forget oneself

Idioms  

1. Lose one's reserve, temper, or self-restraint; do or say something out of keeping with one's position or character. For example, A teacher should never forget herself and shout at the class. Shakespeare used it in Richard II (3:2): “I had forgot myself: am I not king?” [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

Active strategies may be the best response to those emotions, not to take care of oneself but to forget oneself in responding to the larger crises.

From The Guardian • Jul. 13, 2018

I mean the ability to forget oneself sufficiently so that the ball flows smoothly from the arm and hand and makes its true way to the waiting glove.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2017

Later on, when the way of perfection was opened out before me, I realised that in order to become a Saint one must suffer much, always seek the most perfect path, and forget oneself.

From The Story of a Soul (L'Histoire d'une Âme): The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux With Additional Writings and Sayings of St. Thérèse by Taylor, Thomas N. (Thomas Nimmo)

That answer is: one must live in the needs of the day—that is, forget oneself.

From Anna Karenina by Garnett, Constance

The true first love is only that man or woman who can cause one to forget oneself.

From When Dreams Come True by Berger, William Merritt