Society is a Masked Ball

Society is a masked ball,
where every one hides his real character,
and reveals it by hiding.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our greatest pretenses are built up

not to hide the evil and the ugly in us,
but our emptiness.
The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there.

- Eric Hoffer

We are what we pretend to be,

so we must be careful what we pretend to be.
- Kurt Vonnegut

Whoever you pretend to be, you must face yourself eventually.
- Al Stewart

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person.
Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

- Oscar Wilde

We all have a social mask, right?
We put it on, we go out, put our best foot forward, our best image.
But behind that social mask is a personal truth,
what we really, really believe about who we are and what we're capable of.
- Phil McGraw

What if we like our outrageous side best?
We "know" that the "right" thing to do is to suck it up,
put the costume and the happy face back in storage for another year,
re-dress in our frown and gray flannel suit,
and trudge back to job, chores, "responsibilities," and "duty."
Stop! Maybe TODAY is the day to put the frown and gray flannel
into that dusty storage locker, and start to LIVE.
Not just today, but EVERY DAY for the rest of your life!

- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

God has given you one face, and you make yourself another.
- William Shakespeare

Dignity is a mask we wear to hide our ignorance.
- Elbert Hubbard

Society censors our actions,
but our dreams reveal our true character.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Recognize the extent to which you hide your true nature from the world.
Consider revealing more of your true self.

Further reading: How To Not Care What Others Think

Need For Approval

How to Be Yourself

What lessons might Halloween hold for us?