--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever someone who knows you…" description: "\"Whenever someone who knows you disappears, you lose one version of yourself. Yourself as you were seen, as you were judged to be. Lover or enemy, mothe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/salman-rushdie-153_character_whenever-someone-who-knows-you-disappear_2109152.jpg" --- # Whenever someone who knows you disappears, you lose one… ![“Whenever someone who knows you disappears, you lose one version of yourself. Yourself as you were seen, as you were judged to be. Lover or enemy, mother or friend, those who know us construct us, and their several knowings slant the different facets of our characters like diamond-cutter's tools…” quote by Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/salman-rushdie-153_character_whenever-someone-who-knows-you-disappear_2109152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/salman-rushdie-153_character_whenever-someone-who-knows-you-disappear_2109152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7f/salman-rushdie-153_character_whenever-someone-who-knows-you-disappear_2109152.jpg) > “Whenever someone who knows you disappears, you lose one version of yourself. Yourself as you were seen, as you were judged to be. Lover or enemy, mother or friend, those who know us construct us, and their several knowings slant the different facets of our characters like diamond-cutter's tools. Each such loss is a step leading to the grave, where all versions blend and end.” [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our identity is shaped by how others perceive us; losing a person who knows us erases a facet of our self‑image. **In simple terms:** People define us; losing them removes a self‑view. Key Takeaway Recognize and integrate all self‑views. Themes identity perception relationships Mood reflective melancholy Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grieving a friend - ending a relationship - reflecting on personal growth - therapy - memoir writing Key Concepts self‑concept social mirror fragmentation Questions to Reflect On - How do you preserve parts of yourself when relationships end? - Can you reclaim lost facets through introspection? A Different Perspective Other perspectives also shape us, so loss is not total erasure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diamond/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Version Of Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/version-of-yourself/) ## Related quotes > [All the earth is at rest and is quiet: they are bursting into song. 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If you don't know the culture your character comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/also-worldbuilding-touches-all-aspects-of-your-story-it-touches-plot/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [My cutter has been key for me, and my curveball. I've been able to spot them where I want to spot them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-manning/my-cutter-has-been-key-for-me-and-my-curveball-i-ve-been-able-to-spot/) [Eli Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-manning/) ## More by Salman Rushdie > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to write novels. I want to write stories. 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I remember in 1989, two months before the fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-not-a-prophet-but-i-always-thought-it-was-natural-for/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I'd wanted to create a storm so that I could become more famous and richer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-d-wanted-to-create-a-storm-so-that-i-could-become-more-famous-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Who what am I? 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Fortunately I don't have to rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/i-m-a-novelist-fortunately-i-don-t-have-to-rule-the-world/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The First Amendment defends all forms of speech including hate speech, which is why groups like Ku Klux Klan are allowed to utter their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/the-first-amendment-defends-all-forms-of-speech-including-hate-speech/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) [Explore all 1,087 Salman Rushdie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. 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