“The self is simply this subject; it is the story we tell ourselves about our experiences.”

“Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience. Often such stories treat a fleeting state of mind as if it were our entire and permanent self.”

“But Andrew was right about one thing. Human beings need to tell stories. Historically, it's the quickest way we have for transmitting useful information to other members of our species. Stories are not simply nice things to have; they are essential survival tools. And yes, the stories we tell ourselves are just as important as the stories we tell other people.”

“Who are we but the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, and believe?”

“We can’t always tell the whole story about ourselves.”

“The truth about our own modest contribution might immobilize us: much easier then, to tell ourselves a story about how much we make our own reality. ”