--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I sometimes astonish my patients by…" description: "\"“I sometimes astonish my patients by telling them that it is far more important that they should be able to lose themselves than that they should be ab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/theodore-dalrymple-7084_patience_i-sometimes-astonish-my-patients-by-tell_3175177.png" --- # I sometimes astonish my patients by telling them that it… ![“I sometimes astonish my patients by telling them that it is far more important that they should be able to lose themselves than that they should be able to find themselves. For it is only in losing oneself that one does find oneself.” quote by Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/theodore-dalrymple-7084_patience_i-sometimes-astonish-my-patients-by-tell_3175177.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/theodore-dalrymple-7084_patience_i-sometimes-astonish-my-patients-by-tell_3175177.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3aa/theodore-dalrymple-7084_patience_i-sometimes-astonish-my-patients-by-tell_3175177.png) > ““I sometimes astonish my patients by telling them that it is far more important that they should be able to lose themselves than that they should be able to find themselves. For it is only in losing oneself that one does find oneself.”” [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True self‑knowledge emerges when we let go of ego and routine, not when we cling to familiar identities. **In simple terms:** Finding yourself requires losing yourself. Key Takeaway Embrace humility to discover purpose. Themes self‑discovery humility identity psychology Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - spiritual retreats - creative work - personal crises Key Concepts existentialism self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your identity do you cling to? - How can surrender foster growth? A Different Perspective Self‑loss can be destabilizing and may lead to confusion without guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) ## Related quotes > [So for me it's more than happy to see many patients - often I can see them telling me, 'You saved my life.' This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasuku-honjo/so-for-me-it-s-more-than-happy-to-see-many-patients-often-i-can-see/) [Tasuku Honjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasuku-honjo/) > [“One always has to be willing to lose to be able to win... in battle and in life. I wonder. Are you willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-rich/one-always-has-to-be-willing-to-lose-to-be-able-to-win-in-battle-and/) Christie Rich > [The feeling of losing oneself in somebody's arms, yet at the same time finding oneself there, is irreplaceable. Nothing compares to the intensity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katarina-witt/the-feeling-of-losing-oneself-in-somebody-s-arms-yet-at-the-same-time/) [Katarina Witt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katarina-witt/) > [One can get just as much exultation in losing oneself in a little thing as in a big thing. It is nice to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/one-can-get-just-as-much-exultation-in-losing-oneself-in-a-little/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Some day when I lose you, will you still be able to sleep, without me to whisper over you like a crown of linden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/some-day-when-i-lose-you-will-you-still-be-able-to-sleep-without-me/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [...it's the process of losing oneself in the jungle that makes science worth doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joao-magueijo/it-s-the-process-of-losing-oneself-in-the-jungle-that-makes-science/) [Joao Magueijo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joao-magueijo/) > [Know how to win and how to lose and be able to handle adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-osborne/know-how-to-win-and-how-to-lose-and-be-able-to-handle-adversity/) [Tom Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-osborne/) > [“She said that nothing is done to oneself that one does not accept and that if I love someone it would take it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/she-said-that-nothing-is-done-to-oneself-that-one-does-not-accept-and/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Accepting oneself does not preclude an attempt to become better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/accepting-oneself-does-not-preclude-an-attempt-to-become-better/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“That one must either explain life to oneself so that it does not seem to be an evil mockery by some sort of devil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/that-one-must-either-explain-life-to-oneself-so-that-it-does-not-seem/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“She said nothing is done to oneself that one does not accept and that if I loved someone it would take it all away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/she-said-nothing-is-done-to-oneself-that-one-does-not-accept-and-that/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [When one does away with oneself one does the most estimable thing possible: one thereby almost deserves to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-one-does-away-with-oneself-one-does-the-most-estimable-thing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) ## More by Theodore Dalrymple > [Life is a biography, not a series of disconnected moments, more or less pleasurable but increasingly tedious and unsatisfying unless one imposes a purposive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/life-is-a-biography-not-a-series-of-disconnected-moments-more-or-less/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Many young people now end a discussion with the supposedly definitive and unanswerable statement that such is their opinion, and their opinion is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/many-young-people-now-end-a-discussion-with-the-supposedly-definitive/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“even received a few requests that I send medicine, since none was available in the local pharmacies—an admission, unthinkable a few years ago, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/even-received-a-few-requests-that-i-send-medicine-since-none-was/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [There is nothing an addict likes more, or that serves as better pretext for continuing his present way of life, than to place the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/there-is-nothing-an-addict-likes-more-or-that-serves-as-better/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“pride must be in the work, not the person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/pride-must-be-in-the-work-not-the-person/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“In The Gulag Archipelago, for example, Alexander Solzhenitsyn remarks that Shakespeare’s evildoers, Macbeth notably among them, stop short at a mere dozen corpses because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/in-the-gulag-archipelago-for-example-alexander-solzhenitsyn-remarks/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [Orders can be benign or malign, but the habit of obeying them can become ingrained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/orders-can-be-benign-or-malign-but-the-habit-of-obeying-them-can/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“A taste for kitsch among the well-to-do is a sign of spiritual impoverishment; but among the poor, it represents a striving for beauty, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/a-taste-for-kitsch-among-the-well-to-do-is-a-sign-of-spiritual/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“Facts are much more malleable than prejudices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/facts-are-much-more-malleable-than-prejudices/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small. In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/political-correctness-is-communist-propaganda-writ-small-in-my-study/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“People with no experience of life except under communist regimes would tell me that they knew—though they were unsure how—that their life was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/people-with-no-experience-of-life-except-under-communist-regimes/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/when-people-are-forced-to-remain-silent-when-they-are-being-told-the/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [There is something deeply attractive, at least to quite a lot of people, about squalor, misery, and vice. They are regarded as more authentic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/there-is-something-deeply-attractive-at-least-to-quite-a-lot-of/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [“The young man regained consciousness in the ambulance, but his mother insisted that he give no evidence to the police because, had he done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/the-young-man-regained-consciousness-in-the-ambulance-but-his-mother/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) > [The idea that freedom is merely the ability to act upon one's whims is surely very thin and hardly begins to capture the complexities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dalrymple/the-idea-that-freedom-is-merely-the-ability-to-act-upon-one-s-whims/) [Theodore Dalrymple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) [Explore all 95 Theodore Dalrymple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dalrymple/) ## More Patience quotes > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [The faster you go, the shorter you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-faster-you-go-the-shorter-you-are/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [We're on the road 300 days a year. There's no recovery time. It's a test of your physical and mental endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/we-re-on-the-road-300-days-a-year-there-s-no-recovery-time-it-s-a/) [Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“Here is my procedure for a saliva test: Prepare 7 strips of pH paper. Take a baseline pH reading. Have the patient drink 10cc…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ameer-rosic/here-is-my-procedure-for-a-saliva-test-prepare-7-strips-of-ph-paper/) Ameer Rosic > [“There is no time for patience - there is no time for diplomacy - there is no time for policies, legislations and meaningless paperwork.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-is-no-time-for-patience-there-is-no-time-for-diplomacy-there-is/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Character never quits; and with patience and persistence; Dreams do come true!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-maravich/character-never-quits-and-with-patience-and-persistence-dreams-do/) [Pete Maravich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-maravich/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [There are few husbands whom the wife cannot win in the long run, by patience and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/there-are-few-husbands-whom-the-wife-cannot-win-in-the-long-run-by/) [Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/) > [God has perfect timing...Never early...never late...It takes a little patience...It takes a lot of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-perfect-timing-never-early-never-late-it-takes-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,997 Patience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I sometimes astonish my patients by telling them that it is far more important that they should be able to lose themselves than that they should be able to find themselves. 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