--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People always think that loyalty is…" description: "\"People always think that loyalty is laudable. People are always saying that we must remain faithful to tradition, to family, to our class, to our ideas..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/bernard-henri-levy-12682_belonging_people-always-think-that-loyalty-is-laud_2467745.jpg" --- # People always think that loyalty is laudable. People are… ![“People always think that loyalty is laudable. People are always saying that we must remain faithful to tradition, to family, to our class, to our ideas. Of course not! That would be equivalent to zero brain activity. If you really want to think, to seek truth, to advance intellectually, you must…” quote by Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/bernard-henri-levy-12682_belonging_people-always-think-that-loyalty-is-laud_2467745.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/bernard-henri-levy-12682_belonging_people-always-think-that-loyalty-is-laud_2467745.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/379/bernard-henri-levy-12682_belonging_people-always-think-that-loyalty-is-laud_2467745.jpg) > “People always think that loyalty is laudable. People are always saying that we must remain faithful to tradition, to family, to our class, to our ideas. Of course not! That would be equivalent to zero brain activity. If you really want to think, to seek truth, to advance intellectually, you must turn your back on clichés, on preconceived ideas - even those belonging to your spiritual family. For an intellectual, his true duty is not to fidelity, but to infidelity.” [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True intellectual growth requires abandoning loyalty to tradition and embracing doubt and novelty. **In simple terms:** Think beyond tradition to grow intellectually. Key Takeaway Challenge assumptions, seek truth. Themes intellectual freedom critical thinking tradition loyalty innovation Mood provocative reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - academic research - personal belief revision - creative problem solving - political discourse Key Concepts philosophy psychology epistemology Questions to Reflect On - What traditions limit your thinking? - How can you practice constructive infidelity? A Different Perspective Blind loyalty can stifle innovation and critical thought. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belonging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belonging/) [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-intellectual-725728/) [Fidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fidelity/) [Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Intellectual True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual-true-725727/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Remain Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remain-faithful-448289/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-family/) [Think Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-loyalty-382002/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) ## Related quotes > [All in the Family was intellectual; it was art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-o-connor/all-in-the-family-was-intellectual-it-was-art/) [Carroll O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-o-connor/) > [I think I have a loyalty to try to make the best news show I can every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-ruhle/i-think-i-have-a-loyalty-to-try-to-make-the-best-news-show-i-can/) [Stephanie Ruhle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-ruhle/) > [Think of loyalty as a kind of relational glue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kleinig/think-of-loyalty-as-a-kind-of-relational-glue/) [John Kleinig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kleinig/) > [I think that loyalty surpasses the peril that we're all in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-anwar/i-think-that-loyalty-surpasses-the-peril-that-we-re-all-in/) [Gabrielle Anwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-anwar/) > [I think loyalty to the country, loyalty to the United States is important. I mean it depends on how you define loyalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-think-loyalty-to-the-country-loyalty-to-the-united-states-is/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I always think loyalty's such a tiresome virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-always-think-loyalty-s-such-a-tiresome-virtue/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Being popular is the most important thing in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/being-popular-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [“That’s who we all are on this path, spiritual family and friends. It’s just one big family. We’re all relatives until we realize we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/that-s-who-we-all-are-on-this-path-spiritual-family-and-friends-it-s/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [We were a spiritual family. My mother always told me, 'People hated Jesus Christ, so why should you worry about them?' Once she put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-anderson/we-were-a-spiritual-family-my-mother-always-told-me-people-hated/) [Anthony Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-anderson/) > [“If your boundaries have been injured, you may find that when you are in conflict with someone, you shut down without even being aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/if-your-boundaries-have-been-injured-you-may-find-that-when-you-are/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/your-spiritual-family-is-even-more-important-than-your-physical/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Families are the compass that guide us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-henry/families-are-the-compass-that-guide-us/) [Brad Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-henry/) > [When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become his children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/when-we-place-our-faith-in-christ-god-becomes-our-father-we-become/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Your spiritual family is even more important than our physical family because it will last forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/your-spiritual-family-is-even-more-important-than-our-physical-family/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Christian fellowship gives strong unity,keep our faith to God,and they are your spiritual family.. :-) Have faith to God..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/christian-fellowship-gives-strong-unity-keep-our-faith-to-god-and/) [Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/) ## More by Bernard-Henri Levy > [In general, Europeans need to get a wider perspective on the problem of Islamism. Even if the Israel-Palestine question were solved - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/in-general-europeans-need-to-get-a-wider-perspective-on-the-problem/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [“There is a gentleness, a lightness, an element of freedom and, in a word, of civilization, that makes this country one of the few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/there-is-a-gentleness-a-lightness-an-element-of-freedom-and-in-a-word/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [For me, dressing is always a question of principle, respect, a sense of order, not to disguise myself, even in rotten places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/for-me-dressing-is-always-a-question-of-principle-respect-a-sense-of/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [I would hope that Europe always has a privileged relationship with the United States. The alternatives are not attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/i-would-hope-that-europe-always-has-a-privileged-relationship-with/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [I really like the United State, its relationship to space and time, its interest in mobility, its cosmopolitanism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/i-really-like-the-united-state-its-relationship-to-space-and-time-its/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [Why should an intellectual have to renounce the pleasures of life? I am not a hermit. I am a man of flesh and blood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/why-should-an-intellectual-have-to-renounce-the-pleasures-of-life-i/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [The Left is my family. And it is threatened by terrible demons, like differentialism. "differentialist Left" are people who have learned nothing about tolerance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/the-left-is-my-family-and-it-is-threatened-by-terrible-demons-like/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [I work even when I am on vacation. You know that line by Stéphane Mallarmé, "All earthly existence must ultimately be contained in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/i-work-even-when-i-am-on-vacation-you-know-that-line-by-st-phane/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [America creates myths by focusing a lot of energy on its history and using it - - not always, but sometimes - for constructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/america-creates-myths-by-focusing-a-lot-of-energy-on-its-history-and/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [The terrorists exist, and I think we must speak to them, not to establish a dialogue-since for serious terrorists that is unfortunately out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/the-terrorists-exist-and-i-think-we-must-speak-to-them-not-to/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [Islamic terrorists are new examples of an old problem with fascism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/islamic-terrorists-are-new-examples-of-an-old-problem-with-fascism/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [The conservatives want to revolutionize the world all at once. And that's a dangerous proposal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/the-conservatives-want-to-revolutionize-the-world-all-at-once-and/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [I reject the idea that there is some sort of existential "clash of civilizations." I am an interventionist, but not a militarist. War should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/i-reject-the-idea-that-there-is-some-sort-of-existential-clash-of/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [You can be horrified by the state of the prisons, the misery in certain neighborhoods of its cities, or their level of poverty. Anti-Americanism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/you-can-be-horrified-by-the-state-of-the-prisons-the-misery-in/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) > [I am 60, and I am as much an internationalist as when I was younger, when I was a Marxist-Leninist. Internationalism is one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-henri-levy/i-am-60-and-i-am-as-much-an-internationalist-as-when-i-was-younger/) [Bernard-Henri Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) [Explore all 33 Bernard-Henri Levy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-henri-levy/) ## More Belonging quotes > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [I always think the best way of motivating yourself is to put yourself in a situation where you feel like you're belonging to something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-jackson/i-always-think-the-best-way-of-motivating-yourself-is-to-put-yourself/) [Colin Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-jackson/) > [It is a well-settled principle of the international code that where one nation owes another a liquidated debt which it refuses or neglects to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/it-is-a-well-settled-principle-of-the-international-code-that-where/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [The region belonging to the pure intellect is straitened: the imagination labours to extend its territories, to give it room. She sweeps across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-region-belonging-to-the-pure-intellect-is-straitened-the/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [I am convinced that human nature is basically affectionate and good. If our behavior follows our kind and loving nature, immense benefits will result,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-convinced-that-human-nature-is-basically-affectionate-and-good/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“The reason “belonging” was so potent, so attractive, so much a part of the human yearning, was that it also meant safety, and loyalty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/the-reason-belonging-was-so-potent-so-attractive-so-much-a-part-of/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [If some student belonging to weaker section of society suffers distress, humanity says it must be addressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arun-jaitley/if-some-student-belonging-to-weaker-section-of-society-suffers/) [Arun Jaitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arun-jaitley/) > [Connection gives purpose and meaning to our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/connection-gives-purpose-and-meaning-to-our-lives/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [My father was a man of great charity towards the poor, and compassion for the sick, and also for servants; so much so, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-father-was-a-man-of-great-charity-towards-the-poor-and-compassion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Maybe the problem with the world is, that people are too quick to judge. And out of desperation, the loneliness creeps in like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/maybe-the-problem-with-the-world-is-that-people-are-too-quick-to/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [“It turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it's the bravest and most sacred place you'll stand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/it-turns-out-to-be-the-place-of-true-belonging-and-it-s-the-bravest/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [The hardest thing about being at Sony was not the travel; it was being divorced from the public and private life I had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/the-hardest-thing-about-being-at-sony-was-not-the-travel-it-was-being/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [Whenever you are examining someone else's belongings, you are bound to learn many interesting things about the person of which you were not previously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-you-are-examining-someone-else-s-belongings-you-are-bound-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She isn't anybody's,' Rook said darkly. 'Son. she's not yours, either," Sarah Fleet said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaida-jones/she-isn-t-anybody-s-rook-said-darkly-son-she-s-not-yours-either-sarah/) [Jaida Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaida-jones/) > [We have become this very fear-based culture, especially post-9/11. Fear is the opposite of love, in my opinion. I think there would be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-have-become-this-very-fear-based-culture-especially-post-9-11-fear/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) [Browse all 876 Belonging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belonging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People always think that loyalty is laudable. People are always saying that we must remain faithful to tradition, to family, to our class, to our ideas. Of course not! That would be equivalent to zero brain activity. 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