--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Excuse me ... but I reject your…" description: "\"Excuse me ... but I reject your definitions of me.\" — Saul Bellow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png" --- # Excuse me ... but I reject your definitions of me. ![“Excuse me ... but I reject your definitions of me.” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png) > “Excuse me ... but I reject your definitions of me.” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rejects external definitions, asserting personal self‑definition. **In simple terms:** Define yourself, not others. Key Takeaway Own your identity. Themes identity self‑definition autonomy language philosophy Mood reflective defiant Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal branding - psychological counseling - creative writing - social media presence Key Concepts Existential authenticity self‑narrative Questions to Reflect On - What defines you beyond others' labels? - How do you resist imposed identities? A Different Perspective Self‑definition can clash with societal expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) ## Related quotes > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [It's fashionable in some circles to be pessimistic about America, about conservative solutions, about the Republican Party. I utterly reject that pessimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitt-romney/it-s-fashionable-in-some-circles-to-be-pessimistic-about-america/) [Mitt Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitt-romney/) > [In the fulfillment of your duties, let your intentions be so pure that you reject from your actions any other motive than the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/in-the-fulfillment-of-your-duties-let-your-intentions-be-so-pure-that/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [In the coming elections if you cannot decide whom to select, use the vote to reject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kisan-baburao-hazare/in-the-coming-elections-if-you-cannot-decide-whom-to-select-use-the/) Kisan Baburao Hazare > [It is up to us to give ourselves recognition. If we wait for it to come from others, we feel resentful when it doesn't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-tracy/it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-recognition-if-we-wait-for-it-to/) [Spencer Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-tracy/) > [We must reject dictatorship in whatever form it takes--and especially when it rears its head in our own midst on the bench.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/we-must-reject-dictatorship-in-whatever-form-it-takes-and-especially/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [Truly speaking, it is not instruction, but provocation, that I can receive from another soul. What he announces, I must find true in me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/truly-speaking-it-is-not-instruction-but-provocation-that-i-can/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [We reject any idea that one race of people is in any way better than another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-reject-any-idea-that-one-race-of-people-is-in-any-way-better-than/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [We reject this illegal, barbarous, savage state that calls itself Israel. And you have to do the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/we-reject-this-illegal-barbarous-savage-state-that-calls-itself/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [I can see the use and value of religion, just as I can see the use of mud wrestling, yoga, astronomy and sadomasochism. but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-can-see-the-use-and-value-of-religion-just-as-i-can-see-the-use-of/) [Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/) > [The Government wants a peaceful settlement. But we totally reject a peaceful sell-out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/the-government-wants-a-peaceful-settlement-but-we-totally-reject-a/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I'm a New Testament Christian. I reject and throw out titles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bright/i-m-a-new-testament-christian-i-reject-and-throw-out-titles/) [Bill Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bright/) > [It's one thing for a person to live his life as a vacuous shell without fully comprehending the extent of his transgressions, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-saab/it-s-one-thing-for-a-person-to-live-his-life-as-a-vacuous-shell/) [Tarek Saab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-saab/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [it may be said of me by Harper & Brothers, that although I reject their proposals, I welcome their advances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/it-may-be-said-of-me-by-harper-brothers-that-although-i-reject-their/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Definitions quotes > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [The poet reminds men of their uniqueness and it is not necessary to possess the ultimate definition of this uniqueness. 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Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Before I had kids, I thought you should never lie to a kid. But now I've had them, I realize you almost lie to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/before-i-had-kids-i-thought-you-should-never-lie-to-a-kid-but-now-i/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [my definition of the ideal man is 'that particular man with whom a woman happens to be in love at that particular time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/my-definition-of-the-ideal-man-is-that-particular-man-with-whom-a/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [My briefest ever definition of science fiction is 'Hubris clobbered by Nemesis.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-aldiss/my-briefest-ever-definition-of-science-fiction-is-hubris-clobbered-by/) [Brian Aldiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-aldiss/) > [Was man made stupid to see his own stupidity? Is God by definition indifferent, beyond us all? Is the eternal truth man's fighting soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eberhart/was-man-made-stupid-to-see-his-own-stupidity-is-god-by-definition/) [Richard Eberhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eberhart/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. It makes its own limited models of things; operating upon these indices or variables to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/science-manipulates-things-and-gives-up-living-in-them-it-makes-its/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, selfappointed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/the-accumulation-of-all-powers-legislative-executive-and-judiciary-in/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [“I'm going to use them to track him down and thwart him." "Thwart?" Sarissa asked. "Thwart." I said. "To prevent someone from accomplishing something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-m-going-to-use-them-to-track-him-down-and-thwart-him-thwart-sarissa/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [A design may be called organic when there is an harmonious organization of the parts within the whole, according to structure, material, and purpose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-noyes/a-design-may-be-called-organic-when-there-is-an-harmonious/) Eliot Noyes > [Of Rhetoric various definitions have been given by different writers; who, however, seem not so much to have disagreed in their conceptions of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/of-rhetoric-various-definitions-have-been-given-by-different-writers/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) Browse all 2,047 Definitions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Excuse me ... but I reject your definitions of me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul Bellow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions-of-me/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Definitions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions-of-me/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/saul-bellow-558_definitions_excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions_2425393.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Excuse me ... but I reject your definitions of me.” — Saul Bellow", "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": "Saul Bellow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Excuse me ... but I reject...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions-of-me/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/excuse-me-but-i-reject-your-definitions-of-me/#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 } } ] } ```