--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I decided a long time ago to be myself…" description: "\"I decided a long time ago to be myself and not worry too much about cultivating some kind of personality that didn't feel natural or true to who I am.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/lynn-coady-5173_long_i-decided-a-long-time-ago-to-be-myself-a_2831520.png" --- # I decided a long time ago to be myself and not worry too… ![“I decided a long time ago to be myself and not worry too much about cultivating some kind of personality that didn't feel natural or true to who I am.” quote by Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/lynn-coady-5173_long_i-decided-a-long-time-ago-to-be-myself-a_2831520.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/lynn-coady-5173_long_i-decided-a-long-time-ago-to-be-myself-a_2831520.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/153/lynn-coady-5173_long_i-decided-a-long-time-ago-to-be-myself-a_2831520.png) > “I decided a long time ago to be myself and not worry too much about cultivating some kind of personality that didn't feel natural or true to who I am.” [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emphasizes authenticity over forced self‑construction, urging acceptance of one's natural self. **In simple terms:** Be true to yourself, not a fake persona. Key Takeaway Live authentically. Themes self‑acceptance authenticity identity Mood reflective confident Type advice personal development When to use this quote - career networking - social media presence - personal branding - interpersonal relationships Key Concepts personal growth psychology self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - How does authenticity affect your relationships? - When is it okay to adapt your persona? A Different Perspective May overlook the need for adaptable social skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Didn Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-feel/) [Feel Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-natural-313848/) [Kind Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-personality-1774267/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Long time ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time-ago/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Personality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality/) [Personality Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personality-didn-3013114/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worry Cultivating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-cultivating-3661147/) ## Related quotes > [I really lucked out in terms of how my parents encouraged me to develop my own personality so I didn't just feel incredibly insecure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winona-ryder/i-really-lucked-out-in-terms-of-how-my-parents-encouraged-me-to/) [Winona Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winona-ryder/) > [I just needed to realize that style was like personality - it didn't always have to be consistent; it just had to be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-just-needed-to-realize-that-style-was-like-personality-it-didn-t/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I think I developed a very closed personality. I didn't really have friends. I changed schools every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-think-i-developed-a-very-closed-personality-i-didn-t-really-have/) [Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/) > [My brand was always going to be based on my personality. I didn't want people hiring me for what I said. I wanted them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-winget/my-brand-was-always-going-to-be-based-on-my-personality-i-didn-t-want/) [Larry Winget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-winget/) > [I had an audition where Josh Brolin was pelting me with his personality. I didn't get the part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/i-had-an-audition-where-josh-brolin-was-pelting-me-with-his/) [Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/) > [Luckily, I have the kind of personality where I am extremely private. I don't really like to tell everyone my business. I'd much rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-bledel/luckily-i-have-the-kind-of-personality-where-i-am-extremely-private-i/) [Alexis Bledel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-bledel/) > [People knew who Karishma Tanna is always, but through 'Bigg Boss,' they know me very well - what kind of a personality I have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karishma-tanna/people-knew-who-karishma-tanna-is-always-but-through-bigg-boss-they/) [Karishma Tanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karishma-tanna/) > [I fell in love with your contagious smile, your hair, and your one-of-a-kind personality that could light up the world. I thought you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-fell-in-love-with-your-contagious-smile-your-hair-and-your-one-of-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tom Hanks, when you meet him, he's a such a cheerful, open, giving, fun guy. You would imagine this star that's been in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-morgan/tom-hanks-when-you-meet-him-he-s-a-such-a-cheerful-open-giving-fun/) [Rob Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-morgan/) > [I think you only learn what kind of personality you have by committing to things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-think-you-only-learn-what-kind-of-personality-you-have-by/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Baby your the greatest I wanna say that I've never met anyone as caring and a thoughtful as you. I have never met someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varun-dev/baby-your-the-greatest-i-wanna-say-that-i-ve-never-met-anyone-as/) [Varun Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varun-dev/) > [I prefer to be out of the spotlight, to be honest. I've always been that kind of personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-prefer-to-be-out-of-the-spotlight-to-be-honest-i-ve-always-been/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I'm the perfect kind of personality for making YouTube videos. I deal in short attention span theater. I do wild things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-o/i-m-the-perfect-kind-of-personality-for-making-youtube-videos-i-deal/) [Steve-O](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-o/) > [I think it's really important to design things with a kind of personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-newson/i-think-it-s-really-important-to-design-things-with-a-kind-of/) [Marc Newson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-newson/) > [“Writing and breathing are two things that feel most natural for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stovall/writing-and-breathing-are-two-things-that-feel-most-natural-for-me/) [Susan Stovall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stovall/) ## More by Lynn Coady > [“Then there are the other days, when nothing is enough. The poem grins. It grins because it knows it is a terrible poem. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/then-there-are-the-other-days-when-nothing-is-enough-the-poem-grins/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [A dominant misconception among believers is that their atheist brethren are a slavering pack of hell-bound debauchees, gleefully wining and wenching their way through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/a-dominant-misconception-among-believers-is-that-their-atheist/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Ever since 'Strange Heaven,' I haven't really reread my old work. Not so much because I don't like the writer I was, or because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/ever-since-strange-heaven-i-haven-t-really-reread-my-old-work-not-so/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [There are people out there who genuinely love literature, who genuinely love to read and read widely, who will never like, or even necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/there-are-people-out-there-who-genuinely-love-literature-who/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Here's the thing about lingerie: The only time we see it outside our own bedrooms, it is on women who are gloriously freakish in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/here-s-the-thing-about-lingerie-the-only-time-we-see-it-outside-our/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [The one thing I've always done as an author is talk to my publicists. Because they have all the best stories - and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/the-one-thing-i-ve-always-done-as-an-author-is-talk-to-my-publicists/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Literary readings aren't going to shake their reputation as the added-fibre of our entertainment diet until the people who organize and participate in them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/literary-readings-aren-t-going-to-shake-their-reputation-as-the-added/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [I really do think of it in moral terms. I think that we can't kid ourselves that the storytelling impulse is innocent and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/i-really-do-think-of-it-in-moral-terms-i-think-that-we-can-t-kid/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [One does not become an atheist out of a desire for hassle-free Sunday mornings. People come to atheism because they have a problem with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/one-does-not-become-an-atheist-out-of-a-desire-for-hassle-free-sunday/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Atheism is a moral position - a rather rigid one, if you've ever read the opinions of its highest-profile espousers, Christopher Hitchens and Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/atheism-is-a-moral-position-a-rather-rigid-one-if-you-ve-ever-read/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Filtering can be a very good thing when it comes to human relationships and familial harmony. Yeah, filtering is often an absolute necessity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/filtering-can-be-a-very-good-thing-when-it-comes-to-human/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [I don't even like to cry in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/i-don-t-even-like-to-cry-in-private/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [I know what the Giller nominee effect is, but we'll see what the next level is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/i-know-what-the-giller-nominee-effect-is-but-we-ll-see-what-the-next/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [Dating, like almost every other male-female interaction in present-day society, is based on outmoded and unequal social roles and expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/dating-like-almost-every-other-male-female-interaction-in-present-day/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) > [It's the typical mid-life crisis kind of thing, where you just stop and wonder, 'Should I go back to university and get a law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/it-s-the-typical-mid-life-crisis-kind-of-thing-where-you-just-stop/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) [Explore all 103 Lynn Coady quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) ## More Long quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. 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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 real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. 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