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About this quote

What does it mean?
Individual autonomy is fundamental; no external force should dictate a person's self-identity.
In plain terms
You have the right to define yourself however you choose.
What can you take from it?
Protect your right to self-identity against external demands.

Where it applies

  • identity politics
  • workplace culture
  • family expectations

Putting it to work

  • affirm personal values
  • set boundaries
  • respect others' self-definition

Questions to consider

  • Where do you draw the line between personal freedom and social responsibility?
  • Who gets to define who you are?

Another view

Society often requires some conformity for safety and order.

More from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

  1. With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another.

    Permalink to quote #119
  2. As nations improve, so do their gods.

    Permalink to quote #121
  3. He was always smoothing and polishing himself, and in the end he became blunt before he was sharp.

    Permalink to quote #118

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