--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have to lose yourself to find yourself." description: "\"You have to lose yourself to find yourself.\" — Willem Dafoe" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg" --- # You have to lose yourself to find yourself. ![“You have to lose yourself to find yourself.” quote by Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg) > “You have to lose yourself to find yourself.” [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑discovery often requires shedding old identities to uncover true purpose. **In simple terms:** Lose old self to find true self. Key Takeaway Embrace change to discover purpose. Themes identity self‑discovery transformation Mood introspective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career change - spiritual retreat - creative projects - therapy Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself must you let go? - How will you know when you have truly found yourself? A Different Perspective Loss of self can cause confusion and fear if not guided. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Finding yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/) [Losing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-yourself/) ## Related quotes > [There is no way to find yourself until you discover how utterly to lose yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-jones/there-is-no-way-to-find-yourself-until-you-discover-how-utterly-to/) [Rufus Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-jones/) > [Pilgrimage means being alert to the times when all that's needed is a trip to a remote place to simply lose yourself, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/pilgrimage-means-being-alert-to-the-times-when-all-that-s-needed-is-a/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [Desert, in generally, is a very good place to find yourself. Or lose yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/desert-in-generally-is-a-very-good-place-to-find-yourself-or-lose/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding. The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/anger-and-intolerance-are-the-enemies-of-correct-understanding-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It is one thing to lose people you love. It is another to lose yourself. That is a greater loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/it-is-one-thing-to-lose-people-you-love-it-is-another-to-lose/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [Today, everybody is always rushing. Designers have to make collections one after the other. Actresses have to make movies one after the other. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haider-ackermann/today-everybody-is-always-rushing-designers-have-to-make-collections/) [Haider Ackermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haider-ackermann/) > [You lose yourself trying to hold on to someone who doesn't care about losing you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tablo/you-lose-yourself-trying-to-hold-on-to-someone-who-doesn-t-care-about/) [Tablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tablo/) > [To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/to-lose-yourself-in-righteous-service-to-others-can-lift-your-sights/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [When you lose touch with yourself, you lose yourself in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-lose-touch-with-yourself-you-lose-yourself-in-the-world/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [It doesn't happen all the time, but in the moments where you really lose yourself and you fall into this character, it's like time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-marling/it-doesn-t-happen-all-the-time-but-in-the-moments-where-you-really/) [Brit Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-marling/) > [Love is scary because it pulls you in with an intense force, a supermassive black hole which looks like nothing from the outside but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/love-is-scary-because-it-pulls-you-in-with-an-intense-force-a/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [You may lose people you love. You may lose things you had.. but no matter what, never lose yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/you-may-lose-people-you-love-you-may-lose-things-you-had-but-no/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [Gestating characters feels something like the mental equivalent of gestating a baby. In both cases, to create them you lose yourself. Or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/gestating-characters-feels-something-like-the-mental-equivalent-of/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [My seminars are for you. They are moments, hours and evenings outside of time. A chance, in a highly charged environment, to meditate, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/my-seminars-are-for-you-they-are-moments-hours-and-evenings-outside/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You had to come back to learn how to lose yourself, to be pilot and stray-witch, Hansel and Gretel in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/you-had-to-come-back-to-learn-how-to-lose-yourself-to-be-pilot-and/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) ## More by Willem Dafoe > [I was doing community theater, and I was always interested in acting, but I was also interested in sports. I was interested in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-was-doing-community-theater-and-i-was-always-interested-in-acting/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I knew very little about 'Spider-Man'. I grew up more in the 'Superman' generation. 'Spider-Man' - I didn't know so much. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-knew-very-little-about-spider-man-i-grew-up-more-in-the-superman/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [When you have something to work with, then you fly with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/when-you-have-something-to-work-with-then-you-fly-with-it/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [When I was a kid I was very interested in the idea of the will, finding out what you're capable of. I liked those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-very-interested-in-the-idea-of-the-will/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [Film is an editor's medium. You can create very good raw material and they can make it horrible, or you can do not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/film-is-an-editor-s-medium-you-can-create-very-good-raw-material-and/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I'm more interested in talking about what I do. And I don't think people are interested in my personal life. I've never had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-m-more-interested-in-talking-about-what-i-do-and-i-don-t-think/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [ Mounting those red stairs \[in Cannes\] is something I've done with a very different intention many times. So it's interesting any time you witness… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/mounting-those-red-stairs-in-cannes-is-something-i-ve-done-with-a/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [In films you do a scene, you play around with it and unless you're doing a lot of reshooting, which no one has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/in-films-you-do-a-scene-you-play-around-with-it-and-unless-you-re/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [For every role, you have to always find a different way to approach it, one that's specific and suits what the key is. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/for-every-role-you-have-to-always-find-a-different-way-to-approach-it/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [Celebrity is okay as long as you know it's not about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/celebrity-is-okay-as-long-as-you-know-it-s-not-about-you/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [All the time, as an actor, you want to be asking what's next and where things are going. If you're not asking those questions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/all-the-time-as-an-actor-you-want-to-be-asking-what-s-next-and-where/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I'm learning in my old age that the only thing you can do to keep your sanity is to stay in the moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-m-learning-in-my-old-age-that-the-only-thing-you-can-do-to-keep/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I was watching 'Wild at Heart,' and I can honestly say I did nothing for that apart from show up!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-was-watching-wild-at-heart-and-i-can-honestly-say-i-did-nothing-for/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [Truth is, generally I like film festivals; somewhere at some level there's an exchange of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/truth-is-generally-i-like-film-festivals-somewhere-at-some-level/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) > [I don't think people are interested in my personal life. I've never had a Hollywood life. I've always been a worker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/i-don-t-think-people-are-interested-in-my-personal-life-i-ve-never/) [Willem Dafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) [Explore all 110 Willem Dafoe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/) ## More Finding yourself quotes > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [I work with a lot of music programs and there's a steep learning curve to a lot of them. You can really find yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe/i-work-with-a-lot-of-music-programs-and-there-s-a-steep-learning/) [Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe/) > [I was going to say 'my friend Stuart', but I suppose he's not a friend any more. I seem to have lost a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/i-was-going-to-say-my-friend-stuart-but-i-suppose-he-s-not-a-friend/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [To be the best you can be, is to know the person in the mirror better than you think you know everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-lopez/to-be-the-best-you-can-be-is-to-know-the-person-in-the-mirror-better/) Wendy Lopez > [Sometimes, the most important thing you'll need to know, is how to be your own best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-you-ll-need-to-know-is-how-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [“The act of consciousness is central; otherwise we are overrun by the complexes. The hero in each of us is required to answer the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hollis/the-act-of-consciousness-is-central-otherwise-we-are-overrun-by-the/) [James Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hollis/) > [What you discover on your own is always more exciting than what someone else discovers for you - it's like the marriage between romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-rafferty/what-you-discover-on-your-own-is-always-more-exciting-than-what/) Terrence Rafferty > [I am to the point where I don't know if I'm getting better, or I'm just used to the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-morton/i-am-to-the-point-where-i-don-t-know-if-i-m-getting-better-or-i-m/) [Cori Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-morton/) > [I noticed that once you realize someone's watching you it's pretty hard not to find yourself watching them back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/i-noticed-that-once-you-realize-someone-s-watching-you-it-s-pretty/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [If you find yourself in a relationship or even a friendship with someone who's conflicted with their gender identity, just be kind. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-d-thompson/if-you-find-yourself-in-a-relationship-or-even-a-friendship-with/) [Linda D. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-d-thompson/) > [Theres an awkward silence when Eric clears his throat and speaks up. So Jade, tell us about yourself. Its slightly strange but I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/theres-an-awkward-silence-when-eric-clears-his-throat-and-speaks-up/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [If I am being alone does not mean I am a loner rather I am healing me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhi-saini/if-i-am-being-alone-does-not-mean-i-am-a-loner-rather-i-am-healing-me/) [Nidhi Saini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhi-saini/) > [There is strength inside of you that you have yet to discover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-santiago/there-is-strength-inside-of-you-that-you-have-yet-to-discover/) Cynthia Santiago [Browse all 1,252 Finding yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-yourself/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You have to lose yourself to find yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willem Dafoe" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Finding yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a49/willem-dafoe-4486_finding-yourself_you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourse_3189627.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You have to lose yourself to find yourself.” — Willem Dafoe", "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": "Willem Dafoe", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willem-dafoe/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You have to lose yourself to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willem-dafoe/you-have-to-lose-yourself-to-find-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```