Bleeding down these thoughts ~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-gambhir/ready-for-the-cheap-escape-on-the-brink-of-self-destruction/)

[Tanya Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-gambhir/)

> [To strive to be perfect is going down the road of self-destruction. To strive to be yourself is going down the road of greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-harden-me/to-strive-to-be-perfect-is-going-down-the-road-of-self-destruction-to/)

Isaiah Harden (Me

> [In rock stardom there's an absolute economic upside to self-destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/in-rock-stardom-there-s-an-absolute-economic-upside-to-self/)

[Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/)

> [When you don't work together you can't emerge as a force. It becomes what some call a "lonely struggle" and individual self-destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-gerima/when-you-don-t-work-together-you-can-t-emerge-as-a-force-it-becomes/)

[Haile Gerima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-gerima/)

> [I feel a little more tired than usual, ... Ive had to recover from everything, my illnesses and things this summer. Its not perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-feel-a-little-more-tired-than-usual-ive-had-to-recover-from/)

[Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/)

> [Some voluntary castaways there will always be, whom no fostering kindness and no parental care can preserve from self-destruction; but if any are lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-southey/some-voluntary-castaways-there-will-always-be-whom-no-fostering/)

[Robert Southey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-southey/)

## More by James Dillehay

> [Ultimately though, we are not responsible for another's happiness. The unhappy person almost always suffers from self-inflicted pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/ultimately-though-we-are-not-responsible-for-another-s-happiness-the/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [People are not interested in your product or your business; they are interested in solving their own problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/people-are-not-interested-in-your-product-or-your-business-they-are/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“1. 60 percent to existing customers 2. 30 percent to qualified prospects 3. 10 percent to the universe of people you’ve never met. (referring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/1-60-percent-to-existing-customers-2-30-percent-to-qualified/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“When you are calculating an hourly labor rate, add in an additional thirty percent to that rate cover employment taxes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/when-you-are-calculating-an-hourly-labor-rate-add-in-an-additional/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [My life is on loan, like money borrowed from a bank. God is the lender, and He retains the right to call in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/my-life-is-on-loan-like-money-borrowed-from-a-bank-god-is-the-lender/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“Naming your packaged products helps call attention to how the deal is special. Call the product bundle a collector’s set, a gift basket, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/naming-your-packaged-products-helps-call-attention-to-how-the-deal-is/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“When adding descriptions to your online listings or printed materials, lead with benefits and follow with features.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/when-adding-descriptions-to-your-online-listings-or-printed-materials/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“If you don't know how to take care of your own needs, when you try to give to others, you are giving from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/if-you-don-t-know-how-to-take-care-of-your-own-needs-when-you-try-to/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“The intelligence of the heart bypasses the intellect in the head which works on assumptions and requires a lot of thinking and confusion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/the-intelligence-of-the-heart-bypasses-the-intellect-in-the-head/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

> [“The quick and dirty formula is to add cost of materials plus cost of labor and then figure 25 percent of that to arrive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/the-quick-and-dirty-formula-is-to-add-cost-of-materials-plus-cost-of/)

[James Dillehay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

[Explore all 11 James Dillehay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/)

## More Identity quotes

> [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/)

[Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/)

[Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/)

> [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [Tell me how much a nation knows about its own language, and I will tell you how much that nation knows about its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ciardi/tell-me-how-much-a-nation-knows-about-its-own-language-and-i-will/)

[John Ciardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ciardi/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/)

[Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/)

> [“Self-realization or self-knowing or awakening is about knowing/ becoming conscious of our true nature and living in harmony with the universe in an ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vazhakunnathu/self-realization-or-self-knowing-or-awakening-is-about-knowing/)

[Thomas Vazhakunnathu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vazhakunnathu/)

> [“There are some things that one individual can do for another, and there are some things that one race can do for another. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/booker-t-washington/there-are-some-things-that-one-individual-can-do-for-another-and/)

[Booker T. Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/booker-t-washington/)

> [“Why were there no words that spoke positively about being concerned about the self? Why was there only negative connotation in terms like "selfish",…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-dalton/why-were-there-no-words-that-spoke-positively-about-being-concerned/)

A.J. Dalton

[Browse all 11,949 Identity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We are highly susceptible to self destruction when we aren’t doing what we really want with our lives.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Dillehay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destruction-when-we-aren-t-doing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Identity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destruction-when-we-aren-t-doing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a19/james-dillehay-38527_identity_we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destru_346990.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are highly susceptible to self destruction when we aren’t doing what we really want with our lives.” — James Dillehay",
                "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": "James Dillehay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dillehay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We are highly susceptible to self...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destruction-when-we-aren-t-doing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dillehay/we-are-highly-susceptible-to-self-destruction-when-we-aren-t-doing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
