--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Were you somebody different a thousand…" description: "\"Were you somebody different a thousand years ago? Will you be somebody different a thousand years from now? What is this One Self that is forever your ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg" --- # Were you somebody different a thousand years ago? Will you… ![“Were you somebody different a thousand years ago? Will you be somebody different a thousand years from now? What is this One Self that is forever your own deepest being? Must you believe the lies of time? Must you swallow the insanity that One Spirit does not exist? Can you show me your Original…” quote by Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg) > “Were you somebody different a thousand years ago? Will you be somebody different a thousand years from now? What is this One Self that is forever your own deepest being? Must you believe the lies of time? Must you swallow the insanity that One Spirit does not exist? Can you show me your Original Face, of which there is One and Only One in all the entire World?” [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It questions the continuity of self across time, urging insight of an immutable core beyond temporal identities. **In simple terms:** Who are you beyond time? Key Takeaway Explore your timeless self. Themes identity time spirituality philosophy Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - meditative self‑reflection - examining personal evolution - seeking inner truth Key Concepts nondualism self-inquiry existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What is your “Original Face”? - How do you reconcile change with a core self? A Different Perspective Concept of a fixed self may conflict with change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe The Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-the-lies/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) [Unity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unity/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“If anything is to exist at all, then the Original Thing must be, not a principle nor a generality, much less an ‘ideal’ or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-anything-is-to-exist-at-all-then-the-original-thing-must-be-not-a/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [You cannot hide your true self forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-cannot-hide-your-true-self-forever/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [None of us can help the things life has done to us. They’re done before you realize it, and once they’re done they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/none-of-us-can-help-the-things-life-has-done-to-us-they-re-done/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“You never were the body and you will never be a body. You are pure awareness, the absolute reality. As you think about these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-adams/you-never-were-the-body-and-you-will-never-be-a-body-you-are-pure/) [Robert Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-adams/) > [“We have to let go of the passing names by which we have tried to name ourselves and become the “naked self before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/we-have-to-let-go-of-the-passing-names-by-which-we-have-tried-to-name/) [Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/) > [The Jew has his anchorage not in place but in time, in his highly developed sense of history as personal context. Six thousand years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-steiner/the-jew-has-his-anchorage-not-in-place-but-in-time-in-his-highly/) [George Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-steiner/) > [There are moments when the inner life actually 'pays,' when years of self-scrutiny, conducted for no ulterior motive, are suddenly of practical use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/there-are-moments-when-the-inner-life-actually-pays-when-years-of/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [“If she’d learned anything about herself over the years it was that self-doubt inevitably led to self-destruction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-stevens/if-she-d-learned-anything-about-herself-over-the-years-it-was-that/) [Amanda Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-stevens/) > [“A boy, if he's lucky, discovers his limitations across a leisurely passage of years, with a self-awareness arriving slowly. That way, at least he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-suskind/a-boy-if-he-s-lucky-discovers-his-limitations-across-a-leisurely/) [Ron Suskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-suskind/) > [After many years of self-flagellation, I've realised that beating myself up doesn't get me anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/after-many-years-of-self-flagellation-i-ve-realised-that-beating/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [What we do upon some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-do-upon-some-great-occasion-will-probably-depend-on-what-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What happens when you don't know the truth but you can't believe the lies, when you can't find a way--through fact or fiction--to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-goodin/what-happens-when-you-don-t-know-the-truth-but-you-can-t-believe-the/) Maria Goodin > [“When I deny the seriousness of my abuse I agree with my abuser and those who wouldn't acknowledge it. When I am in denial,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-hite/when-i-deny-the-seriousness-of-my-abuse-i-agree-with-my-abuser-and/) Patty Hite > [“If you hadn’t wanted out of here so bad, you wouldn’t have let yourself believe the lies. But you’re here now just like us.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-weiland/if-you-hadn-t-wanted-out-of-here-so-bad-you-wouldn-t-have-let/) [K.M. Weiland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-weiland/) > [The definition of being stupid: seeing the truth, knowing the truth, and choosing to still believe the lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-definition-of-being-stupid-seeing-the-truth-knowing-the-truth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Ken Wilber > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Gaia's main problems are not industrialization, ozone depletion, overpopulation, or resource depletion. Gaia's main problem is the lack of mutual understanding and mutual agreement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/gaia-s-main-problems-are-not-industrialization-ozone-depletion/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [If Spirit has any meaning, it must be omnipresent, or all-pervading and all-encompassing. There can't be a place where Spirit is not, or it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/if-spirit-has-any-meaning-it-must-be-omnipresent-or-all-pervading-and/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Evolution occurs in the world of time and space and form, whereas Spirit's primordial nature is finally timeless and Formless, prior to the of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/evolution-occurs-in-the-world-of-time-and-space-and-form-whereas/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The most striking feature of the perennial philosophy/psychology is that it presents being and consciousness as a hierarchy of dimensional levels, moving from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/the-most-striking-feature-of-the-perennial-philosophy-psychology-is/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Is this a topic whose time has truly come? The integration of science and religion? Or have I just written a clever book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/is-this-a-topic-whose-time-has-truly-come-the-integration-of-science/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [In other words, the real problem is not exterior. The real problem is interior. The real problem is how to get people to internally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/in-other-words-the-real-problem-is-not-exterior-the-real-problem-is/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Authentic spirituality... does not render the self content, it renders it undone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-does-not-render-the-self-content-it-renders-it/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [When it comes to spiritual teachers, there are those safe, gentle, consoling, soothing, caring; and there are the outlaws, the living terrors, the Rude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/when-it-comes-to-spiritual-teachers-there-are-those-safe-gentle/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Conscious means "having an awareness of one's inner and outer worlds; mentally perceptive, awake, mindful." So "conscious business" might mean, engaging in an occupation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/conscious-means-having-an-awareness-of-one-s-inner-and-outer-worlds/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I believe that evidence shows that there is a real spirit, a real Beach, but it is beneath no pavement whatsoever, for all pavements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/i-believe-that-evidence-shows-that-there-is-a-real-spirit-a-real/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Furthermore, it is not that Spirit is present but you need to be enlightened in order to see it. It is not that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/furthermore-it-is-not-that-spirit-is-present-but-you-need-to-be/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Authentic spirituality is revolutionary. It does not legitimate the world, it breaks the world; it does not console the world, it shatters it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/authentic-spirituality-is-revolutionary-it-does-not-legitimate-the/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [What's my philosophy? In a word, integral. And what on earth — or in heaven — do I mean by integral? The dictionary meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/what-s-my-philosophy-in-a-word-integral-and-what-on-earth-or-in/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Matter begins evolving back to Spirit and, when it's reached, the whole process begins over again for the billionth time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/matter-begins-evolving-back-to-spirit-and-when-it-s-reached-the-whole/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) [Explore all 200 Ken Wilber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Were you somebody different a thousand years ago? Will you be somebody different a thousand years from now? What is this One Self that is forever your own deepest being? Must you believe the lies of time? Must you swallow the insanity that One Spirit does not exist? Can you show me your Original Face, of which there is One and Only One in all the entire World?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Wilber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-years-ago-will-you-be-somebody/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-years-ago-will-you-be-somebody/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d1/ken-wilber-1886_believe_were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-y_3097228.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Were you somebody different a thousand years ago? Will you be somebody different a thousand years from now?…” — Ken Wilber", "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": "Ken Wilber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Were you somebody different a thousand...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-years-ago-will-you-be-somebody/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/were-you-somebody-different-a-thousand-years-ago-will-you-be-somebody/#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 } } ] } ```