--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To live and breathe with an exclusive…" description: "\"To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small self, disconnected from the whole, is the definition of egotism.\" — Sharon Gannon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png" --- # To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small… ![“To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small self, disconnected from the whole, is the definition of egotism.” quote by Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png) > “To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small self, disconnected from the whole, is the definition of egotism.” [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A critique of self‑centered living, equating it with egotism and disconnection from larger context. **In simple terms:** Self‑focus equals egotism. Key Takeaway Seek broader connection beyond self. Themes egotism selfishness community Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - volunteering - team projects - mindfulness practice Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How can self‑care coexist with community focus? - What practices foster humility? A Different Perspective May oversimplify healthy self‑care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Egotism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/egotism/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [You have to find what you're really passionate about, throw yourself into it, and focus on those small wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-gibbs/you-have-to-find-what-you-re-really-passionate-about-throw-yourself/) [Lauren Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-gibbs/) > [“Focus on the small things life already has offered you, else you may turn your boundless blessings to countless disappointments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shihab-kazi/focus-on-the-small-things-life-already-has-offered-you-else-you-may/) [SHIHAB KAZI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shihab-kazi/) > [Before, it came easy for me. I don't have two speeds anymore. I need to focus on the small things that I once took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-phelps/before-it-came-easy-for-me-i-don-t-have-two-speeds-anymore-i-need-to/) [Michael Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-phelps/) > [I'd like to get something small and self-generated in before Black Rock has whatever life that it has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-aselton/i-d-like-to-get-something-small-and-self-generated-in-before-black/) [Katie Aselton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-aselton/) > [“Fortunately, all you have to get rid of is the illusion. People think they have to get rid of the small self in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-esmann/fortunately-all-you-have-to-get-rid-of-is-the-illusion-people-think/) Jan Esmann > [We can believe we are being self-reliant and independent, and yet there is still clearly an overarching destiny, a Great Maker. So when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/we-can-believe-we-are-being-self-reliant-and-independent-and-yet/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [“Let go of your small self and become your true self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuaki-tanahashi/let-go-of-your-small-self-and-become-your-true-self/) [Kazuaki Tanahashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuaki-tanahashi/) > [Our prayers may be an index of how small and self-centered our world is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-carson/our-prayers-may-be-an-index-of-how-small-and-self-centered-our-world/) [D. A. Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-a-carson/) > [The self of which you speak, whether it is the great self or the small self, is only a concept that does not correspond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-self-of-which-you-speak-whether-it-is-the-great-self-or-the-small/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Fling away your soul once for all, your own small self; if you will find it again. Count not even on immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-anthony-froude/fling-away-your-soul-once-for-all-your-own-small-self-if-you-will/) [James Anthony Froude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-anthony-froude/) > [“I will still feel some importance in altering the room, because there you were, the pastiche of some lovely distant star as I surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-burkard/i-will-still-feel-some-importance-in-altering-the-room-because-there/) [Michael Burkard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-burkard/) > [We must stop viewing ourselves as separate and disconnected from the rest of life, as if we are a special case and the laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/we-must-stop-viewing-ourselves-as-separate-and-disconnected-from-the/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [If we fail to appreciate the soul that Easternism gives us, then what we have is a disconnected, Greco-Roman, Western, egocentric, compartmentalized, reductionist, fragmented,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/if-we-fail-to-appreciate-the-soul-that-easternism-gives-us-then-what/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [We are producing urban places which are disjointed and disconnected and not worthy of our civilisation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-safdie/we-are-producing-urban-places-which-are-disjointed-and-disconnected/) [Moshe Safdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-safdie/) > [Part of what we admire about a painting or a piece of music is the order which the artist has imposed upon what would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-storr/part-of-what-we-admire-about-a-painting-or-a-piece-of-music-is-the/) [Anthony Storr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-storr/) ## More by Sharon Gannon > [Communication implies communing, having a shared experience with another, not "talking at" or "talking down to" someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/communication-implies-communing-having-a-shared-experience-with/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Human overconsumption is a greater problem than human population growth, and meat eating is a big part of that problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/human-overconsumption-is-a-greater-problem-than-human-population/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Some well-to-do parents may say, "I have a right to have as many children as I want because I can take care of them."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/some-well-to-do-parents-may-say-i-have-a-right-to-have-as-many/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [In fact, studies show that vegans tend to get more iron than meat eaters. Vitamin C from fruits and vegetables increases iron absorption. Meanwhile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/in-fact-studies-show-that-vegans-tend-to-get-more-iron-than-meat/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, use for entertainment or for any exploitative purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/animals-are-not-ours-to-eat-wear-experiment-on-use-for-entertainment/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [When we have a choice it is always best to choose kindness. Veganism is simply the kinder choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/when-we-have-a-choice-it-is-always-best-to-choose-kindness-veganism/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Don't try to do this by yourself: to become a good yogi you need a teacher. Find a teacher you can bow to, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/don-t-try-to-do-this-by-yourself-to-become-a-good-yogi-you-need-a/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [It is true that every being is enjoying life or suffering as a direct result of his or her own past actions. The animals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/it-is-true-that-every-being-is-enjoying-life-or-suffering-as-a-direct/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Lions and other carnivorous animals do a lot of things besides eat meat. They live outdoors, not in houses; they don't wear clothes or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/lions-and-other-carnivorous-animals-do-a-lot-of-things-besides-eat/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Yoga may have originated in India, where the cow has been revered as sacred for thousands of years, but times have changed since Lord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/yoga-may-have-originated-in-india-where-the-cow-has-been-revered-as/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [It may take sixteen pounds of grain to make one pound of beef, but it also takes one hundred pounds of fish to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/it-may-take-sixteen-pounds-of-grain-to-make-one-pound-of-beef-but-it/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Yes, all of life is sacred, including plants; and yes, there is research that demonstrates that plants have feelings - they feel it when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/yes-all-of-life-is-sacred-including-plants-and-yes-there-is-research/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Live with the anticipation that something incredible might happen at any time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/live-with-the-anticipation-that-something-incredible-might-happen-at/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Yoga teaches us that we can have whatever we may want in life if we are willing to provide it for others first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/yoga-teaches-us-that-we-can-have-whatever-we-may-want-in-life-if-we/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) > [Welfarists are concerned with the quality of the animals' lives before or even during their slaughter and want animals to be treated, and slaughtered,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/welfarists-are-concerned-with-the-quality-of-the-animals-lives-before/) [Sharon Gannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) [Explore all 166 Sharon Gannon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/) ## More Breathe quotes > [“Well come and stand a little bit closer, breathe in and get a bit higher. 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Never give up on your dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/live-your-dreams-breathe-your-dreams-never-give-up-on-your-dreams/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [There were people asking 'Can women be funny?' People still ask that. It's like asking: 'Can women breathe in and out?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-walters/there-were-people-asking-can-women-be-funny-people-still-ask-that-it/) [Julie Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-walters/) > [We need to be more conversant with it because science is in our lives. It's in everything. It's in the food we eat. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/we-need-to-be-more-conversant-with-it-because-science-is-in-our-lives/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Before we can make seismic professional, economic, and sociological changes, we have to squeeze out of our Spanx and remember how it feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/before-we-can-make-seismic-professional-economic-and-sociological/) [Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/) > [Manchester United breathe football. When I have to make hard decisions, I always listen to little boy inside me and what he wants. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-van-persie/manchester-united-breathe-football-when-i-have-to-make-hard-decisions/) [Robin van Persie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-van-persie/) > [I drink to feel / I smoke to breathe / Just look what love / Has done to me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/i-drink-to-feel-i-smoke-to-breathe-just-look-what-love-has-done-to-me/) [Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/) > [Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/wherever-you-are-is-the-perfect-place-to-awaken-this-moment-is-the/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [In some ways, what I learned is that you can take a character and breathe with them, and its up to the audience to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aden-young/in-some-ways-what-i-learned-is-that-you-can-take-a-character-and/) [Aden Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aden-young/) Browse all 2,793 Breathe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small self, disconnected from the whole, is the definition of egotism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sharon Gannon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-focus-on-one-s-small-self/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breathe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-focus-on-one-s-small-self/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bd/sharon-gannon-2432_breathe_to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-fo_1156610.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To live and breathe with an exclusive focus on one's small self, disconnected from the whole, is the…” — Sharon Gannon", "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": "Sharon Gannon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gannon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To live and breathe with an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-focus-on-one-s-small-self/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gannon/to-live-and-breathe-with-an-exclusive-focus-on-one-s-small-self/#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 } } ] } ```