--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're not trying to be something we…" description: "\"We're not trying to be something we aren't; rather, we're reconnecting with who we are.\" — Pema Chodron" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png" --- # We're not trying to be something we aren't; rather, we're… ![“We're not trying to be something we aren't; rather, we're reconnecting with who we are.” quote by Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png) > “We're not trying to be something we aren't; rather, we're reconnecting with who we are.” [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True self emerges when we stop pretending and reconnect with our inherent nature. **In simple terms:** Be authentic by dropping pretenses. Key Takeaway Live true to yourself. Themes authenticity self‑discovery acceptance spirituality Mood reflective calm Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - coaching - spiritual practice - relationship building Key Concepts Mindfulness self‑realization Questions to Reflect On - What masks are you shedding? - How does authenticity affect your relationships? A Different Perspective Authenticity can be uncomfortable or socially risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Reconnecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reconnecting/) ## Related quotes > [“Let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romans-12-5/let-s-just-go-ahead-and-be-what-we-were-made-to-be-without-enviously/) Romans 12 5 > [We could learn to stop when the sun goes down and when the sun comes up. We could learn to listen to the wind;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-could-learn-to-stop-when-the-sun-goes-down-and-when-the-sun-comes/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you feel far from God right now, guess who moved? 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It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [Too much familiarity breeds contempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/too-much-familiarity-breeds-contempt/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [We never really perceive what color is physically!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/we-never-really-perceive-what-color-is-physically/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/) [Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) [Browse all 114,561 Inspirational quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We're not trying to be something we aren't; rather, we're reconnecting with who we are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chodron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren-t-rather-we-re-reconnecting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Inspirational" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren-t-rather-we-re-reconnecting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/pema-ch-dr-n-327_inspirational_we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren_383958.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We're not trying to be something we aren't; rather, we're reconnecting with who we are.” — Pema Chodron", "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": "Pema Chodron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We're not trying to be something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren-t-rather-we-re-reconnecting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-re-not-trying-to-be-something-we-aren-t-rather-we-re-reconnecting/#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 } } ] } ```