--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: definitions belong to the definer, not…" description: "\"“definitions belong to the definer, not the defined, & I no longer wished to have my life & death foretold by others. I had endured too much to be redu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg" --- # definitions belong to the definer, not the defined, & I no… ![“definitions belong to the definer, not the defined, & I no longer wished to have my life & death foretold by others. I had endured too much to be reduced to an idea. Onto that pyre I threw so many, many words - that entire untrue literature of the past which had shackled & subjugated my as surely…” quote by Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg) > ““definitions belong to the definer, not the defined, & I no longer wished to have my life & death foretold by others. I had endured too much to be reduced to an idea. Onto that pyre I threw so many, many words - that entire untrue literature of the past which had shackled & subjugated my as surely as the spiked iron collars & leg locks & jagged basils & balls & chains & headshaving - that had so long denied me my free voice & the stories I needed to tell. I no longer wished to read lies as to who & why I was. I knew who I was”” [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker rejects being defined by others, discarding imposed narratives to reclaim authentic self‑expression. **In simple terms:** Reject others' definitions to find true voice. Key Takeaway Own your story, reject imposed labels. Themes freedom authenticity self‑determination resistance Mood defiant reflective Type literary motivational When to use this quote - creative writing - personal healing - activism - mental health - social justice Key Concepts narrative identity agency psychological liberation Questions to Reflect On - What narratives have you discarded? - How can you protect your voice? A Different Perspective External definitions can still influence self‑perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Definitions belong to the definer, not the defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-the-defined/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/definitions-belong-to-the-definers-not-the-defined/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You could never hurt me,” he threw my words back at me, jumped out of the car, and made it to the passenger seat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ednah-walters/you-could-never-hurt-me-he-threw-my-words-back-at-me-jumped-out-of/) [Ednah Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ednah-walters/) > [“The savage rushing of the river seemed to be inside her head, inside her body. Even when the oarswomen, their guides, were speaking to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-savage-rushing-of-the-river-seemed-to-be-inside-her-head-inside/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [My experience is that I find myself having to constantly define myself to others, day-in, day-out. The quote that's helped me the most through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/my-experience-is-that-i-find-myself-having-to-constantly-define/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [“Definitions only belong to those who need them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/definitions-only-belong-to-those-who-need-them/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [“Even on my best days, I always wished life excited me as much as it excited her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rowley/even-on-my-best-days-i-always-wished-life-excited-me-as-much-as-it/) [Steven Rowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rowley/) > [I have been very interested in labor movement. If I could have wished another life, I would have loved to be a pioneer woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-lindgren/i-have-been-very-interested-in-labor-movement-if-i-could-have-wished/) [Astrid Lindgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-lindgren/) > [“Sometimes I just wished life could be different”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-twiss/sometimes-i-just-wished-life-could-be-different/) [Johan Twiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-twiss/) > [“A cat's life isn't difficult. It's just eating and sleeping. Over and over again. I wished my life was as easy as that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-vu/a-cat-s-life-isn-t-difficult-it-s-just-eating-and-sleeping-over-and/) Marie vu > [I think I wished for you all of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-think-i-wished-for-you-all-of-my-life/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“I always wished for a life like the movies. I should have been more specific in my prayers for a romantic drama, not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiji-tharayil/i-always-wished-for-a-life-like-the-movies-i-should-have-been-more/) [Jiji Tharayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiji-tharayil/) > [“Well, clearly someone you trust isn’t really someone you should be trusting,” she said without thinking, and regretted it when Terrible glanced at her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacia-kane/well-clearly-someone-you-trust-isn-t-really-someone-you-should-be/) [Stacia Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacia-kane/) > [He wished that they could go through life like this. That he could physically put himself between Eleanor and the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/he-wished-that-they-could-go-through-life-like-this-that-he-could/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [We wish, hope and pray that you get whatever you wished for all your life? Your college degree, a great life partner, that apartment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-wish-hope-and-pray-that-you-get-whatever-you-wished-for-all-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Richard Flanagan > [I went to study at Oxford University in the 1980s on an imperial scholarship instituted by Cecil Rhodes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-went-to-study-at-oxford-university-in-the-1980s-on-an-imperial/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Writing is not lying, nor is it theft. It is a journey and search for transparency between one’s words and one’s soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/writing-is-not-lying-nor-is-it-theft-it-is-a-journey-and-search-for/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In reading, you sense the divine: the things that are larger and greater and more mysterious than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-reading-you-sense-the-divine-the-things-that-are-larger-and/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Within white Australia, there was a growing movement for what was known as reconciliation - a movement that peaked with millions marching in 2000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/within-white-australia-there-was-a-growing-movement-for-what-was/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In 1995, the Paul Keating Labor government commissioned an inquiry into the forcible removal of Aboriginal children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-1995-the-paul-keating-labor-government-commissioned-an-inquiry/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Murder and hate are as deeply buried in the human heart as love, perhaps more so, and in truth they're rather entwined, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/murder-and-hate-are-as-deeply-buried-in-the-human-heart-as-love/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My father was the first to read in his family, and he said to me that words were the first beautiful thing he ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-father-was-the-first-to-read-in-his-family-and-he-said-to-me-that/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I grew up in a world that was clannish - old Tasmanian-Irish families with big extended families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/i-grew-up-in-a-world-that-was-clannish-old-tasmanian-irish-families/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [If 30 Australians drowned in Sydney Harbour, it would be a national tragedy. But when 30 or more refugees drown off the Australian coast,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/if-30-australians-drowned-in-sydney-harbour-it-would-be-a-national/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [The enslavement, humiliation, torture, and ultimate destruction of thousands upon thousands of human beings for a project for which there was ultimately no purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/the-enslavement-humiliation-torture-and-ultimate-destruction-of/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [In Tasmania, an island the size of Ireland whose primeval forests astonished 19th-century Europeans, an incomprehensible ecological tragedy is being played out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/in-tasmania-an-island-the-size-of-ireland-whose-primeval-forests/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [You have to attempt to find new forms that will force you to write freshly and better and hopefully more truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/you-have-to-attempt-to-find-new-forms-that-will-force-you-to-write/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [My mother hoped I'd be a plumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-mother-hoped-i-d-be-a-plumber/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Family matters, friends matter, love matters. Those you love and who love you matter. That's what writing does - it allows you to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/family-matters-friends-matter-love-matters-those-you-love-and-who/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [A good book ... leaves you wanting to reread the book. A great book compels you to reread your own soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/a-good-book-leaves-you-wanting-to-reread-the-book-a-great-book/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) [Explore all 176 Richard Flanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“definitions belong to the definer, not the defined, & I no longer wished to have my life & death foretold by others. I had endured too much to be reduced to an idea. Onto that pyre I threw so many, many words - that entire untrue literature of the past which had shackled & subjugated my as surely as the spiked iron collars & leg locks & jagged basils & balls & chains & headshaving - that had so long denied me my free voice & the stories I needed to tell. I no longer wished to read lies as to who & why I was. I knew who I was”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Flanagan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-the-defined-i-no-longer-wished/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-the-defined-i-no-longer-wished/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/434/richard-flanagan-2253_death_definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-th_2200321.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“definitions belong to the definer, not the defined, & I no longer wished to have my life & death foretold by…” — Richard Flanagan", "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": "Richard Flanagan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“definitions belong to the definer, not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-the-defined-i-no-longer-wished/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/definitions-belong-to-the-definer-not-the-defined-i-no-longer-wished/#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 } } ] } ```