--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I find myself only by losing myself." description: "\"I find myself only by losing myself.\" — Paul Ricoeur" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg" --- # I find myself only by losing myself. ![“I find myself only by losing myself.” quote by Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg) > “I find myself only by losing myself.” [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑knowledge often emerges when we let go of egoic attachments, revealing deeper identity. **In simple terms:** Losing self reveals true self. Key Takeaway Embrace loss to discover yourself. Themes self‑discovery philosophy identity Mood contemplative introspective Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - therapy - meditation - creative work - relationship building Key Concepts existentialism self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself do you hide? - How does loss clarify identity? A Different Perspective May lose essential self‑concepts in the process. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Losing myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-myself/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I’m afraid that I’m losing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/sometimes-i-m-afraid-that-i-m-losing-myself/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I'm always in search of something, in search of losing myself to the music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-m-always-in-search-of-something-in-search-of-losing-myself-to-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“I am the mountain and the sculptor, losing myself, finding myself, revealing what was there all along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-asante/i-am-the-mountain-and-the-sculptor-losing-myself-finding-myself/) [M.K. Asante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-k-asante/) > [The closest Ive come to knowing myself is in losing myself. Thats why I loved football before I loved music. I could lose myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/the-closest-ive-come-to-knowing-myself-is-in-losing-myself-thats-why/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [Even when I became the typical shy adolescent, I never minded performing. I felt there was a kind of safety, a protection about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayley-mills/even-when-i-became-the-typical-shy-adolescent-i-never-minded/) [Hayley Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayley-mills/) > [“I’m so far gone that I almost lift her face and kiss her on the mouth. I almost admit to her that I’m losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autumn-doughton/i-m-so-far-gone-that-i-almost-lift-her-face-and-kiss-her-on-the-mouth/) [Autumn Doughton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/autumn-doughton/) > [I cannot solve the problem of life by losing myself in the problem of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-modotti/i-cannot-solve-the-problem-of-life-by-losing-myself-in-the-problem-of/) [Tina Modotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-modotti/) > [“I'm a woman; in so many ways I've been programmed to please. I took the job and spent time hunkered over figures, budgets, charts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-flinn/i-m-a-woman-in-so-many-ways-i-ve-been-programmed-to-please-i-took-the/) [Kathleen Flinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-flinn/) > [“Then she leans forward, and before I have time to say or think another word, she's kissing me. And I'm kissing her, too. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-kessler/then-she-leans-forward-and-before-i-have-time-to-say-or-think-another/) [Liz Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-kessler/) > [“I have long been seduced by the idea of losing myself, persuaded by the thought that there was something poetic in this dissipation. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-castigliano/i-have-long-been-seduced-by-the-idea-of-losing-myself-persuaded-by/) [Federico Castigliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-castigliano/) > [“It's only now, when a few thousand kilometres will insulate us against deceit, lies and underhandedness and we very probably won't see each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-capus/it-s-only-now-when-a-few-thousand-kilometres-will-insulate-us-against/) [Alex Capus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-capus/) > [“Utterly engulfed, And wanting more. Buried, Drowned, Intoxicated, With the vastness of love. Losing myself as the waves wash over me, Through me, Surrounding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-rubart/utterly-engulfed-and-wanting-more-buried-drowned-intoxicated-with-the/) [James L. Rubart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-rubart/) > [“And it wasn't that I didn't love Rob anymore; it was more like every day since I came home from California I felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-weber/and-it-wasn-t-that-i-didn-t-love-rob-anymore-it-was-more-like-every/) [Jenna Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-weber/) > [I dont even know what a real smile is anymore, I cant even remember the last time I had a real smile on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/i-dont-even-know-what-a-real-smile-is-anymore-i-cant-even-remember/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/) > [Im losing myself, Im stuck in the moment. I look in the mirror, My only opponent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/im-losing-myself-im-stuck-in-the-moment-i-look-in-the-mirror-my-only/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) ## More by Paul Ricoeur > [If it is true that there is always more than one way of construing a text, it is not true that all interpretations are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/if-it-is-true-that-there-is-always-more-than-one-way-of-construing-a/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [What must be the nature of the world... if human beings are able to introduce changes into it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/what-must-be-the-nature-of-the-world-if-human-beings-are-able-to/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Although there has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity, the hermeneutic question today seems to us a new one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/although-there-has-always-been-a-hermeneutic-problem-in-christianity/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny. Myth expresses in terms of the world -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [But myth is something else than an explanation of the world, of history, and of destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/but-myth-is-something-else-than-an-explanation-of-the-world-of-2/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Man is this plural and collective unity in which the unity of destination and the differences of destinies are to be understood through each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/man-is-this-plural-and-collective-unity-in-which-the-unity-of/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There was a wise old owl who sat in a tree The less he spoke the more he heard The more he heard the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/there-was-a-wise-old-owl-who-sat-in-a-tree-the-less-he-spoke-the-more/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Wisdom finds its literary expression in wisdom literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/wisdom-finds-its-literary-expression-in-wisdom-literature/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [There has always been a hermeneutic problem in Christianity because Christianity proceeds from a proclamation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/there-has-always-been-a-hermeneutic-problem-in-christianity-because/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [It is always possible to argue against an interpretation, to confront interpretations, to arbitrate between them and to seek for an agreement, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/it-is-always-possible-to-argue-against-an-interpretation-to-confront/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Hope, insofar as it is hope of resurrection, is the living contradiction of what it proceeds from and what is placed under the sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/hope-insofar-as-it-is-hope-of-resurrection-is-the-living/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Testimony should be a philosophical problem and not limited to legal or historical contexts where it refers to the account of a witness who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/testimony-should-be-a-philosophical-problem-and-not-limited-to-legal/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [The narrative constructs the identity of the character, what can be called his or her narrative identity, in constructing that of the story told.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-narrative-constructs-the-identity-of-the-character-what-can-be/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [Narrative identity takes part in the story's movement, in the dialectic between order and disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/narrative-identity-takes-part-in-the-story-s-movement-in-the/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) > [“The dictionary contains no metaphors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/the-dictionary-contains-no-metaphors/) [Paul Ricoeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) [Explore all 39 Paul Ricoeur quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/) ## More Losing quotes > [Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/winning-is-a-habit-unfortunately-so-is-losing/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There comes a time when you're losing a fight that it just doesn't make sense to keep on fighting. It's not that you're being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paul-curtis/there-comes-a-time-when-you-re-losing-a-fight-that-it-just-doesn-t/) [Christopher Paul Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paul-curtis/) > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [In all honesty, once you become a professional, number one, you're no longer a fan. I don't root for the Dodgers, really. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/in-all-honesty-once-you-become-a-professional-number-one-you-re-no/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [I think that it takes a special person to still feel like themselves after losing a limb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-missick/i-think-that-it-takes-a-special-person-to-still-feel-like-themselves/) [Simone Missick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-missick/) > [I wonder how long it would take him to realize I'm right as sin - it's the rest of the world that's wrong. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-wonder-how-long-it-would-take-him-to-realize-i-m-right-as-sin-it-s/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) [Browse all 5,180 Losing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I find myself only by losing myself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Ricoeur" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Losing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97d/paul-ricoeur-16430_losing_i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself-2778_2778585.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I find myself only by losing myself.” — Paul Ricoeur", "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 Ricoeur", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ricoeur/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I find myself only by losing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ricoeur/i-find-myself-only-by-losing-myself/#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 } } ] } ```