The Sane Asylum Think On These Things

This "Self" (or ego) you possess, is composed of all the memories you have that you identify as belonging to "you," e.g. your name, your nationality, your political/religious beliefs, your life ambitions, what you've grown to like and dislike, and all the personality characteristics that are the result of your environmental experiences or genetics.

Most people go through life believing that they are this story, believing that they are the thoughts they are thinking, instead of the essence that is experiencing those thoughts.