---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even if one is neither vain nor…"
description: "\"Even if one is neither vain nor self-obsessed, it is so extraordinary to be oneself - exactly oneself and no one else - and so unique, that it seems na..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg"
---

#  Even if one is neither vain nor self-obsessed, it is so…

![“Even if one is neither vain nor self-obsessed, it is so extraordinary to be oneself - exactly oneself and no one else - and so unique, that it seems natural that one should also be unique for someone else.” quote by Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg)

> “Even if one is neither vain nor self-obsessed, it is so extraordinary to be oneself - exactly oneself and no one else - and so unique, that it seems natural that one should also be unique for someone else.”

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Authenticity means embracing your singular identity fully, recognizing its rarity, and allowing it to resonate uniquely with another person.

**In simple terms:** Being truly yourself is rare and special.

Key Takeaway

Live authentically and connect deeply.

Themes

authenticity individuality connection

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- creative collaboration
- mental health therapy
- leadership mentorship

Key Concepts

existentialism selfhood interpersonal uniqueness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance personal authenticity with societal roles?
- In what ways can your uniqueness enrich another’s life?

A Different Perspective

Uniqueness can be isolating if not shared; authenticity may conflict with social expectations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Exactly Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exactly-oneself-5714428/) [Extraordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/) [Extraordinary Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary-oneself-5714425/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Obsessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessed/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Oneself Exactly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-exactly-5714427/) [Oneself Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-unique-5714426/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self obsessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-obsessed/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Unique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unique/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/)

## Related quotes

> [I pray not to be such a whiny, self-obsessed baby, and give thanks that I am not quite as bad as I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-pray-not-to-be-such-a-whiny-self-obsessed-baby-and-give-thanks-that/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [People need to learn how to be less hateful, obnoxious, mean, inconsiderate, self obsessed, and self absorbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-need-to-learn-how-to-be-less-hateful-obnoxious-mean/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I've never met someone with a really low self esteem who was obsessed with loving others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-never-met-someone-with-a-really-low-self-esteem-who-was-obsessed/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't believe that prayers actually change God's mind - if there is a God - but I liked praying for people in need.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-jacobs-2/i-don-t-believe-that-prayers-actually-change-god-s-mind-if-there-is-a/)

[A. J. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-jacobs-2/)

> [“The hilarious irony is that Buddhists - who deny the existence of the self - are the most self-obsessed people you can find. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-tanner/the-hilarious-irony-is-that-buddhists-who-deny-the-existence-of-the/)

[Jack Tanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-tanner/)

> [But to be self-obsessed is simply not o.k. for the most important country in the world, the United States, which affects every other country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/but-to-be-self-obsessed-is-simply-not-o-k-for-the-most-important/)

[Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/)

> [Dermot Reeve was so self-obsessed that even on the local nudist beach he only admired himself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hughes/dermot-reeve-was-so-self-obsessed-that-even-on-the-local-nudist-beach/)

[Simon Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hughes/)

> [All you ever think about it yourself! The reason you're depressed is because you're so self obsessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-you-ever-think-about-it-yourself-the-reason-you-re-depressed-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The movement of grace toward gratitude brings us from the package of self-obsessed madness to a spiritual awakening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/the-movement-of-grace-toward-gratitude-brings-us-from-the-package-of/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [It's extraordinary how self-obsessed human beings are. The things that people always go on about is, 'tell us about us', 'tell us about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-attenborough/it-s-extraordinary-how-self-obsessed-human-beings-are-the-things-that/)

[David Attenborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-attenborough/)

> [We live in a time where loving yourself is mistaken for Self Obsessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hqlinestumblr/we-live-in-a-time-where-loving-yourself-is-mistaken-for-self-obsessed/)

[HQLinesTumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hqlinestumblr/)

> [There's a danger in Hollywood of becoming self-obsessed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-broderick/there-s-a-danger-in-hollywood-of-becoming-self-obsessed/)

[Beth Broderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-broderick/)

> [Me: I'm fat. Society: Attention seeker! Me: I'm skinny. Society: Self obsessed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-m-fat-society-attention-seeker-me-i-m-skinny-society-self/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People do complain about the way I act on stage... They think on stage I act too arrogant, too self-obsessed, solecistic, self-contained, synonyms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/people-do-complain-about-the-way-i-act-on-stage-they-think-on-stage-i/)

[Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/)

> [I wish I could say confidently that pacing remains my weak point, if you could talk about your own stuff without sounding like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-sue-deconnick/i-wish-i-could-say-confidently-that-pacing-remains-my-weak-point-if/)

[Kelly Sue DeConnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-sue-deconnick/)

## More by Simone de Beauvoir

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [One is not born a genius, one becomes a genius; and the feminine situation has up to the present rendered this becoming practically impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/one-is-not-born-a-genius-one-becomes-a-genius-and-the-feminine/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Many things would be changed for Americans if they would only admit that there is ill-luck in this world and that misfortune is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/many-things-would-be-changed-for-americans-if-they-would-only-admit/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“You said something very true the other day: that for us, nudity begins with the face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/you-said-something-very-true-the-other-day-that-for-us-nudity-begins/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“Ženama se ne rađamo, nego postajemo”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/enama-se-ne-ra-amo-nego-postajemo/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Life is occupied in both perpetuating itself and in surpassing itself; if all it does is maintain itself, then living is only not dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/life-is-occupied-in-both-perpetuating-itself-and-in-surpassing-itself/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Fathers never have exactly the daughters they want because they invent a notion a them that the daughters have to conform to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/fathers-never-have-exactly-the-daughters-they-want-because-they/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [However gifted an individual is at the outset, if his or her talents cannot be developed because of his or her social condition, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/however-gifted-an-individual-is-at-the-outset-if-his-or-her-talents/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [In fact, people seem to be tired of fiction now. There are so many other ways of exploring humanity - by ethnology, psychoanalysis, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/in-fact-people-seem-to-be-tired-of-fiction-now-there-are-so-many/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [Feminism is one way of attacking society as it now exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/feminism-is-one-way-of-attacking-society-as-it-now-exists/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“Magari mi troverai ridicola, ma mi disprezzerei se non osassi esserlo mai”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/magari-mi-troverai-ridicola-ma-mi-disprezzerei-se-non-osassi-esserlo/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [from one minute to the next the present is merely an honorary past. It must be filled unceasingly anew to dissemble the curse it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/from-one-minute-to-the-next-the-present-is-merely-an-honorary-past-it/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [I am awfully greedy; I want everything from life. I want to be a woman and to be a man, to have many friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-am-awfully-greedy-i-want-everything-from-life-i-want-to-be-a-woman/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“I enjoyed my exhaustion, though; I liked overdoing things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-enjoyed-my-exhaustion-though-i-liked-overdoing-things/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [“But I miss you to the point of anguish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/but-i-miss-you-to-the-point-of-anguish/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

[Explore all 488 Simone de Beauvoir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## More Extraordinary quotes

> [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. Those documents cover 109,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/we-released-400-000-classified-documents-the-most-extraordinary/)

[Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/)

> [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/)

[Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Newspapers have an extraordinary amount of local content, including real estate listings and restaurant reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/newspapers-have-an-extraordinary-amount-of-local-content-including/)

[Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/)

> [The contributions being made by Latinos are extraordinary, and we need to talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ailes/the-contributions-being-made-by-latinos-are-extraordinary-and-we-need/)

[Roger Ailes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ailes/)

> [Jeb Bush was supposed to be the establishment candidate, but he didn't catch on. And the extraordinary thing about this Republican primary is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/jeb-bush-was-supposed-to-be-the-establishment-candidate-but-he-didn-t/)

[Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/)

> [We are very fortunate to be recognized here in such an extraordinary manner for work that we enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-altman/we-are-very-fortunate-to-be-recognized-here-in-such-an-extraordinary/)

[Sidney Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-altman/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/)

[Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/)

> [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/)

[Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/)

> [My books are about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-robards/my-books-are-about-ordinary-people-caught-up-in-extraordinary/)

[Karen Robards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-robards/)

> [If you like I'll be furious flesh elemental, or- changing to tones that the sunset arouses- if you like- I'll be extraordinary gentle, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/if-you-like-i-ll-be-furious-flesh-elemental-or-changing-to-tones-that/)

[Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/)

> [It isn't necessary to seek out adventure. Opening to what is around you will produce the most extraordinary experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-b-lewis/it-isn-t-necessary-to-seek-out-adventure-opening-to-what-is-around/)

[Edward B. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-b-lewis/)

> [Many people, including myself, thought of Jobs as an inventor, an Edison-like figure, but he wasn't. I did a documentary on James Brown recently;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-gibney/many-people-including-myself-thought-of-jobs-as-an-inventor-an-edison/)

[Alex Gibney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-gibney/)

[Browse all 2,906 Extraordinary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extraordinary/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Even if one is neither vain nor self-obsessed, it is so extraordinary to be oneself - exactly oneself and no one else - and so unique, that it seems natural that one should also be unique for someone else.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Simone de Beauvoir"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obsessed-it-is-so-extraordinary/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Extraordinary"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obsessed-it-is-so-extraordinary/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/simone-de-beauvoir-407_extraordinary_even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obs_1536928.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even if one is neither vain nor self-obsessed, it is so extraordinary to be oneself - exactly oneself and no…” — Simone de Beauvoir",
                "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": "Simone de Beauvoir",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Even if one is neither vain...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obsessed-it-is-so-extraordinary/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/even-if-one-is-neither-vain-nor-self-obsessed-it-is-so-extraordinary/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```