--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be ourselves we must have ourselves –…" description: "\"To be ourselves we must have ourselves – possess, if need be re-possess, our life-stories. We must “recollect” ourselves, recollect the inner drama, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/oliver-sacks-2132_drama_to-be-ourselves-we-must-have-ourselves-p_554199.jpg" --- # To be ourselves we must have ourselves – possess, if need… ![“To be ourselves we must have ourselves – possess, if need be re-possess, our life-stories. We must “recollect” ourselves, recollect the inner drama, the narrative, of ourselves. A man needs such a narrative, a continuous inner narrative, to maintain his identity, his self.” quote by Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/oliver-sacks-2132_drama_to-be-ourselves-we-must-have-ourselves-p_554199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/oliver-sacks-2132_drama_to-be-ourselves-we-must-have-ourselves-p_554199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92e/oliver-sacks-2132_drama_to-be-ourselves-we-must-have-ourselves-p_554199.jpg) > “To be ourselves we must have ourselves – possess, if need be re-possess, our life-stories. We must “recollect” ourselves, recollect the inner drama, the narrative, of ourselves. A man needs such a narrative, a continuous inner narrative, to maintain his identity, his self.” [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity relies on an ongoing personal narrative that we must actively recall and, if needed, rewrite. **In simple terms:** We need a continuous story about ourselves to stay grounded. Key Takeaway Regularly reflect and rewrite your life story. Themes identity self reflection narrative psychology Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - journaling - coaching - life transitions - creative writing Key Concepts self‑concept narrative identity memory autobiography Questions to Reflect On - How does your current story shape your choices? - What parts of your narrative need updating? A Different Perspective The narrative may become distorted or overly idealized, limiting self‑awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Identity Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-self-2048726/) [Inner Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-narrative-1932383/) [Life story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-story/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Possess Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess-life-578998/) [Possess Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possess-need-1497226/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) ## Related quotes > [“We have, each of us, a life-story, an inner narrative — whose continuity, whose sense, is our lives. It might be said that each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/we-have-each-of-us-a-life-story-an-inner-narrative-whose-continuity/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [That inner narrative - the desire to understand the way I am - never really switches off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grant/that-inner-narrative-the-desire-to-understand-the-way-i-am-never/) [John Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grant/) > [We all possess the need to dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/we-all-possess-the-need-to-dream/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [you already possess all you need to be genuinely happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/you-already-possess-all-you-need-to-be-genuinely-happy/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [You have to be your own person. You can't let people's opinions determine how you think about yourself. There's a difference between identity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-have-to-be-your-own-person-you-can-t-let-people-s-opinions/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [VANITY' is a celebration of beauty, self-identity, and self-respect. We want people to leave the show feeling okay to accept themselves - not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-zahara-benet/vanity-is-a-celebration-of-beauty-self-identity-and-self-respect-we/) [BeBe Zahara Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-zahara-benet/) > [“thousands of people have said things about you and you have gathered them. 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How you conduct yourself with others, and whether you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/your-identity-self-esteem-and-awareness-of-your-ego-lay-the/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [“A doctrine like that of the Trinity tells us that the very life of God is a yielding or giving-over into the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-doctrine-like-that-of-the-trinity-tells-us-that-the-very-life-of/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) ## More by Oliver Sacks > [“The feelings are similar, in some ways, to those one has in Rome or Athens, but quite different in other ways, because this culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/the-feelings-are-similar-in-some-ways-to-those-one-has-in-rome-or/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [But the saddest difference between them was that Zazetsky, as Luria said, 'fought to regain his lost faculties with the indomitable tenacity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/but-the-saddest-difference-between-them-was-that-zazetsky-as-luria/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/music-can-lift-us-out-of-depression-or-move-us-to-tears-it-is-a/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [“We have five senses in which we glory and which we recognise and celebrate, senses that constitute the sensible world for us. But there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/we-have-five-senses-in-which-we-glory-and-which-we-recognise-and/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [“But it must be said from the outset that a disease is never a mere loss or excess— that there is always a reaction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/but-it-must-be-said-from-the-outset-that-a-disease-is-never-a-mere/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [There is no one part of the brain which recognizes or responds emotionally to music. Instead, there are many different parts responding to different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/there-is-no-one-part-of-the-brain-which-recognizes-or-responds/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [I think there is no culture in which music is not very important and central. That's why I think of us as a sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/i-think-there-is-no-culture-in-which-music-is-not-very-important-and/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [Who cared if there was really any Being to pray to? What mattered was the sense of giving thanks and praise, the feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/who-cared-if-there-was-really-any-being-to-pray-to-what-mattered-was/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [“unconscious motives may sometimes ally themselves to physiological propensities, of how one cannot abstract an ailment or its treatment from the whole pattern, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/unconscious-motives-may-sometimes-ally-themselves-to-physiological/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [“We have, each of us, a life-story, an inner narrative — whose continuity, whose sense, is our lives. It might be said that each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/we-have-each-of-us-a-life-story-an-inner-narrative-whose-continuity/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [I regard music therapy as a tool of great power in many neurological disorders -- Parkinson's and Alzheimer's -- because of its unique capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/i-regard-music-therapy-as-a-tool-of-great-power-in-many-neurological/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [Psychotic hallucinations, whether they are visual or vocal, they address you. They accuse you. They seduce you. They humiliate you. They jeer at you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/psychotic-hallucinations-whether-they-are-visual-or-vocal-they/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [Much more of the brain is devoted to movement than to language. 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But it's also very important with other sorts of patients, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/the-rhythm-of-music-is-very-very-important-for-people-with-parkinson/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) [Explore all 177 Oliver Sacks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) ## More Drama quotes > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [Music is a job, but I figured out ways to get my mind into a place where I could be creative. 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