In this paper I try to show the way in which F.W.J. Schelling’s philosophical writing (i.e. not only the content, but also the form or style in which he writes) can be seen as a performative response and critique to Fichte’s system from 1794. In the first part I analyse a passage from Schelling’s Freedom Essay in order to open the question - which also constitutes the guiding thread of my reading: who were we before we became conscious? And in the second part I compare the similarities and differences between Fichte's and Schelling's response to this question.