To some extent, of course, we are all impostors. We play roles on the stage of life, presenting a public self that differs from the private self we share with intimates and morphing both selves as circumstances demand. Displaying a facade is part and parcel of the human condition. Indeed, one reason the feeling of being an impostor is so widespread is that society places enormous pressure on people to stifle their real selves.

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "To some extent, of course, we are all impostors. We play roles on the stage of life, presenting a public self that differs from the private self we share with intimates and morphing both selves as circumstances demand. Displaying a facade is part and parcel of the human condition. Indeed, one reason the feeling of being an impostor is so widespread is that society places enormous pressure on people to stifle their real selves." in the context of "Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries, The Dangers of Feeling Like a Fake, in: Harvard Business Review, September 2005; Similar quote in De Vries (2011; 16)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.