--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...because I think that each time it's a…" description: "\"“...because I think that each time it's a new construction, as if everything has been reduced to ashes during the night, and he has to start from scrat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg" --- # ...because I think that each time it's a new construction… ![“...because I think that each time it's a new construction, as if everything has been reduced to ashes during the night, and he has to start from scratch. In our world, that's the way you live your grown-up life: you must constantly rebuild your identity as an adult, the way it's been put together…” quote by Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg) > ““...because I think that each time it's a new construction, as if everything has been reduced to ashes during the night, and he has to start from scratch. In our world, that's the way you live your grown-up life: you must constantly rebuild your identity as an adult, the way it's been put together it is wobbly, ephemeral, and fragile, it cloaks despair and, when you're alone in front of the mirror, it tells you the lies you need to believe.”” [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on adult life as a continual process of rebuilding identity, acknowledging its fragile and often deceptive nature. **In simple terms:** Adults constantly rebuild a fragile, ever‑changing identity. Key Takeaway Embrace growth and confront self‑deception. Themes identity growth existence Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - career transitions - personal crises - therapy sessions - creative projects Key Concepts self‑construction psychological resilience Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your identity feel most fragile? - How do you confront self‑deception? A Different Perspective Rebuilding can be exhausting and may cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Despair Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair-mirror-5220015/) [Identity Adult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-adult-3978527/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mirror Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror-tells-2463948/) [Rebuild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebuild/) [Rebuild Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rebuild-identity-3978528/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [In our world, that's the way you live your grown-up life: you must constantly rebuild your identity as an adult, the way it's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/in-our-world-that-s-the-way-you-live-your-grown-up-life-you-must/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [For death remembered should be like a mirror, Who tells us life’s but breath, to trust it error.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/for-death-remembered-should-be-like-a-mirror-who-tells-us-life-s-but/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Don't trust a mirror that only tells you how wonderful you look.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/don-t-trust-a-mirror-that-only-tells-you-how-wonderful-you-look/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“The one who first heard Zebak bells Must see the truth the mirror tells. The hand must bleed to reach the end, One finger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rodda/the-one-who-first-heard-zebak-bells-must-see-the-truth-the-mirror/) [Emily Rodda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rodda/) > [“Because though women lie when they have to and men lie all the time, the mirror always tells the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-yolen/because-though-women-lie-when-they-have-to-and-men-lie-all-the-time/) [Jane Yolen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-yolen/) > [If in the morning when you wake, If the sun does not appear, I will be here. If in the dark we lose sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemis-khan/if-in-the-morning-when-you-wake-if-the-sun-does-not-appear-i-will-be/) [Kemis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemis-khan/) > [You say I am lovely They say I am okay I look in the mirror it tells me I am ugly But I dont…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/funkyandlucky/you-say-i-am-lovely-they-say-i-am-okay-i-look-in-the-mirror-it-tells/) [Funkyandlucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/funkyandlucky/) > [One day we wake up and we are broken. We taste it in our morning kiss. Our mirror tells us the same stories in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-o-keefe-aptowicz/one-day-we-wake-up-and-we-are-broken-we-taste-it-in-our-morning-kiss/) [Cristin O'Keefe Aptowicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-o-keefe-aptowicz/) > [Don't be afraid to start over. It's a new chance to rebuild things. This time better. The way you want it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-be-afraid-to-start-over-it-s-a-new-chance-to-rebuild-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Falling Skies' is not just about aliens attacking. It's also about humanity, survival, hope and the determination to rebuild our world, starting from pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-knight/falling-skies-is-not-just-about-aliens-attacking-it-s-also-about/) [Maxim Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-knight/) > [It cannot take decades to resurrect, we must act immediately with purpose and enthusiasm to rebuild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-autry/it-cannot-take-decades-to-resurrect-we-must-act-immediately-with/) [Alan Autry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-autry/) > [Wildflower corners are easy to maintain, but once gone, they are hard to rebuild.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/wildflower-corners-are-easy-to-maintain-but-once-gone-they-are-hard/) [Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/) > [“Work hard to build or rebuild trust. With it, you can fulfill the greatest dreams. Without it, you’ll crush people’s spirits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-chand/work-hard-to-build-or-rebuild-trust-with-it-you-can-fulfill-the/) [Samuel Chand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-chand/) > [“She would fold herself around him to protect him. She would drink out all the darkness from him and pour out all her light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/she-would-fold-herself-around-him-to-protect-him-she-would-drink-out/) [Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/) > [It is not difficult to rebuild a life. All we need is to be aware that we have the same strength we had before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-difficult-to-rebuild-a-life-all-we-need-is-to-be-aware-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Muriel Barbery > [“Those who can, do; those who can't, teach; those who can't teach, teach the teachers; and those who can't teach the teachers go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/those-who-can-do-those-who-can-t-teach-those-who-can-t-teach-teach/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [What is writing, no matter how lavish the pieces, if it says nothing of the truth, cares little for the heart, and is merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/what-is-writing-no-matter-how-lavish-the-pieces-if-it-says-nothing-of/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Live or die: mere consequences of what you have built. What matters is building well. So here we are I've assigned myself a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/live-or-die-mere-consequences-of-what-you-have-built-what-matters-is/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“A terroir only exists by virtue of one's childhood mythology . . . we have invented these words of tradition rooted deep in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/a-terroir-only-exists-by-virtue-of-one-s-childhood-mythology-we-have/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession to simple,authentic and refined sensations, a license given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/the-tea-ritual-such-a-precise-repetition-of-the-same-gestures-and-the/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [As always, I am saved by the inability of living creatures to believe anything that might cause the walls of their little mental assumptions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/as-always-i-am-saved-by-the-inability-of-living-creatures-to-believe/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“I wonder if I am not turning into a contemplative . . . But those roses . They were something else. I was having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-wonder-if-i-am-not-turning-into-a-contemplative-but-those-roses/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [To be poor, ugly and, moreover, intelligent condemns one in our society to a dark and disillusioned life...to beauty all is forgiven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-be-poor-ugly-and-moreover-intelligent-condemns-one-in-our-society/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [Beautiful things should belong to beautiful souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/beautiful-things-should-belong-to-beautiful-souls/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I know that they're all unhappy because nobody loves the right person the way they should and because they don't understand that it's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-know-that-they-re-all-unhappy-because-nobody-loves-the-right-person/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [We never look beyond our assumptions and what's worse, we have given up trying to meet others; we just meet ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/we-never-look-beyond-our-assumptions-and-what-s-worse-we-have-given/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“To rich people it must seem that the ordinary little people..experience human emotions with less intensity and greater indifference...The fact that we might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/to-rich-people-it-must-seem-that-the-ordinary-little-people/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [I may know that the world is an ugly place, I still don't want to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/i-may-know-that-the-world-is-an-ugly-place-i-still-don-t-want-to-see/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) > [“Personally I think that grammar is a way to attain Beauty. When you speak, or read, or write, you can tell if you’ve said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/personally-i-think-that-grammar-is-a-way-to-attain-beauty-when-you/) [Muriel Barbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) [Explore all 250 Muriel Barbery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...because I think that each time it's a new construction, as if everything has been reduced to ashes during the night, and he has to start from scratch. In our world, that's the way you live your grown-up life: you must constantly rebuild your identity as an adult, the way it's been put together it is wobbly, ephemeral, and fragile, it cloaks despair and, when you're alone in front of the mirror, it tells you the lies you need to believe.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Muriel Barbery" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-new-construction-as-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-new-construction-as-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b9/muriel-barbery-1092_life_because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-ne_653291.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...because I think that each time it's a new construction, as if everything has been reduced to ashes during…” — Muriel Barbery", "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": "Muriel Barbery", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-barbery/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...because I think that each time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-new-construction-as-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-barbery/because-i-think-that-each-time-it-s-a-new-construction-as-if/#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 } } ] } ```