---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the end, a man turns into what he…"
description: "\"“In the end, a man turns into what he thinks he is, however large or small. It is the reason why certain people are prone to colds and catastrophe. And..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg"
---

#  In the end, a man turns into what he thinks he is, however…

![“In the end, a man turns into what he thinks he is, however large or small. It is the reason why certain people are prone to colds and catastrophe. And why others can dance on water.” quote by Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg)

> ““In the end, a man turns into what he thinks he is, however large or small. It is the reason why certain people are prone to colds and catastrophe. And why others can dance on water.””

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

## About This Quote

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

Self‑concept shapes reality; belief in one’s size or power influences outcomes, both positive and negative.

**In simple terms:** What you think you are becomes your reality.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate empowering self‑belief.

Themes

identity belief consequence

Mood

thoughtful cautionary

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- sports performance
- public speaking
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

philosophy self‑fulfilling prophecy

Questions to Reflect On

- What beliefs limit you?
- How do you test the accuracy of your self‑image?

A Different Perspective

Overconfidence can lead to reckless behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Catastrophe Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catastrophe-dance-5764458/) [Dance Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance-water-2313471/) [Man Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-turns-1244263/) [Thinks Large](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-large-5764456/) [Turns Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns-thinks-5764457/)

## Related quotes

> [“DANCE, WATER DANCE!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiro-amano/dance-water-dance/)

[Shiro Amano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiro-amano/)

> [Not hammer-strokes, but dance of the water, sings the pebbles into perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/not-hammer-strokes-but-dance-of-the-water-sings-the-pebbles-into/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“If spirit is the seed, dance is the water of its evolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/if-spirit-is-the-seed-dance-is-the-water-of-its-evolution/)

[Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/)

> [This is the bravo’s dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin-2/this-is-the-bravo-s-dance-the-water-dance-swift-and-sudden-all-men/)

[George R. R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/)

> [“Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight's dance, hacking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/now-we-will-begin-the-dance-remember-child-this-is-not-the-iron-dance/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [A married man turns his staffe into a stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-married-man-turns-his-staffe-into-a-stake/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [“A man walks fast along the forecourt of the station towards a gate, moving towards a train that's about to leave. I get shivery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayo-forster/a-man-walks-fast-along-the-forecourt-of-the-station-towards-a-gate/)

[Dayo Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dayo-forster/)

> [Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/wherever-a-man-turns-he-can-find-someone-who-needs-him/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [March is outside the door Flaming some old desire As man turns uneasily from his fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccord/march-is-outside-the-door-flaming-some-old-desire-as-man-turns/)

[David McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccord/)

> [“By writing books, a man turns into a universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/by-writing-books-a-man-turns-into-a-universe/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [ “\[The writer\] has to be the kind of man who turns the world upside down and says, lookit, it looks different, doesn’t it?” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-l-west/the-writer-has-to-be-the-kind-of-man-who-turns-the-world-upside-down/)

[Morris L. West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-l-west/)

> [When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/when-a-man-turns-his-face-to-god-he-finds-sunshine-everywhere/)

[Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/)

## More by Marisha Pessl

> [“America's greatest revelation was not the atom bomb, not Fundamentalism, not fat farms, not Elvis, not even the quite astute observation that gentlemen prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/america-s-greatest-revelation-was-not-the-atom-bomb-not/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“I remembered what Dad said once, that some people have all of life's answers worked out the day they're born and there's no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-remembered-what-dad-said-once-that-some-people-have-all-of-life-s/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“But you go through with it, continue to fight, because you hope one day it won’t be like this. Life can be so cruel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-you-go-through-with-it-continue-to-fight-because-you-hope-one-day/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“The dark side of life has a way of finding us all anyway, so stop chasing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/the-dark-side-of-life-has-a-way-of-finding-us-all-anyway-so-stop/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“ Secrets —even in hardened criminals, they were just air pockets lodged under debris at the bottom of an ocean. It might take an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/secrets-even-in-hardened-criminals-they-were-just-air-pockets-lodged/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [It's kind of funny...the moments on which life hinges. I think growing up you always imagine your life--your success--depends on your family and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/it-s-kind-of-funny-the-moments-on-which-life-hinges-i-think-growing/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“It was the cause of many of Dad's outrages too, when people elected themselves his personal oracle of Delphi... They'd made the mistake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/it-was-the-cause-of-many-of-dad-s-outrages-too-when-people-elected/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“Today dies a crooked and gluttonus man' - it was true, at least literally; McCullough allegedly weighed three hundred pounds and suffered from scoliosis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/today-dies-a-crooked-and-gluttonus-man-it-was-true-at-least-literally/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [Life was a freight train barreling toward just one stop, our loved ones streaking past our windows in blurs of color and light. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/life-was-a-freight-train-barreling-toward-just-one-stop-our-loved/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“Whilst man is in one location, he thinks of another. Dancing with one woman, he can't help but long to see the quiet curve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/whilst-man-is-in-one-location-he-thinks-of-another-dancing-with-one/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [His characters are ravaged, beaten. They walk through infernos and emerged charred doves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/his-characters-are-ravaged-beaten-they-walk-through-infernos-and/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“A deus ex machina will never appear in real life so you best make other arrangements.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/a-deus-ex-machina-will-never-appear-in-real-life-so-you-best-make/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“Well, everyone and their grandmother knows she's still banging Charles after all these years —" "Like a screen in a tornado. Sure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/well-everyone-and-their-grandmother-knows-she-s-still-banging-charles/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [I think every writer has a book that haunts them, and on some level, every book you write is a reaction to it. 'Lolita'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-think-every-writer-has-a-book-that-haunts-them-and-on-some-level/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

[Explore all 205 Marisha Pessl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

## More Man Turns quotes

> [March is outside the door Flaming some old desire As man turns uneasily from his fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccord/march-is-outside-the-door-flaming-some-old-desire-as-man-turns/)

[David McCord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccord/)

> [A married man turns his staffe into a stake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/a-married-man-turns-his-staffe-into-a-stake/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

> [“A man walks fast along the forecourt of the station towards a gate, moving towards a train that's about to leave. I get shivery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dayo-forster/a-man-walks-fast-along-the-forecourt-of-the-station-towards-a-gate/)

[Dayo Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dayo-forster/)

> [Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/wherever-a-man-turns-he-can-find-someone-who-needs-him/)

[Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/)

> [“By writing books, a man turns into a universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/by-writing-books-a-man-turns-into-a-universe/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [ “\[The writer\] has to be the kind of man who turns the world upside down and says, lookit, it looks different, doesn’t it?” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-l-west/the-writer-has-to-be-the-kind-of-man-who-turns-the-world-upside-down/)

[Morris L. West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-l-west/)

> [When a man turns his face to God he finds sunshine everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/when-a-man-turns-his-face-to-god-he-finds-sunshine-everywhere/)

[Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/)

[Browse all 8 Man Turns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-turns-1244263/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“In the end, a man turns into what he thinks he is, however large or small. It is the reason why certain people are prone to colds and catastrophe. And why others can dance on water.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marisha Pessl"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thinks-he-is-however-large-or/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Man Turns"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thinks-he-is-however-large-or/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1a9/marisha-pessl-1802_man-turns_in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thin_1545478.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the end, a man turns into what he thinks he is, however large or small. It is the reason why certain…” — Marisha Pessl",
                "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": "Marisha Pessl",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“In the end, a man turns...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thinks-he-is-however-large-or/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/in-the-end-a-man-turns-into-what-he-thinks-he-is-however-large-or/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
