---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to…"
description: "\"“Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg"
---

#  Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional…

![“Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality, that is, against the claim on our thinking attention that all events and facts make by virtue of their existence.” quote by Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg)

> ““Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality, that is, against the claim on our thinking attention that all events and facts make by virtue of their existence.””

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Conventional language and norms act as a shield, preventing us from confronting raw reality and demanding full attention to facts.

**In simple terms:** Social norms hide reality from us.

Key Takeaway

Question those norms to see truth.

Themes

social critique reality language conformity

Mood

critical reflective

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- media consumption
- political discourse
- personal reflection
- education
- policy making

Key Concepts

philosophy political theory cognitive bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you challenge protective clichés?
- What happens when norms are ignored?

A Different Perspective

These protections can also stifle critical thinking and innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cliches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliches/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Buzzwords and cliches - those are stock in trade. There's nothing wrong with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nesmith/buzzwords-and-cliches-those-are-stock-in-trade-there-s-nothing-wrong/)

[Michael Nesmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nesmith/)

> [I just like cliches. I like tvtropes.com. It's pretty much my bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/i-just-like-cliches-i-like-tvtropes-com-it-s-pretty-much-my-bible/)

[Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/)

> [Instinct is still important, but now I can easily identify problems like cliches and mixed metaphors, and I have a broader palette to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/instinct-is-still-important-but-now-i-can-easily-identify-problems/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [They're all true - the cliches like 'one day at time' and 'ups and downs.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elverum/they-re-all-true-the-cliches-like-one-day-at-time-and-ups-and-downs/)

[Phil Elverum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elverum/)

> [“I understand why sometimes people speak in cliches because sometimes there is no other way to describe something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-understand-why-sometimes-people-speak-in-cliches-because-sometimes/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [Every cliche is true, right? That's why they're cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-di-piero/every-cliche-is-true-right-that-s-why-they-re-cliches/)

[W. S. Di Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-di-piero/)

> [I'm sick of the old cliches. Bring me some new cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn-jr/i-m-sick-of-the-old-cliches-bring-me-some-new-cliches/)

[Samuel Goldwyn, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn-jr/)

> [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [I think the French have a romantic cliche that Englishmen have great style, great music, irony and sense of humour. Well, sometimes cliches are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-think-the-french-have-a-romantic-cliche-that-englishmen-have-great/)

[Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/)

> [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/there-are-trappings-of-science-fiction-which-i-kind-of-embrace-but/)

[David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/)

> [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

## More by Hannah Arendt

> [“It means, first, that everything that appears in public can be seen and heard by everybody and has the widest possible publicity. For us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/it-means-first-that-everything-that-appears-in-public-can-be-seen-and/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Without being forgiven, released from the consequences of what we have done, our capacity to act would, as it were, be confined to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/without-being-forgiven-released-from-the-consequences-of-what-we-have/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [What really distinguishes this generation in all countries from earlier generations ... is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-really-distinguishes-this-generation-in-all-countries-from/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is a more violent world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-practice-of-violence-like-all-action-changes-the-world-but-the/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“Nationalism always preserved this initial intimate loyalty to the government and never quite lost its function of preserving a precarious balance between nation and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/nationalism-always-preserved-this-initial-intimate-loyalty-to-the/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [There is all the difference in the world between the criminal's avoiding the public eye and the civil disobedience's taking the law into his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-the-criminal-s/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“What imperialists actually wanted was expansion of political power without the foundation of the body politic. Imperialist expansion had been touched off by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-imperialists-actually-wanted-was-expansion-of-political-power/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [the greater the bureaucratization of public life, the greater will be the attraction of violence. In a fully developed bureaucracy there is nobody left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-greater-the-bureaucratization-of-public-life-the-greater-will-be/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/forgiveness-is-the-key-to-action-and-freedom/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Death not merely ends life, it also bestows upon it a silent completeness, snatched from the hazardous flux to which all things human are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/death-not-merely-ends-life-it-also-bestows-upon-it-a-silent/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/only-crime-and-the-criminal-it-is-true-confront-us-with-the/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [We have almost succeeded in leveling all human activities to the common denominator of securing the necessities of life and providing for their abundance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/we-have-almost-succeeded-in-leveling-all-human-activities-to-the/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“Totalitarian politics—far from being simply antisemitic or racist or imperialist or communist—use and abuse their own ideological and political elements until the basis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/totalitarian-politics-far-from-being-simply-antisemitic-or-racist-or/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [“It is like the distinction between war and peace: just as war takes place for the sake of peace, thus every kind of activity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/it-is-like-the-distinction-between-war-and-peace-just-as-war-takes/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [Every end in history necessarily contains a new beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/every-end-in-history-necessarily-contains-a-new-beginning/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

[Explore all 405 Hannah Arendt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

## More Cliches quotes

> [All the cliches of glamorous sophistication have little appeal to me. Do I want to live the British version of 'Dynasty?' No thanks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/all-the-cliches-of-glamorous-sophistication-have-little-appeal-to-me/)

[Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/)

> [“If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/if-men-could-see-us-as-we-really-are-they-would-be-a-little-amazed/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [There are trappings of science fiction which I kind of embrace, but there are also cliches which I run from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-twohy/there-are-trappings-of-science-fiction-which-i-kind-of-embrace-but/)

[David Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-twohy/)

> [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I think the French have a romantic cliche that Englishmen have great style, great music, irony and sense of humour. Well, sometimes cliches are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-de-la-baume/i-think-the-french-have-a-romantic-cliche-that-englishmen-have-great/)

[Josephine de La Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-de-la-baume/)

> [Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/last-but-not-least-avoid-cliches-like-the-plague/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [When academics claim a topic is obsolete, they mean merely they are tired of flogging it with their cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-smith/when-academics-claim-a-topic-is-obsolete-they-mean-merely-they-are/)

[Kenny Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-smith/)

> [I'm sick of the old cliches. Bring me some new cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn-jr/i-m-sick-of-the-old-cliches-bring-me-some-new-cliches/)

[Samuel Goldwyn, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn-jr/)

> [Every cliche is true, right? That's why they're cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-s-di-piero/every-cliche-is-true-right-that-s-why-they-re-cliches/)

[W. S. Di Piero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-s-di-piero/)

> [“I understand why sometimes people speak in cliches because sometimes there is no other way to describe something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-understand-why-sometimes-people-speak-in-cliches-because-sometimes/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [They're all true - the cliches like 'one day at time' and 'ups and downs.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elverum/they-re-all-true-the-cliches-like-one-day-at-time-and-ups-and-downs/)

[Phil Elverum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elverum/)

> [Instinct is still important, but now I can easily identify problems like cliches and mixed metaphors, and I have a broader palette to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-shires/instinct-is-still-important-but-now-i-can-easily-identify-problems/)

[Amanda Shires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-shires/)

> [I just like cliches. I like tvtropes.com. It's pretty much my bible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/i-just-like-cliches-i-like-tvtropes-com-it-s-pretty-much-my-bible/)

[Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/)

> [Desi, Desi, Desi what am I going to do with you? (Kyrian) Don't you dare take that flippant tone with me! (Desiderius) Why ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/desi-desi-desi-what-am-i-going-to-do-with-you-kyrian-don-t-you-dare/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“That night she wrote a hasty sketch and showed it to Oliver. "It's all right," he said. "But I'd take out that stuff about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/that-night-she-wrote-a-hasty-sketch-and-showed-it-to-oliver-it-s-all/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

[Browse all 175 Cliches quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliches/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the socially recognized function of protecting us against reality, that is, against the claim on our thinking attention that all events and facts make by virtue of their existence.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hannah Arendt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cliches"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/132/hannah-arendt-610_cliches_clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conve_1867150.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional, standardized codes of expression and conduct have the…” — Hannah Arendt",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Hannah Arendt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Clichés, stock phrases, adherence to conventional,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/clich-s-stock-phrases-adherence-to-conventional-standardized-codes-of-2/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```