“How fortunate it is for us all that it is somewhat unnatural for a human being to obey. Universal obedience is universal stagnation; disobedience is one of the conditions of progress.”
Source: On The Gods and Other Essays
“We are 100 percent individual and 100 percent a member of the community.”
Source: The Truth of This Life: Zen Teachings on Loving the World as It Is
“Fashion hides, or diverts attention away from, our uniqueness.”
“You are the only being exactly like you who will ever grace this earth. That makes you extraordinary.”
Source: Being Bold: Quotes, Poetry, & Motivations for Every Day of the Year
“Americans aren't stupid. We are, however, preternaturally disposed to herd behavior (FOMO), with a strong desire to preserve a sense of individuality and maintain control over our decision making. We're joiners and don't want to be left out of fads; we're also fiercely independent and don't want to be told what to do.”
Source: Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol
“When the Self dissolves into a world of separate selves and death becomes real, love becomes a pact with grief; what is gained then is the inescapability poignant fact of individuality. There will never be another you, and I love the stubborn particularity of you because you will disappear.”
Source: What Is the Grass: Walt Whitman in My Life
“We went to NYC when I was a little kid; my parents told me to lock the car doors because there were "punks" outside. They couldn't stop talking about how dangerous the "punks" were. A group of teens with chains and mohawks with pink and purple hair. I just thought they were beautiful, I wasn't frightened at all. From that day on, I knew that one day I would surround myself with "punks". From a very tender age, on that day, I had already made up my mind to never just think what my parents thought. I had made up my mind to have my own mind, to live on my own terms.”
“The free man knows people don’t ask for him. They ask for things: work, your hands – never you.”
Source: The Goodbye Song
“That isn't an expression that means anything to me, really. Make a fool of yourself. How can anybody do that? How can you make a fool? Show the fool, yes, expose the fool, but isn't the fool just yourself, isn't it there all the time? Show yourself. What else can you do?”
Source: Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You
“So what if there are other robots that look like you? You are unique. Every dent, every scratch is your story. Every thought and memory is yours and yours alone.”
Source: Boot: Small Robot Big Adventure