Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Defining yourself is impossible, just as your teeth cannot bite themselves.
- In plain terms
- You cannot define yourself because you are the thing defining.
- What can you take from it?
- Self-definition is a paradox because the definer cannot be fully defined.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Can you know yourself completely?
- Is identity fixed or fluid?
Another view
The analogy is poetic but offers little guidance on how to navigate identity.
More from Alan Watts
Zen ... does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.
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