“I am not sure that I exist actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited”
— Jorge Luis Borges
Simplified Meaning:
This quote suggests that our sense of who we are is shaped by everything we experience. Think about how a person grows and changes throughout their life. For example, imagine someone who loves reading. The stories and ideas from different books have taught them new ways to think and understand the world. Similarly, meeting different people can leave a strong impression, changing how one views relationships and life. Loving someone teaches us about deep emotional connections, and visiting new cities exposes us to different cultures and ways of living. All these experiences blend together to form a person’s identity. The quote is saying that we are a mix of all these things—our thoughts, experiences, and memories. Instead of being just one thing, we are the sum of everything we have encountered in our lives. To apply this idea, one should embrace new experiences and learn from different sources, as they all contribute to personal growth and make us who we are.