--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As we grow up in civilized society, we…" description: "\"“As we grow up in civilized society, we are measured, evaluated, educated and trained, licensed and credentialed, and are eventually classified and ass..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/dmitry-orlov-41556_civilized-society_as-we-grow-up-in-civilized-society-we-ar_600177.jpg" --- # As we grow up in civilized society, we are measured… ![“As we grow up in civilized society, we are measured, evaluated, educated and trained, licensed and credentialed, and are eventually classified and assigned our place. In the process, we become very attached to this artificial identity that has been thrust upon us and very reluctant to set foot…” quote by Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/dmitry-orlov-41556_civilized-society_as-we-grow-up-in-civilized-society-we-ar_600177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/dmitry-orlov-41556_civilized-society_as-we-grow-up-in-civilized-society-we-ar_600177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/073/dmitry-orlov-41556_civilized-society_as-we-grow-up-in-civilized-society-we-ar_600177.jpg) > ““As we grow up in civilized society, we are measured, evaluated, educated and trained, licensed and credentialed, and are eventually classified and assigned our place. In the process, we become very attached to this artificial identity that has been thrust upon us and very reluctant to set foot outside of it. (When we do, it is often when we are on vacation. It may therefore be helpful to think of this transition as going on a permanent vacation.) But if we overcome one fear—the fear of losing our assigned place in society—then many other fears fall away. Rational fears—ones that are based on an accurate perception of danger—do and should remain, but the irrational fear of stepping outside yourself and becoming someone else tends to disappear. And this opens us up to making dramatic changes, adapting to new circumstances and environments and, in the process, setting ourselves free.”” [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal roles shape identity, but fearing loss of status limits growth; shedding that fear enables transformation and freedom. **In simple terms:** Society assigns roles; fearing loss blocks change; letting go frees you. Key Takeaway Release fear of losing status to grow. Themes identity freedom growth fear society Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career change - personal reinvention - travel experiences - education - creative projects Key Concepts psychology social conditioning self-actualization Questions to Reflect On - What status do you cling to? - How could losing it benefit you? A Different Perspective Rational fears remain; not all fear is irrational. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilized society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-society/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Fear Stepping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear-stepping-4895055/) [Irrational fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational-fear/) [Overcome Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcome-fear/) [Rational Fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-fears-2537907/) [Society Fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-fears-1332438/) ## Related quotes > [“While most people had rational fears, I was stuck with an irrational fear of self. Nothing in this life scared me more than my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-blythe/while-most-people-had-rational-fears-i-was-stuck-with-an-irrational/) [Ali Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-blythe/) > [“If you believe in an idea that others find radical, don’t let fear keep you from stepping outside of conformity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-d-nawbatt/if-you-believe-in-an-idea-that-others-find-radical-don-t-let-fear/) [Chitra D. Nawbatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-d-nawbatt/) > [A society that fears knowledge is a society that fears itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-beckett/a-society-that-fears-knowledge-is-a-society-that-fears-itself/) [Bernard Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-beckett/) > [“You can tell a lot about a society by what it fears.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vejas-gabriel-liulevicius/you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-society-by-what-it-fears/) [Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vejas-gabriel-liulevicius/) > [So, why do I have so much fear in my life?" "Because you don't believe. You don't know that we love you. The person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-why-do-i-have-so-much-fear-in-my-life-because-you-don-t-believe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God, help me let go of my need to be afraid. I welcome peace, trust, acceptance, and safety into my life. I will make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/god-help-me-let-go-of-my-need-to-be-afraid-i-welcome-peace-trust/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [ “The person who lives by his fears will not find freedom in my \[God's\] love. I am not talking about rational fears regarding legitimate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/the-person-who-lives-by-his-fears-will-not-find-freedom-in-my-god-s/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“It was an irrational fear. But when had fear ever been rational?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/it-was-an-irrational-fear-but-when-had-fear-ever-been-rational/) [Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/) > [Any irrational fears?no, i'm quite a rationalist. i'm not superstitious, i think life is too full of natural wonders and logical complexities to worry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/any-irrational-fears-no-i-m-quite-a-rationalist-i-m-not-superstitious/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [I have an irrational fear that I'm going to have a gruesome and untimely death because so many wonderful things are happening to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-have-an-irrational-fear-that-i-m-going-to-have-a-gruesome-and/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [Rational thinking is an important aspect of human nature, but we have imagination, we have ambition, we have irrational fear, we are swayed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/rational-thinking-is-an-important-aspect-of-human-nature-but-we-have/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [“The irrational fear gene lives on in us all. It’s irritating, but these things need to be handled the same way as when you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-arnopp/the-irrational-fear-gene-lives-on-in-us-all-it-s-irritating-but-these/) [Jason Arnopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-arnopp/) > [To criticise a person for their race is a manifestly irrational and ridiculous. But to criticise their religion - that is a right. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/to-criticise-a-person-for-their-race-is-a-manifestly-irrational-and/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [The ... irrational fear of communism is being deliberately used in many quarters to blind us to our real problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-gahagan-douglas/the-irrational-fear-of-communism-is-being-deliberately-used-in-many/) [Helen Gahagan Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-gahagan-douglas/) > [“I have often wondered if the irrational fear some men have of women that incites them to subjugate and oppress the female species begins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annastacia-dickerson/i-have-often-wondered-if-the-irrational-fear-some-men-have-of-women/) [Annastacia Dickerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annastacia-dickerson/) ## More by Dmitry Orlov > [“This saying also implies that if you realize that you are incompetent but do not wish to remain so, you should perhaps go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/this-saying-also-implies-that-if-you-realize-that-you-are-incompetent/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) > [“To do so, we first have to learn to see it for what it is—by cutting through all of the buzzwords, the marketing hype,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/to-do-so-we-first-have-to-learn-to-see-it-for-what-it-is-by-cutting/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) > [“One of the rudest questions you might hear from an American is "What do you do for a living?" 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I find that there is a lot of truth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/there-is-a-saying-i-happen-to-like-adventure-is-a-sign-of/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) > [“Suppose someone tells you that he just flipped a coin 10 times and all 10 were heads? What is the probability that the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/suppose-someone-tells-you-that-he-just-flipped-a-coin-10-times-and/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) > [“They will also tell you how far along we are along the depletion curve; the optimists among them will even claim that there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/they-will-also-tell-you-how-far-along-we-are-along-the-depletion/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) > [“The point is, you must show them how to live and not just teach them theory while contradicting yourself in practice, because cynicism, hypocrisy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitry-orlov/the-point-is-you-must-show-them-how-to-live-and-not-just-teach-them/) [Dmitry Orlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) [Explore all 10 Dmitry Orlov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitry-orlov/) ## More Civilized society quotes > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [“Science lacks something very important that religion provides: a moral code. 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Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [The practice of executing such offenders is a relic of the past and is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency in a civilized society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-paul-stevens/the-practice-of-executing-such-offenders-is-a-relic-of-the-past-and/) [John Paul Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-paul-stevens/) > [Democratic socialism means, that in a democratic, civilized society, the wealthiest people and the largest corporations must pay their fair share of taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/democratic-socialism-means-that-in-a-democratic-civilized-society-the/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I am for a system of universal health care where every American has health care as a fundamental right because I think that's where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-delaney/i-am-for-a-system-of-universal-health-care-where-every-american-has/) [John Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-delaney/) > [Kindness and compassion towards all living things is a mark of a civilized society. Conversely, cruelty, whether it is directed against human beings or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/kindness-and-compassion-towards-all-living-things-is-a-mark-of-a/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Good sex is the basis of any truly civilized society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-a-waters/good-sex-is-the-basis-of-any-truly-civilized-society/) [Gil A. Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-a-waters/) > [“Before our white brothers came to civilize us we had no jails. Therefore we had no criminals. You can't have criminals without a jail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lame-deer/before-our-white-brothers-came-to-civilize-us-we-had-no-jails/) [John Lame Deer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lame-deer/) > [“Civilized" society is a hopeful belief and protest that science, money and goods make man count for more than any other animal. In this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/civilized-society-is-a-hopeful-belief-and-protest-that-science-money/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [I feel we all have the obligation, myself. I want to live in a more humane, civilized society, and I feel like the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-merchant/i-feel-we-all-have-the-obligation-myself-i-want-to-live-in-a-more/) [Natalie Merchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-merchant/) > [Civilized society is perpetually menaced with disintegration through this primary hostility of men towards one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/civilized-society-is-perpetually-menaced-with-disintegration-through/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [There is scarcely room for doubt that something in the psychological relation of a mother-in-law to a son-in-law breeds hostility between them and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/there-is-scarcely-room-for-doubt-that-something-in-the-psychological/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“It neither kills outright nor inflicts apparent physical harm, yet the extent of its destructive toll is already greater than that of any war,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/it-neither-kills-outright-nor-inflicts-apparent-physical-harm-yet-the/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [“There are six canons of conservative thought: 1) Belief in a transcendent order, or body of natural law, which rules society as well as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/there-are-six-canons-of-conservative-thought-1-belief-in-a/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) [Browse all 187 Civilized society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilized-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As we grow up in civilized society, we are measured, evaluated, educated and trained, licensed and credentialed, and are eventually classified and assigned our place. 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