--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not sure if the passage of time…" description: "\"I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core identities so much as reveals them to us.\" — Jennifer Egan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg" --- # I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core… ![“I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core identities so much as reveals them to us.” quote by Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg) > “I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core identities so much as reveals them to us.” [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Time doesn’t change who we are, it reveals our true selves. **In simple terms:** Time shows our real identity. Key Takeaway Embrace self‑discovery over time. Themes identity time self‑knowledge growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - aging - life transitions Key Concepts self‑reflection psychology Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself have you uncovered recently? - Do you fear what time might reveal? A Different Perspective Identity may be fluid, not fixed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Core](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core/) [Core Identities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core-identities-3411258/) [Identities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identities/) [Identities Reveals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identities-reveals-3411257/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Passage of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passage-of-time/) [Passage Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passage-time-239545/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time Affects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-affects-3411256/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/) ## Related quotes > [I'm afraid that the passage of time is mostly lost on me. If you were to open up my head you would see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/i-m-afraid-that-the-passage-of-time-is-mostly-lost-on-me-if-you-were/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [“So there is a before and there is an after. That isn't made up. But it's just a passage of time, no big change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-sudjic/so-there-is-a-before-and-there-is-an-after-that-isn-t-made-up-but-it/) [Olivia Sudjic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-sudjic/) > [You are confronted with abysses of time that are, in a way, unfathomable. You see a painting in charcoal of raindeer and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/you-are-confronted-with-abysses-of-time-that-are-in-a-way/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [One thing the passage of time has shown me is that you never know how you'll behave in a situation until you're in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-sneed/one-thing-the-passage-of-time-has-shown-me-is-that-you-never-know-how/) [Christine Sneed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-sneed/) > [In retirement, the passage of time seems accelerated. Nothing warns us of its flight. It is a wave which never murmurs, because there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-swetchine/in-retirement-the-passage-of-time-seems-accelerated-nothing-warns-us/) [Sophie Swetchine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-swetchine/) > [Passage of time can be mind-numbing to figure out in a screenplay. It's the easiest thing to do in prose, not just by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-boal/passage-of-time-can-be-mind-numbing-to-figure-out-in-a-screenplay-it/) [Mark Boal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-boal/) > [“Perhaps with age came a more sedate appreciation of the passage of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lebbon/perhaps-with-age-came-a-more-sedate-appreciation-of-the-passage-of/) [Tim Lebbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lebbon/) > [The passage of time is a continuing thing. At 18, you're going to live forever, and you are definitely not at 52, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hammill/the-passage-of-time-is-a-continuing-thing-at-18-you-re-going-to-live/) [Peter Hammill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hammill/) > [What is hardest to accept about the passage of time is that the people who once mattered the most to us wind up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/what-is-hardest-to-accept-about-the-passage-of-time-is-that-the/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“The passage of time makes wizards of us all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-reid/the-passage-of-time-makes-wizards-of-us-all/) [Rob Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-reid/) > [The passage of time eliminates some of the more intimate details of one's existence. The routine trivia like passing water and shitting and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-davies/the-passage-of-time-eliminates-some-of-the-more-intimate-details-of/) [Ray Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-davies/) > [Our awareness of time affects how we think and act. This is illustrated by the story about the clock in a restaurant window. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/our-awareness-of-time-affects-how-we-think-and-act-this-is/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [How you feel at the time affects how you receive and react to communication from others. You have to put on your objective eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-you-feel-at-the-time-affects-how-you-receive-and-react-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want to sound like a whiner here, but if you get beat up all the time, it affects you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/i-don-t-want-to-sound-like-a-whiner-here-but-if-you-get-beat-up-all/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) > [“Anyone who controls your time affects your energies. Reply to people in your own free time if you don't want to be affected by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunya/anyone-who-controls-your-time-affects-your-energies-reply-to-people/) [Shunya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunya/) ## More by Jennifer Egan > [“Behind the desk was nothing but view-the whole city flung out in front of us the way street vendors fling out their towels packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/behind-the-desk-was-nothing-but-view-the-whole-city-flung-out-in/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I just think that, for my particular personality, feeling slightly invisible is always a help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-just-think-that-for-my-particular-personality-feeling-slightly/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Between books, I have to throw out everything I did before, because the tools I've used to write the previous book will not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/between-books-i-have-to-throw-out-everything-i-did-before-because-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [As a reader and a writer, I'm happiest when apparently mutually exclusive states can somehow coexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/as-a-reader-and-a-writer-i-m-happiest-when-apparently-mutually/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I teach intermittently, and while I enjoy it, I don't find that it's a calling for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-teach-intermittently-and-while-i-enjoy-it-i-don-t-find-that-it-s-a/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Like all failed experiments, that one taught me something I didn’t expect: one key ingredient of so-called experience is the delusional faith that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/like-all-failed-experiments-that-one-taught-me-something-i-didn-t/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“Thousands of solar panels lift and tilt at the same time, in the same way. I clutch at Dad's arm: "Why are they doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/thousands-of-solar-panels-lift-and-tilt-at-the-same-time-in-the-same/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [It was the hat. He looked sweet in the hat. How could a man in a fuzzy blue hat have used human bones to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/it-was-the-hat-he-looked-sweet-in-the-hat-how-could-a-man-in-a-fuzzy/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-was-a-stepchild-in-two-different-families-the-hardest-thing-about/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“The seconds pass. I know what’s going on because it’s the same thing that always happens: give me something nice, something I love or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/the-seconds-pass-i-know-what-s-going-on-because-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I had this idea that I could hire myself out as a person to go on archeological digs and dig, without any training! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-had-this-idea-that-i-could-hire-myself-out-as-a-person-to-go-on/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [At night, the house thick with sleep, she would peer out her bedroom window at the trees and sky and feel the presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/at-night-the-house-thick-with-sleep-she-would-peer-out-her-bedroom/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I number my drafts, and by the time a book is done, I'll have 75 or 80 drafts of some sections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-number-my-drafts-and-by-the-time-a-book-is-done-i-ll-have-75-or-80/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Read at the level at which you want to write. Reading is the nourishment that feeds the kind of writing you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/read-at-the-level-at-which-you-want-to-write-reading-is-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-was-a-stepchild-in-two-different-families-the-hardest-thing-about-2/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) [Explore all 358 Jennifer Egan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) ## More Core quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [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/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Mass adulation from the multitudes does not penetrate your soul or your core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-o-donnell/mass-adulation-from-the-multitudes-does-not-penetrate-your-soul-or/) [Rosie O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-o-donnell/) > [I think we all have a core that's ecstatic, that knows and that looks up in wonder. We all know that there are marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-barks/i-think-we-all-have-a-core-that-s-ecstatic-that-knows-and-that-looks/) [Coleman Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-barks/) > [A classic is like a hidden treasure. Its core is buried under so many layers of varnish that it can be reached only by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-louis-barrault/a-classic-is-like-a-hidden-treasure-its-core-is-buried-under-so-many/) [Jean-Louis Barrault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-louis-barrault/) > [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [Love is the supreme form of communication. In the hierarchy of needs, love stands as the supreme developing agent of the humanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/love-is-the-supreme-form-of-communication-in-the-hierarchy-of-needs/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [I think if something resonates, even if it's surreal, it's because it is relatable and I think that that's a core issue for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-think-if-something-resonates-even-if-it-s-surreal-it-s-because-it/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [Consider the core of the mind to be a wagon, with will-power to be carried about in it. Push it to a place where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takuan-soho/consider-the-core-of-the-mind-to-be-a-wagon-with-will-power-to-be/) [Takuan Soho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takuan-soho/) > [Sports have always been a huge part of my life and my conversations. It is a thrill and an honor to be a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/sports-have-always-been-a-huge-part-of-my-life-and-my-conversations/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Don't underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry or a global…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-hood/don-t-underestimate-the-power-of-your-vision-to-change-the-world/) [Leroy Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-hood/) [Browse all 1,833 Core quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/core/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core identities so much as reveals them to us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer Egan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affects-our-core-identities-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Core" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affects-our-core-identities-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e48/jennifer-egan-825_core_i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affe_2795557.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core identities so much as reveals them to us.” — Jennifer Egan", "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": "Jennifer Egan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not sure if the passage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affects-our-core-identities-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affects-our-core-identities-so/#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 } } ] } ```