---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he…"
description: "\"“Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he was forced to impersonate himself, to play the game of pretending to be who he was. After a while, it must ha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg"
---

#  Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he was forced to…

![“Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he was forced to impersonate himself, to play the game of pretending to be who he was. After a while, it must have had an effect on him. (…) They say that a camera can rob a person of his soul. In this case, I believe it was just the opposite. With this…” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg)

> ““Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he was forced to impersonate himself, to play the game of pretending to be who he was. After a while, it must have had an effect on him. (…) They say that a camera can rob a person of his soul. In this case, I believe it was just the opposite. With this camera, I believe that Sachs’s soul was gradually given back to him.””

[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 camera can restore authenticity by forcing self‑examination, returning a lost sense of self.

**In simple terms:** The camera helped him rediscover his soul.

Key Takeaway

Embrace tools that reveal truth.

Themes

identity authenticity art self‑reflection

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- portrait photography
- personal therapy
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy media theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How does self‑observation change identity?
- Can art restore what is lost?

A Different Perspective

May the process also create a false self‑image.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Believe Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-sachs-3164954/) [Forced Impersonate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forced-impersonate-3164952/) [Impersonate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonate/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Sachs Posed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sachs-posed-3164951/) [Sachs Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sachs-soul-3164953/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I do not impersonate females! How many women do you know who wear seven inch heels, four foot wigs, and skintight dresses?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/i-do-not-impersonate-females-how-many-women-do-you-know-who-wear/)

[RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/)

> [“It is my belief that, given the necessary physical likeness, it was far easier to pretend to be king of Ruritania than it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hope/it-is-my-belief-that-given-the-necessary-physical-likeness-it-was-far/)

[Anthony Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hope/)

> [One of the things I love about translation is it obliterates the self. When I'm trying to figure out what Tu Fu has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-translation-is-it-obliterates-the-self/)

[Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/)

> [“She is a queen. She is mysterious. They want to dig into her, know her, be her, but they can’t because she is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanae-henley/she-is-a-queen-she-is-mysterious-they-want-to-dig-into-her-know-her/)

[Shanae Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanae-henley/)

> [Would you not like to try all sorts of lives - one is so very small - but that is the satisfaction of writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/would-you-not-like-to-try-all-sorts-of-lives-one-is-so-very-small-but/)

[Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/)

> [It is a sad paradox that when male authors impersonate women ... they are said to be dealing with 'cosmic, major concerns' - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-is-a-sad-paradox-that-when-male-authors-impersonate-women-they-are/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [“... but that is the satisfaction of writing - one can impersonate so many people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/but-that-is-the-satisfaction-of-writing-one-can-impersonate-so-many/)

[Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/)

> [I am not on tumblr. I can barely spell tumblr. However, there does seem to be someone on tumblr (who copied my reddit user…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/i-am-not-on-tumblr-i-can-barely-spell-tumblr-however-there-does-seem/)

[Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/)

> [“I'm just a child who's learned to impersonate an adult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/i-m-just-a-child-who-s-learned-to-impersonate-an-adult/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [Don't impersonate. Innovate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/don-t-impersonate-innovate/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [I think there's a real problem if you're making a film - some people have done whether it be about Jackson Pollock or about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/i-think-there-s-a-real-problem-if-you-re-making-a-film-some-people/)

[Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/)

> [A lot of hackers set up scam sites. They can impersonate a site like PayPal, for instance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/a-lot-of-hackers-set-up-scam-sites-they-can-impersonate-a-site-like/)

[Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/)

> [I'm very easy to impersonate. From the look to the personality, I'm like, wow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-bella/i-m-very-easy-to-impersonate-from-the-look-to-the-personality-i-m/)

[Nikki Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-bella/)

> [There is nobody on earth who could totally impersonate Jack Lewis, because you may look like him from the front or from the side,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-hawthorne/there-is-nobody-on-earth-who-could-totally-impersonate-jack-lewis/)

[Nigel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-hawthorne/)

> [It's funny - if you impersonate somebody, they have no idea it's them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-ullman/it-s-funny-if-you-impersonate-somebody-they-have-no-idea-it-s-them/)

[Tracey Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-ullman/)

## 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 Impersonate quotes

> [I do not impersonate females! How many women do you know who wear seven inch heels, four foot wigs, and skintight dresses?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/i-do-not-impersonate-females-how-many-women-do-you-know-who-wear/)

[RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/)

> [There is nobody on earth who could totally impersonate Jack Lewis, because you may look like him from the front or from the side,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-hawthorne/there-is-nobody-on-earth-who-could-totally-impersonate-jack-lewis/)

[Nigel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-hawthorne/)

> [I'm very easy to impersonate. From the look to the personality, I'm like, wow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-bella/i-m-very-easy-to-impersonate-from-the-look-to-the-personality-i-m/)

[Nikki Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-bella/)

> [A lot of hackers set up scam sites. They can impersonate a site like PayPal, for instance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-demon-calce/a-lot-of-hackers-set-up-scam-sites-they-can-impersonate-a-site-like/)

[Michael Demon Calce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-demon-calce/)

> [I think there's a real problem if you're making a film - some people have done whether it be about Jackson Pollock or about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-webber/i-think-there-s-a-real-problem-if-you-re-making-a-film-some-people/)

[Peter Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-webber/)

> [Don't impersonate. Innovate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/don-t-impersonate-innovate/)

[Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/)

> [“I'm just a child who's learned to impersonate an adult.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/i-m-just-a-child-who-s-learned-to-impersonate-an-adult/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [I am not on tumblr. I can barely spell tumblr. However, there does seem to be someone on tumblr (who copied my reddit user…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/i-am-not-on-tumblr-i-can-barely-spell-tumblr-however-there-does-seem/)

[Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/)

> [“... but that is the satisfaction of writing - one can impersonate so many people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/but-that-is-the-satisfaction-of-writing-one-can-impersonate-so-many/)

[Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/)

> [It is a sad paradox that when male authors impersonate women ... they are said to be dealing with 'cosmic, major concerns' - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-is-a-sad-paradox-that-when-male-authors-impersonate-women-they-are/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [Would you not like to try all sorts of lives - one is so very small - but that is the satisfaction of writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/would-you-not-like-to-try-all-sorts-of-lives-one-is-so-very-small-but/)

[Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/)

> [“She is a queen. She is mysterious. They want to dig into her, know her, be her, but they can’t because she is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanae-henley/she-is-a-queen-she-is-mysterious-they-want-to-dig-into-her-know-her/)

[Shanae Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanae-henley/)

> [One of the things I love about translation is it obliterates the self. When I'm trying to figure out what Tu Fu has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-translation-is-it-obliterates-the-self/)

[Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/)

> [“It is my belief that, given the necessary physical likeness, it was far easier to pretend to be king of Ruritania than it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hope/it-is-my-belief-that-given-the-necessary-physical-likeness-it-was-far/)

[Anthony Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hope/)

> [It's funny - if you impersonate somebody, they have no idea it's them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-ullman/it-s-funny-if-you-impersonate-somebody-they-have-no-idea-it-s-them/)

[Tracey Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-ullman/)

[Browse all 33 Impersonate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impersonate/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he was forced to impersonate himself, to play the game of pretending to be who he was. After a while, it must have had an effect on him. (…) They say that a camera can rob a person of his soul. In this case, I believe it was just the opposite. With this camera, I believe that Sachs’s soul was gradually given back to him.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Auster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he-was-forced-to-impersonate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Impersonate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he-was-forced-to-impersonate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec8/paul-auster-351_impersonate_every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he_340300.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every time Sachs posed for a picture, he was forced to impersonate himself, to play the game of pretending…” — 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": "“Every time Sachs posed for a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he-was-forced-to-impersonate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/every-time-sachs-posed-for-a-picture-he-was-forced-to-impersonate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
