"Only the true self can be creative and only the true self can feel real." -- D.W. Winnicott
"When we can take off our masks, we will see our brothers and sisters, whom we have mistakenly identified as the enemy." -- Danna Beal
The false self is a term that was introduced by Donald Winnicott.
That the false self can become a kind of psychic prison seems apparent enough. Other authors have written about this aspect of the false self, particularly in the context of work. Some of these quotes remain among the most poignant of any I've collected. In interviews with people who were dying the most common regret was: "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."