--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's the basic condition of life to be…" description: "\"“It's the basic condition of life to be required to violate our own identity.”\" — Philip K. Dick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/philip-k-dick-502_identity_it-s-the-basic-condition-of-life-to-be-r_2594435.jpg" --- # It's the basic condition of life to be required to violate… ![“It's the basic condition of life to be required to violate our own identity.” quote by Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/philip-k-dick-502_identity_it-s-the-basic-condition-of-life-to-be-r_2594435.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/philip-k-dick-502_identity_it-s-the-basic-condition-of-life-to-be-r_2594435.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/baa/philip-k-dick-502_identity_it-s-the-basic-condition-of-life-to-be-r_2594435.jpg) > ““It's the basic condition of life to be required to violate our own identity.”” [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity is forced to fracture when external demands conflict with self. **In simple terms:** External pressures can distort self‑identity. Key Takeaway Guard personal values against external demands. Themes identity self conflict Mood introspective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace ethics - social media pressure - political activism Key Concepts psychological pressure social conformity self‑al authenticity existential crisis Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your identity feel imposed? - How do you reconcile external expectations? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex identity dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basic Condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basic-condition-1888710/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Required](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-required-397731/) [Required Violate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/required-violate-1888709/) [Violate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violate/) [Violate Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violate-identity-1888708/) ## Related quotes > [You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-will-be-required-to-do-wrong-no-matter-where-you-go-it-is-the-2/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“You will be required to do wrong no matter where you go. It is the basic condition of life, to be required to violate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-will-be-required-to-do-wrong-no-matter-where-you-go-it-is-the/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“Mercer doesn’t have to do anything alien to him. He suffers but at least he isn’t required to violate his own identity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/mercer-doesn-t-have-to-do-anything-alien-to-him-he-suffers-but-at/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Freedom is the basic condition for you to touch life, to touch the blue sky, the trees, the birds, the tea, and the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/freedom-is-the-basic-condition-for-you-to-touch-life-to-touch-the/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [Childhood is not a state which only applies to the first phase of our lives in the biological sense. Rather it is a basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-rahner/childhood-is-not-a-state-which-only-applies-to-the-first-phase-of-our/) [Karl Rahner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-rahner/) > [The basic condition of human life is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/the-basic-condition-of-human-life-is-happiness/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Integrity simply means a willingness not to violate one's identity, in the many ways in which such violation is possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/integrity-simply-means-a-willingness-not-to-violate-one-s-identity-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [Integrity simply means a willingness not to violate one's identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/integrity-simply-means-a-willingness-not-to-violate-one-s-identity/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“I am not a hero. Life has not required it of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/i-am-not-a-hero-life-has-not-required-it-of-me/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [The things I've done in my life have required a lot of years of work before they took off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-things-i-ve-done-in-my-life-have-required-a-lot-of-years-of-work/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“Death required me to pay attention to my life, to what I believe. A woman never knows when her life will be required of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hauck/death-required-me-to-pay-attention-to-my-life-to-what-i-believe-a/) [Rachel Hauck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hauck/) > [The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-cost-of-a-thing-is-the-amount-of-what-i-will-call-life-which-is/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Violate me?” He laughed, a black lock of hair falling in front of one eye. “That sounds delightful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-cross/violate-me-he-laughed-a-black-lock-of-hair-falling-in-front-of-one/) [Juliette Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-cross/) > [“People who violate your boundaries are thieves. They steal time that doesn’t belong to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-grace-saunders/people-who-violate-your-boundaries-are-thieves-they-steal-time-that/) [Elizabeth Grace Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-grace-saunders/) > [To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/to-photograph-people-is-to-violate-them-by-seeing-them-as-they-never/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) ## More by Philip K. Dick > [So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/so-we-and-our-elaborately-evolving-computers-may-meet-each-other/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Even if all life on our planet is destroyed, there must be other life somewhere which we know nothing of. It is impossible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/even-if-all-life-on-our-planet-is-destroyed-there-must-be-other-life/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“That is not how you do it; you do not solve one problem with another, greater problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/that-is-not-how-you-do-it-you-do-not-solve-one-problem-with-another/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [For each person there is a sentence—a series of words—which has the power to destroy them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/for-each-person-there-is-a-sentence-a-series-of-words-which-has-the/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [I want to write about people I love, and put them into a fictional world spun out of my own mind, not the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-want-to-write-about-people-i-love-and-put-them-into-a-fictional/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [Why does a man cry? he wondered. Not like a woman; not for that. Not for sentiment. A man cries over the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/why-does-a-man-cry-he-wondered-not-like-a-woman-not-for-that-not-for/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The day came. The wrath descended. Sin, guilt, and retribution? The manic psychoses of those entities we referred to as states, institutions, systems -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-day-came-the-wrath-descended-sin-guilt-and-retribution-the-manic/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [The church of my choice is the free, open world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-church-of-my-choice-is-the-free-open-world/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“I see,' Rick said. He felt numb. Completely. Throughout his entire body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/i-see-rick-said-he-felt-numb-completely-throughout-his-entire-body/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“What is identity? he asked himself. Where does the act end? Nobody knows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/what-is-identity-he-asked-himself-where-does-the-act-end-nobody-knows/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [You're killing yourself with cynicism. Your idols got taken away from you one by one and now you have nothing to give your love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/you-re-killing-yourself-with-cynicism-your-idols-got-taken-away-from/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [What scared me the most was when my father would put on the gasmask. His face would disappear... This was not a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/what-scared-me-the-most-was-when-my-father-would-put-on-the-gasmask/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“A man is an angel that has become deranged, Joe Fernwright thought. Once they – all of them – had been genuine angels, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/a-man-is-an-angel-that-has-become-deranged-joe-fernwright-thought/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“When do I see a photograph, when a reflection?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/when-do-i-see-a-photograph-when-a-reflection/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [My major preoccupation is the question, 'What is reality?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/my-major-preoccupation-is-the-question-what-is-reality/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) [Explore all 489 Philip K. Dick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) ## More Identity quotes > [I don't doubt that straight white men have identity issues and identity complexes and struggle with defining themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-simien/i-don-t-doubt-that-straight-white-men-have-identity-issues-and/) [Justin Simien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-simien/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [You have expressive nationalism, I mean very identity driven, which shaped each other a lot of that in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/you-have-expressive-nationalism-i-mean-very-identity-driven-which/) [Subrahmanyam Jaishankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subrahmanyam-jaishankar/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. 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