From In Search of the Miraculous (Ouspensky)

"It is the greatest mistake," he said, "to think that man is always one and the same.

A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.

We think that if a man is called Ivan he is always Ivan.
Nothing of the kind.

Now he is Ivan, in another minute he is Peter, and a minute later he is Nicholas, Sergi, Matthew, Simon.

And all of you think he is Ivan. You know that Ivan cannot do a certain thing. He cannot tell a lie for instance. Then you find he has told a lie and you are surprised he could have done so.

And, indeed, Ivan cannot lie; it is Nicholas who lied. And when the opportunity presents itself Nicholas cannot help lying.

You will be astonished when you realize what a multitude of these Ivans and Nicholases live in one man.