be oneself

1. Act in one's usual fashion; be in one's normal physical or mental state. For example, Peter's finally recovered from the accident and is himself again , or I was completely distracted; I just wasn't myself .

2. Act without pretense; be unaffected, sincere. For example, I really enjoy their company because I can be myself with them .

Example Sentences

“Living authentically and being able to be oneself is where the focus should be.”

From Los Angeles Times

Mellor further argues that in welfare-aligned sentience we might try to support animals under our care to thrive, facilitating what’s called “positive-valenced experiences” that, just like pain, also suggest that “sense of what it’s like to be oneself” — things like warmth, comfort, interest and enjoyment.

From Salon

“Here, one feels the liberty to be oneself, to walk in the streets freely. I can cry to the four winds, ‘I am a muxe!’

From Los Angeles Times

The former presents a philosophical crisis in which I lost interest: How can one “be oneself” and “become a better version of oneself” at the same time?

From Slate

There’s something about the ability within the limited real estate, particularly in this country — the systemic racism, the constant navigation of having to figure out how to find safety, be safe, and also be oneself and find joy, I see all of those intersections in art from Black people.

From New York Times