One philosopher who has shaped much of my own thought is Paul Ricoeur. I haven’t read very many of his essays and none of his books, but the few that I have read have been incredibly helpful in the development of my own philosophy (which I hope to construct next semester as my senior project). If you want to learn a little more about the man, Philosopher’s Quest, which is a philosophy blog written by a man who has published a book on Ricoeur, has an interesting (and long) article on Ricoeur’s understanding of personal identity.