--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because—isn’t it drilled into us…" description: "\"“Because—isn’t it drilled into us constantly, from childhood on, an unquestioned platitude in the culture—? From William Blake to Lady Gaga, from Rouss..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/donna-tartt-391_children_because-isn-t-it-drilled-into-us-constan_2473601.jpg" --- # Because—isn’t it drilled into us constantly, from… ![“Because—isn’t it drilled into us constantly, from childhood on, an unquestioned platitude in the culture—? From William Blake to Lady Gaga, from Rousseau to Rumi to Tosca to Mister Rogers, it’s a curiously uniform message, accepted from high to low: when in doubt, what to do? How do we know what’s…” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/donna-tartt-391_children_because-isn-t-it-drilled-into-us-constan_2473601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/donna-tartt-391_children_because-isn-t-it-drilled-into-us-constan_2473601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/019/donna-tartt-391_children_because-isn-t-it-drilled-into-us-constan_2473601.jpg) > ““Because—isn’t it drilled into us constantly, from childhood on, an unquestioned platitude in the culture—? From William Blake to Lady Gaga, from Rousseau to Rumi to Tosca to Mister Rogers, it’s a curiously uniform message, accepted from high to low: when in doubt, what to do? How do we know what’s right for us? Every shrink, every career counselor, every Disney princess knows the answer: “Be yourself.” “Follow your heart.”” [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society repeatedly tells us to follow our heart, but this platitude can be vague and unhelpful. **In simple terms:** “Be yourself” is a common but vague advice. Key Takeaway Seek concrete values rather than vague slogans. Themes identity conformity advice culture self‑discovery Mood critical thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - career choice - relationship decisions - artistic direction - personal crises Key Concepts Existentialism social conditioning authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you define authenticity for yourself? - When has “be yourself” misled you? A Different Perspective Blindly following “be yourself” can ignore practical considerations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Disney Princess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disney-princess/) [Follow your heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-your-heart/) ## Related quotes > [“Every shrink, every career counselor, every Disney princess knows the answer: “Be yourself.” “Follow your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/every-shrink-every-career-counselor-every-disney-princess-knows-the/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“From William Blake to Lady Gaga, from Rousseau to Rumi to Tosca to Mister Rogers, it’s a curiously uniform message, accepted from high to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/from-william-blake-to-lady-gaga-from-rousseau-to-rumi-to-tosca-to/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“I look at the blanked-out faces of the other passengers--hoisting their briefcases, their backpacks, shuffling to disembark--and I think of what Hobie said: beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-look-at-the-blanked-out-faces-of-the-other-passengers-hoisting-2/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Because--isn't it drilled into us constantly, from childhood on, an unquestioned platitude in the culture--? From William Blake to Lady Gaga, from Rousseau to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/because-isn-t-it-drilled-into-us-constantly-from-childhood-on-an/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“White noise, impersonal roar. Deadening incandescence of the boarding terminals. But even these soul-free, sealed-off places are drenched with meaning, spangled and thundering with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/white-noise-impersonal-roar-deadening-incandescence-of-the-boarding/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [One likes to think there's something in it, that old platitude amor vincit omnia. But if I've learned one thing in my short sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/one-likes-to-think-there-s-something-in-it-that-old-platitude-amor/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Platitude: an idea (a) that is admitted to be true by everyone, and (b) that is not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/platitude-an-idea-a-that-is-admitted-to-be-true-by-everyone-and-b/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [Nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/nothing-produces-such-an-effect-as-a-good-platitude/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“You mere device," he gnarled. "You platitude! Your Gollux ex machina!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thurber/you-mere-device-he-gnarled-you-platitude-your-gollux-ex-machina/) [James Thurber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thurber/) > [“Because “Platitude” was a language everyone spoke”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-long/because-platitude-was-a-language-everyone-spoke/) [Julie Anne Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-long/) > [applause, n. The echo of a platitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/applause-n-the-echo-of-a-platitude/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“I’m going mad with the knowledge that despite the fact that this is now a platitude, we’re repeating ourselves. Are”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-buckley/i-m-going-mad-with-the-knowledge-that-despite-the-fact-that-this-is/) [Ray Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-buckley/) > [It is strange how long we rebel against a platitude until suddenly in a different lingo it looms up again as the only verity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-benedict/it-is-strange-how-long-we-rebel-against-a-platitude-until-suddenly-in/) [Ruth Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-benedict/) > [Unfortunately, a platitude is not a plan. So I am encouraging people to turn towards the Green Party if they're looking for a real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/unfortunately-a-platitude-is-not-a-plan-so-i-am-encouraging-people-to/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [If your values don't alienate anyone, it is just platitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/if-your-values-don-t-alienate-anyone-it-is-just-platitude/) [Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/) ## More by Donna Tartt > [I hope we're all ready to leave the phenomenal world, and enter into the sublime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-hope-we-re-all-ready-to-leave-the-phenomenal-world-and-enter-into/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-i-add-my-own-love-to-the-history-of-people-who-have-loved/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The world won't come to me...so I must go to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-world-won-t-come-to-me-so-i-must-go-to-it/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [There's an expectation these days that novels - like any other consumer product - should be made on a production line, with one dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-s-an-expectation-these-days-that-novels-like-any-other-consumer/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“A month or two before, I would have been appalled at the idea of any murder at all. 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