"We are born, so to speak, twice over; born into existence, and born into life; born a human being, and born a man"

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's quote talks to the concept of being born two times. He suggests that we are born into existence, and after that born into life. This means that we are born into the real world, and after that we are born into the world of experience. We are born as a human being, and then we are born into a specific gender, race, and culture. This quote speaks to the idea that we are all born with particular attributes, however our experiences form us into who we become. We are born with certain characteristics, but our environment and experiences shape us into individuals we end up being. We are born with certain potentials, however our experiences and options figure out how we utilize them. This quote talks to the idea that we are all born with particular capacities, but it depends on us to take advantage of them.