--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a long time, we assume we know who we…" description: "\"For a long time, we assume we know who we are, until the moment we fully realize who that is; in that moment, identity is no longer predictable, but ra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg" --- # For a long time, we assume we know who we are, until the… ![“For a long time, we assume we know who we are, until the moment we fully realize who that is; in that moment, identity is no longer predictable, but rather takes the form of a truth that, like any other, can become a sentence with no more than a change of perspective.” quote by Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg) > “For a long time, we assume we know who we are, until the moment we fully realize who that is; in that moment, identity is no longer predictable, but rather takes the form of a truth that, like any other, can become a sentence with no more than a change of perspective.” [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Identity appears fixed until a shift in perspective reveals its fluid, constructed nature, turning it into a narrative we can rewrite. **In simple terms:** Identity changes when we see ourselves differently. Key Takeaway Embrace new perspectives to reshape self‑understanding. Themes identity perception self‑knowledge narrative change Mood reflective introspective thoughtful Type aphilosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - therapy - creative writing - coaching - conflict resolution Key Concepts constructivism phenomenology subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How does changing your viewpoint alter your sense of self? - What narratives do you keep about who you are? A Different Perspective A new perspective may be limited by existing biases or social constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assume Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assume-know-315130/) [Assuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Identity Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity-longer-2229009/) [Know Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-moment-417438/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Predictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictable/) [Realize Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realize-moment-1212059/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [That moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/that-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Who we are](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who-we-are/) ## Related quotes > [Human identity is no longer defined by what one does but rather by what one owns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/human-identity-is-no-longer-defined-by-what-one-does-but-rather-by/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [We tend to take things for granted that we've had for long periods of time. Take a moment to appreciate the person in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pandora-boxx/we-tend-to-take-things-for-granted-that-we-ve-had-for-long-periods-of/) [Pandora Boxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pandora-boxx/) > [I didn't realize until that moment that Dauntless initiation had taught me an important lesson: how to keep going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-didn-t-realize-until-that-moment-that-dauntless-initiation-had/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“You get surprised by looking back and wondering when you started not allowing anyone to approach you, to decide that deep down you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-get-surprised-by-looking-back-and-wondering-when-you-started-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's only because I've lived with brothers that I realize, after a moment, that he's not looking outside but rather inside, wrestling with something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-s-only-because-i-ve-lived-with-brothers-that-i-realize-after-a/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [We are so much more powerful and important than we realize. In each moment that we connect with another, we have the opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lee/we-are-so-much-more-powerful-and-important-than-we-realize-in-each/) [Robin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lee/) > [And since the now is all there ever is in your life, your entire life unfolds as the present moment. People don't realize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/and-since-the-now-is-all-there-ever-is-in-your-life-your-entire-life/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Suddenly, quietly, you realize that - from this moment forth - you will no longer walk through this life alone. Like a new sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/suddenly-quietly-you-realize-that-from-this-moment-forth-you-will-no/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“And this is the moment where I went wrong. This is the gut-churning, if-only instant. If I could go back in time, that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/and-this-is-the-moment-where-i-went-wrong-this-is-the-gut-churning-if/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [“When we contemplate, we realize that one moment is not separate from the other; What we need is to live from one moment to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-kumar/when-we-contemplate-we-realize-that-one-moment-is-not-separate-from/) [Gian Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-kumar/) > [“Never assume they know what you fear they know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-bingham/never-assume-they-know-what-you-fear-they-know/) [Harry Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-bingham/) > [Many believe they understand me.The truth is,no one knows who I really am.If you can't read my mind,don't assume you know who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/many-believe-they-understand-me-the-truth-is-no-one-knows-who-i/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [“Do not assume to know. You will be surprised to realize you were ignorant all along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naide-p-obiang/do-not-assume-to-know-you-will-be-surprised-to-realize-you-were/) [Naide P Obiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naide-p-obiang/) > [Most of what we know or assume to know is wrong one way or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-adams/most-of-what-we-know-or-assume-to-know-is-wrong-one-way-or-another/) [Neal Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-adams/) > [How ballsy it was to just assume you know, with one glance, the things another person could live without. As if it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/how-ballsy-it-was-to-just-assume-you-know-with-one-glance-the-things/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More by Sergio Chejfec > [For me parks are good when first of all, they're not impeccable, and when solitude has appropriated them in such a way that solitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/for-me-parks-are-good-when-first-of-all-they-re-not-impeccable-and/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [I don't read novels that are looking to convince me of anything. I believe that literature needs to be a machine of illusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/i-don-t-read-novels-that-are-looking-to-convince-me-of-anything-i/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [We can speak of politics, ethics, and in this way, speak about the world. But at the same time, it's always in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/we-can-speak-of-politics-ethics-and-in-this-way-speak-about-the-world/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [What I find is that many times when I work with chance, with indeterminacy, I am more open to experience, less prone to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/what-i-find-is-that-many-times-when-i-work-with-chance-with/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [“Because sometimes the memory of what one has read tempers the actual experience, and the experience itself becomes, more than something physical, the realization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/because-sometimes-the-memory-of-what-one-has-read-tempers-the-actual/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [Novels with a "thesis" don't interest me. They just don't - novels that want to "show" something, that want to "argue" something specific. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/novels-with-a-thesis-don-t-interest-me-they-just-don-t-novels-that/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [For me, it's a way to find a fiction within a fiction. To find a way to uncover that blunder within the "lie," because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/for-me-it-s-a-way-to-find-a-fiction-within-a-fiction-to-find-a-way-to/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [At one point I felt a tension between objects, their real, physical lives, and the idea of meaning: the physical, material reality of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/at-one-point-i-felt-a-tension-between-objects-their-real-physical/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [Not to say that the process assumes anything of "greater" or "lesser" importance, though: it's just more graphic information. Take the surrealists, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/not-to-say-that-the-process-assumes-anything-of-greater-or-lesser/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [Nostalgia for people, cultures, everything. There's an ability to use these marks to note things that are erased, deleted. Traces are a species of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/nostalgia-for-people-cultures-everything-there-s-an-ability-to-use/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [In the early days of the Internet, the word "navigation" had this ingrained in it. There really was a sensation of the cyber-flâneur, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/in-the-early-days-of-the-internet-the-word-navigation-had-this/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [A word, and all the infinite fluctuations it may possess. Like that moment when you know you have something to say, and you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/a-word-and-all-the-infinite-fluctuations-it-may-possess-like-that/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [One must distance oneself from the idea of strict realism. It seems to me that real nature doesn't exist anymore, this idea of "the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/one-must-distance-oneself-from-the-idea-of-strict-realism-it-seems-to/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [“In general, I know that when speaking of private and opposing worlds, one tends to refer to divided, sometimes even irreconcilable facets of personality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/in-general-i-know-that-when-speaking-of-private-and-opposing-worlds/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) > [I find that, for me, it is this concept of borrowed or built life, life on loan, that gets me writing. It's similar to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/i-find-that-for-me-it-is-this-concept-of-borrowed-or-built-life-life/) [Sergio Chejfec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) [Explore all 23 Sergio Chejfec quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) [James T. Conway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-conway/) > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. We make clothes, but we have the chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-rousteing/we-can-use-our-art-to-become-political-to-become-something-you-want/) [Olivier Rousteing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-rousteing/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assuming/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a long time, we assume we know who we are, until the moment we fully realize who that is; in that moment, identity is no longer predictable, but rather takes the form of a truth that, like any other, can become a sentence with no more than a change of perspective.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sergio Chejfec" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we-are-until-the-moment-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assuming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we-are-until-the-moment-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cea/sergio-chejfec-24437_assuming_for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we_2636006.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For a long time, we assume we know who we are, until the moment we fully realize who that is; in that…” — Sergio Chejfec", "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": "Sergio Chejfec", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-chejfec/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For a long time, we assume...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we-are-until-the-moment-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-chejfec/for-a-long-time-we-assume-we-know-who-we-are-until-the-moment-we/#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 } } ] } ```