--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...cannot possibly know who you are, you…" description: "\"“...cannot possibly know who you are, you imagine that she is suspicious of all young people-as a matter of principle- and therefore what she sees when..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg" --- # ...cannot possibly know who you are, you imagine that she… ![“...cannot possibly know who you are, you imagine that she is suspicious of all young people-as a matter of principle- and therefore what she sees when she looks at you is not you as yourself but you as yet one more querrilla fighter in the war against authority, an unruly insurrectionist who has…” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg) > ““...cannot possibly know who you are, you imagine that she is suspicious of all young people-as a matter of principle- and therefore what she sees when she looks at you is not you as yourself but you as yet one more querrilla fighter in the war against authority, an unruly insurrectionist who has no business barging into the sanctum of her library and asking for work. Such are the times you live in,the times you both live in. She instructs you to put the cards in order, and you can sense how deeply she wants you to fail, how happy it will make her to reject your application, and because you want the job just as much as she doesn't want you to have it, you make sure that you don't fail.”” [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator feels judged and manipulated by a gatekeeper who wants them to fail, reflecting power dynamics in job seeking. **In simple terms:** Feeling judged and manipulated in a job interview. Key Takeaway Recognize and navigate power imbalances. Themes power manipulation job search Mood anxious determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - interview prep - career advancement - standing up to bias - strategic self-presentation Key Concepts authority psychology resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond to perceived sabotage? - What strategies can protect you from unfair judgment? A Different Perspective The gatekeeper’s bias may be unconscious, not purely hostile. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth-telling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-telling/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Though no one can backtrack and create a brand new start, Everyone is capable of taking their life in a brand new direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/though-no-one-can-backtrack-and-create-a-brand-new-start-everyone-is/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [“Some things, she thought, weren’t worth hiding anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-maddox/some-things-she-thought-weren-t-worth-hiding-anymore/) [D.L. Maddox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-l-maddox/) > [There is no doubt fiction makes a better job of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-doubt-fiction-makes-a-better-job-of-the-truth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I dispute the point that nuclear energy is 'clean' and 'cost-effective'. As I recall, when we first harnessed nuclear power it was to drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/i-dispute-the-point-that-nuclear-energy-is-clean-and-cost-effective/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [“The Truth Is That I Was Recognized For Stubbornness And Not Goodness. Even, Though I Was Very Intelligent And Sent To School By A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/the-truth-is-that-i-was-recognized-for-stubbornness-and-not-goodness/) [Baba Tunde Ojo-Olubiyo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baba-tunde-ojo-olubiyo/) > [“Do What?' 'Lie,' he said. 'Why do you fabricate these outlandish stories?' 'Well,' I wanted to say, 'there are those of us who create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/do-what-lie-he-said-why-do-you-fabricate-these-outlandish-stories/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It’s the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation. The bright lure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loki-of-asgard/is-not-this-simpler-is-this-not-your-natural-state-it-s-the-unspoken/) Loki of Asgard > [“What is worse than doing evil, is being evil” (Ethics, p.67). To lie is wrong, but what is worse than the lie is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/what-is-worse-than-doing-evil-is-being-evil-ethics-p-67-to-lie-is/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“Just like you silly bums, I have a personal sky god. I bow to him, as you do to your airy-fairy sod. He prefers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fakeer-ishavardas/just-like-you-silly-bums-i-have-a-personal-sky-god-i-bow-to-him-as/) [Fakeer Ishavardas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fakeer-ishavardas/) > [“In my opinion, neither way is easy. If I'm going to struggle between artist and a normal 9 to 5 job. I might as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mcmillan/in-my-opinion-neither-way-is-easy-if-i-m-going-to-struggle-between/) Erin McMillan > [“Honestly, Bessie? People don't care about anyone but themselves. They don't notice anything. They are never looking at what's interesting. They're always looking at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-wilson/honestly-bessie-people-don-t-care-about-anyone-but-themselves-they/) [Kevin Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-wilson/) > [“People would rather live in a community with unreasonable claims, than face loneliness with their truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/people-would-rather-live-in-a-community-with-unreasonable-claims-than/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [“I am free! for I have in me the strength of truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-am-free-for-i-have-in-me-the-strength-of-truth/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Women have been driven mad, "gaslighted," for centuries by the refutation of our experience and our instincts in a culture which validates only male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/women-have-been-driven-mad-gaslighted-for-centuries-by-the-refutation/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-announce-that-there-must-be-no-criticism-of-the-president-or-that/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) ## More by Paul Auster > [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) [Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...cannot possibly know who you are, you imagine that she is suspicious of all young people-as a matter of principle- and therefore what she sees when she looks at you is not you as yourself but you as yet one more querrilla fighter in the war against authority, an unruly insurrectionist who has no business barging into the sanctum of her library and asking for work. Such are the times you live in,the times you both live in. She instructs you to put the cards in order, and you can sense how deeply she wants you to fail, how happy it will make her to reject your application, and because you want the job just as much as she doesn't want you to have it, you make sure that you don't fail.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Auster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-imagine-that-she-is-suspicious/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-imagine-that-she-is-suspicious/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e67/paul-auster-351_business_cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-ima_379285.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...cannot possibly know who you are, you imagine that she is suspicious of all young people-as a matter of…” — Paul Auster", "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": "Paul Auster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...cannot possibly know who you are,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-imagine-that-she-is-suspicious/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/cannot-possibly-know-who-you-are-you-imagine-that-she-is-suspicious/#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 } } ] } ```