"Well, it was decided, if I am Mabel, I will stay here forever. Let them try to come here for me! They will hang their heads down, they will call: rise, dear, to us. And I will only look at them and answer: tell me first who I am! If I like it, I will rise, and if not, I will stay here until I turn into someone else!"

This passage from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland reflects a defiant and independent spirit. The character contemplates remaining in her current state, challenging others to recognize her true identity and implying that her sense of self is her own to define, not dictated by others' expectations. It illustrates themes of self-awareness and the fluidity of identity.