#conform

The surface of the earth is soft and impressible by the feet of men; and so with the paths which the mind travels. How worn and dusty, then, must be the highways of the world, how deep the ruts of tradition and conformity! I did not wish to take a cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world, for there I could best see the moonlight amid the mountains. ↗

— Henry David Thoreau

#conformity #men

This, and this alone, is Christianity, a universal holiness in every part of life, a heavenly wisdom in all our actions, not conforming to the spirit and temper of the world but turning all worldly enjoyments into means of piety and devotion to God. ↗

— William Law

#alone #christianity #conforming #devotion #enjoyments

If what the heart approves conforms to proper patterns, then even if one's desires are many, what harm would they be to good order? ↗

— Xun Zi

#conforms #desires #even #good #harm

I am a believer and a conformist. ↗

— Georges Rouault

#believer #conformist #i #i am

Nor does the idea of a moral order asserting itself against attack or want of conformity answer in full to our feelings regarding the tragic character. ↗

— Andrew Coyle Bradley

#answer #asserting #attack #character #conformity

The communitarians may say you've been enjoying too much individual freedom, and that you must give up some of that for the benefit of the community. But they really mean that they want more power over your life - to force you to subsidize, obey and conform to their choices. ↗

— Harry Browne

#benefit #choices #community #conform #enjoying

To seek understanding before taking action, yet to trust my instincts when action is called for. Never to avoid danger from fear, never to seek out danger for its own sake. Never to conform to fashion from fear of eccentricity, never to be eccentric from fear of conformity. ↗

— Steven Brust

#avoid #before #called #conform #conformity

Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it. ↗

— Gustave Flaubert

#conform #does #ideal #reality

One of the useful things about age is realizing conventional wisdom is often simply inertia with a candy coating of conformity. ↗

— Anna Quindlen

#wisdom #age

Ice dance should not be seen as a rigid conformist form of figure skating. There is a great deal of freedom and originality to be had. ↗

— Robin Cousins

#dance #deal #figure #figure skating #form