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Frequently attributed (e.g. by Aish and Chabad) to R. M'nachem Mendl of Kock is: If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am I because y...
#1: Initial revision
by
msh210
·
2020-07-17T04:42:30Z (over 4 years ago)
Frequently attributed (e.g. by [Aish](https://www.aish.com/quotations/286954861.html) and [Chabad](https://chabad.org/4287676)) to _R. M'nachem Mendl_ of Kock is: > If I am I because I am I, and you are you because you are you, then I am I and you are you. But if I am I because you are you, and you are you because I am I, then I am not I and you are not you. I'd like good evidence or a strong argument supporting what he meant by this (or that he never said it at all). Two possibilities that come to mind are: 1. If my actions are based on my looking out for only my own well-being, then I am merely myself and not truly part of the community. 2. If my actions are based only on my concern for what others think of me, then I have no real existence of my own.