“Self-identity is inextricably bound up with the identity of the surroundings.”

“Self: Person, identity; your identityDefense: Protection, security”

“In a cult, you have two identities: your cult identity and your authentic self. Most of the time I operated from my cult identity, which was pliant, submissive and obedient. But when I was pushed to the point where it felt like my survival was at stake, my authentic self came to the fore.”

“Identity is memory; when memory disappears, the self dissolves and love with it.”

“Identity is not inherent. It is shaped by circumstance and sensitivity and resistance to self-pity.”

“To consume the Eucharist is an act of anticonsumption, for here to consume is to be consumed, to be taken up into participation in something larger than the self, yet in a way in which the identity of the self is paradoxically secured.”