---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You are born with a character; it is…"
description: "\"You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your birth...Each person enters the world called.\" ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png"
---

#  You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the…

![“You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your birth...Each person enters the world called.” quote by James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png)

> “You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your birth...Each person enters the world called.”

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

## About This Quote

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

Our innate character is a birth‑gift, shaped by mythic guardians, that frames how we enter life.

**In simple terms:** We are born with a given character.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and nurture your innate traits.

Themes

identity myth self‑discovery

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- career choice
- personal growth
- relationship building
- creative projects

Key Concepts

archetype destiny psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your perceived destiny influence your choices?
- What myths shape your self‑image?

A Different Perspective

Character may be constrained by social expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Birth Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth-person-2806226/) [Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-character-2256577/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Character Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character-given-1701803/) [Destiny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destiny/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Guardian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guardian/) [Guardians Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guardians-birth-2806225/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Because I was assigned female at birth and I am light-skinned, white, I think people hear my message more than they hear it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/because-i-was-assigned-female-at-birth-and-i-am-light-skinned-white-i/)

[Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/)

> [I was born a character actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-durning/i-was-born-a-character-actor/)

[Charles Durning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-durning/)

> [A character who is thought-out is not born, he or she is contrived. A born character is round, a thought-out character is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rex-stout/a-character-who-is-thought-out-is-not-born-he-or-she-is-contrived-a/)

[Rex Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rex-stout/)

> [I was born a character actor. I was never really a leading man type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burgess-meredith/i-was-born-a-character-actor-i-was-never-really-a-leading-man-type/)

[Burgess Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burgess-meredith/)

> [Whoever has the luck to be born a character can laugh even at death. Because a character will never die! A man will die,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/whoever-has-the-luck-to-be-born-a-character-can-laugh-even-at-death/)

[Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/)

> [For me, I just like to be as fun as possible, but I do like to bring a lot to a character. Given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-cassidy/for-me-i-just-like-to-be-as-fun-as-possible-but-i-do-like-to-bring-a/)

[Katie Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-cassidy/)

> [Imagining what a character will do in a given situation - it's like an equation, and working it out is a marathon rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-turner/imagining-what-a-character-will-do-in-a-given-situation-it-s-like-an/)

[Callum Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-turner/)

> [It's really a misconception to identify the writer with the main character, given that the author creates all the characters in the book. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-kushner/it-s-really-a-misconception-to-identify-the-writer-with-the-main-2/)

[Rachel Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-kushner/)

> [If I can look at each character that I am given and create them in a different way from the last role, I'm happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giancarlo-esposito/if-i-can-look-at-each-character-that-i-am-given-and-create-them-in-a/)

[Giancarlo Esposito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giancarlo-esposito/)

> [I should be able to become the character given to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-chakraborty/i-should-be-able-to-become-the-character-given-to-me/)

[Mimi Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-chakraborty/)

> [In any character you are given to play, be it evil/good/whatever character, you begin with self. You examine yourself and ruthlessly see similarities between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kani/in-any-character-you-are-given-to-play-be-it-evil-good-whatever/)

[John Kani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kani/)

> [Not long ago I learned from a certain person in considerable detail about the worthlessness of your character. All the same, it is you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osamu-dazai/not-long-ago-i-learned-from-a-certain-person-in-considerable-detail/)

[Osamu Dazai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osamu-dazai/)

> [The great thing about literature is that you're making up your own interpretation of the character anyway. Also, you're given basically a bible of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-campbell-bower/the-great-thing-about-literature-is-that-you-re-making-up-your-own/)

[Jamie Campbell Bower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-campbell-bower/)

> [Many parents are finding out that a pat on the back helps develop character - if given often enough, early enough, and low enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-parents-are-finding-out-that-a-pat-on-the-back-helps-develop/)

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

> [For me, I just like to be as fun as possible, but I do like to bring a lot to a character. Given the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-cassidy/for-me-i-just-like-to-be-as-fun-as-possible-but-i-do-like-to-bring-a-2/)

[Katie Cassidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-cassidy/)

## More by James Hillman

> [“Each life is formed by its unique image, an image that is the essence of that life and calls it to a destiny. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/each-life-is-formed-by-its-unique-image-an-image-that-is-the-essence/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [Fear is a huge thing for older people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/fear-is-a-huge-thing-for-older-people/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [It's a terrible cruelty of predatory capitalism: both parents now have to work. A family has to have two incomes in order to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/it-s-a-terrible-cruelty-of-predatory-capitalism-both-parents-now-have/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [You know, people come to therapy really for a blessing. Not so much to fix what's broken, but to get what's broken blessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-know-people-come-to-therapy-really-for-a-blessing-not-so-much-to/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [Until the culture recognizes the legitimacy of growing down, each person in the culture struggles blindly to make sense of the darkness that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/until-the-culture-recognizes-the-legitimacy-of-growing-down-each/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [ “The first way has been excellently presented by David Holt in his lecture on “Jung and Marx.” \[1\] There Holt shows that Jung imagined his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-first-way-has-been-excellently-presented-by-david-holt-in-his/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [I'm the result of upbringing, class, race, gender, social prejudices, and economics. So I'm a victim again. A result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/i-m-the-result-of-upbringing-class-race-gender-social-prejudices-and/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [There is more in a human life than our theories of it allow. Sooner or later something seems to call us onto a particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/there-is-more-in-a-human-life-than-our-theories-of-it-allow-sooner-or/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [Depression opens the door to beauty of some kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/depression-opens-the-door-to-beauty-of-some-kind/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [The idea of death robs inquiry of its passionate vitality and empties our efforts of their purpose by coming to one predestined conclusion, death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-idea-of-death-robs-inquiry-of-its-passionate-vitality-and-empties/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [I'm in favor of destruction, aggression, hating things. Not bearing things anymore. We think the breakdown comes because our life is in bad shape.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/i-m-in-favor-of-destruction-aggression-hating-things-not-bearing/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [In the past, friendship was a huge thing. But it's hard for us to think of friendship as a calling, because it's not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/in-the-past-friendship-was-a-huge-thing-but-it-s-hard-for-us-to-think/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [Psychotherapy theory turns it all on you: you are the one who is wrong. If a kid is having trouble or is discouraged, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/psychotherapy-theory-turns-it-all-on-you-you-are-the-one-who-is-wrong/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [The self divided is precisely where the self is authentically located. . . We all have identity crises because a single identity is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/the-self-divided-is-precisely-where-the-self-is-authentically-located/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

> [Love alone is not enough. Without imagination, love stales into sentiment, duty, boredom. Relationships fail not because we have stopped loving but because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/love-alone-is-not-enough-without-imagination-love-stales-into/)

[James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

[Explore all 171 James Hillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/)

## More Birth quotes

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

[Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/)

[Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/)

[Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/)

> [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/)

[Roxanne Shante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-shante/)

> [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/)

[Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/)

> [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/)

[Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

[Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your birth...Each person enters the world called.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Hillman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-given-a-gift-as-the-old-stories/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Birth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-given-a-gift-as-the-old-stories/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a25/james-hillman-2336_birth_you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-give_2710749.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You are born with a character; it is given, a gift, as the old stories say, from the guardians upon your…” — James Hillman",
                "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 Hillman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You are born with a character;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-given-a-gift-as-the-old-stories/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/you-are-born-with-a-character-it-is-given-a-gift-as-the-old-stories/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
