---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Has there ever been a society which has…"
description: "\"Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.\" — Jacob Bronowski"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png"
---

#  Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent?…

![“Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.” quote by Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png)

> “Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.”

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

## About This Quote

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

Societies can crumble from forced uniformity just as much as from open dissent, highlighting the danger of suppressing differing views.

**In simple terms:** Conformity can be deadly.

Key Takeaway

Encourage diverse voices.

Themes

conformity dissent societal health

Mood

cautious thoughtful

Type

philosophical warning

When to use this quote

- workplace
- government
- education

Key Concepts

political science history

Questions to Reflect On

- How does conformity affect progress?
- What protects dissent?

A Different Perspective

Uniformity can stifle innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Conformity Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-lifetime-1747135/) [Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died/) [Died Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-conformity-1747132/) [Died Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/died-dissent-1747134/) [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) [Dissent Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent-died-1747131/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [Society Died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-died-1747133/)

## Related quotes

> [“Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.” Jacob Bronowski in Science and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has-died-of-dissent-several-have/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [Dissent is the native activity of the scientist, and it has got him into a good deal of trouble in the last years. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/dissent-is-the-native-activity-of-the-scientist-and-it-has-got-him/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [Dissent is the mark of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/dissent-is-the-mark-of-freedom/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [Dissent is the mark of freedom, as originality is the mark of independence of mind. … No one can be a scientist … if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/dissent-is-the-mark-of-freedom-as-originality-is-the-mark-of/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [“Protection, therefore, against tyranny of the magistrate is not enough: there needs protection also against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling; against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/protection-therefore-against-tyranny-of-the-magistrate-is-not-enough/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [In religion, it is not the sycophants or those who cling most faithfully to the status quo who are ultimately praised. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/in-religion-it-is-not-the-sycophants-or-those-who-cling-most/)

[Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/)

> [“I am aware that many object to the severity of my language; but is there not cause for severity? I will be as harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-lloyd-garrison/i-am-aware-that-many-object-to-the-severity-of-my-language-but-is/)

[William Lloyd Garrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-lloyd-garrison/)

> [America was born of revolt, flourished in dissent, became great through experimentation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/america-was-born-of-revolt-flourished-in-dissent-became-great-through/)

[Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/)

> [In America, you can segregate the people, but the problems will travel. From slavery to equal rights, from state suppression of dissent to crime,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/in-america-you-can-segregate-the-people-but-the-problems-will-travel/)

[June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/)

> [It is dissent from government policies which defines the true Patriot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/it-is-dissent-from-government-policies-which-defines-the-true-patriot/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The original crime of niggers and lesbians is that they prefer themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/the-original-crime-of-niggers-and-lesbians-is-that-they-prefer/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [I find myself frequently placed where I dare give neither assent nor dissent to propositions that are submitted to me; for there is danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/i-find-myself-frequently-placed-where-i-dare-give-neither-assent-nor/)

[Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/)

> [Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/never-be-afraid-to-raise-your-voice-for-honesty-and-truth-and/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [If you want to live a meaningfully better life, you're going to have to make the dangerous choice to dissent. A life lived meaningfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/if-you-want-to-live-a-meaningfully-better-life-you-re-going-to-have/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/majority-decisions-tend-to-be-made-without-engaging-the-systematic/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Jacob Bronowski

> [“A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or a scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-man-becomes-creative-whether-he-is-an-artist-or-a-scientist-when-he/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [We are all shot through with enough motives to make a massacre, any day of the week that we want to give them their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/we-are-all-shot-through-with-enough-motives-to-make-a-massacre-any/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [A popular cliche in philosophy says that science is pure analysis or reductionism, like taking the rainbow to pieces; and art is pure synthesis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-popular-cliche-in-philosophy-says-that-science-is-pure-analysis-or/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [The great poem and the deep theorem are new to every reader, and yet are his own experiences, because he himself recreates them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-great-poem-and-the-deep-theorem-are-new-to-every-reader-and-yet/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [“The Renaissance established the dignity of man. The Industrial Revolution established the unity of nature. That”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-renaissance-established-the-dignity-of-man-the-industrial/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [One original thought is worth the sum total of human knowledge, because it advances the sum total of human knowledge by that one original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/one-original-thought-is-worth-the-sum-total-of-human-knowledge/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [The richness of human life is that we have many lives, we live the events that do not happen (and some that cannot) as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-richness-of-human-life-is-that-we-have-many-lives-we-live-the/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [Einstein was a man who could ask immensely simple questions. And what his work showed is that when the answers are simple too, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/einstein-was-a-man-who-could-ask-immensely-simple-questions-and-what/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [Revolutions are not made by fate but by men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/revolutions-are-not-made-by-fate-but-by-men/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [“I am infinitely saddened to find myself suddenly surrounded in the west by a sense of terrible loss of nerve, a retreat from knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/i-am-infinitely-saddened-to-find-myself-suddenly-surrounded-in-the/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [The most remarkable discovery ever made by scientists is science itself. The discovery must be compared in importance with the invention of cave-painting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-most-remarkable-discovery-ever-made-by-scientists-is-science/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [There are three creative ideas which, each in its turn, have been central to science. They are the idea of order, the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/there-are-three-creative-ideas-which-each-in-its-turn-have-been/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [It is important that students bring a certain rafamuffin, barefoot, irreverence to their studies; they are not here to worship what is known, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/it-is-important-that-students-bring-a-certain-rafamuffin-barefoot/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-hand-is-the-cutting-edge-of-the-mind/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

> [To me the most interesting thing about man is that he is an animal who practices art and science and in every known society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/to-me-the-most-interesting-thing-about-man-is-that-he-is-an-animal/)

[Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

[Explore all 140 Jacob Bronowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/)

## More Conformity quotes

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

[Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/)

> [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [The Chains of conformity click in tiresomely monotonous unison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-sweet/the-chains-of-conformity-click-in-tiresomely-monotonous-unison/)

[Leonard Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-sweet/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/)

[Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/)

> [Ideation is not a synonym for innovation, conformity is not its simple antonym, and innovation is not the automatic consequence of "creative thinking.".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-levitt/ideation-is-not-a-synonym-for-innovation-conformity-is-not-its-simple/)

[Theodore Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-levitt/)

> [“I lead with the knowingness that my reality conforms to my wishes and desires instantly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-baker/i-lead-with-the-knowingness-that-my-reality-conforms-to-my-wishes-and/)

[Robin S. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-baker/)

> [Alas, everything that men say to one another is alike; the ideas they exchange are almost always the same, in their conversation. But inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-de-musset/alas-everything-that-men-say-to-one-another-is-alike-the-ideas-they/)

[Alfred de Musset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-de-musset/)

> [The search for truth is a cooperative, unending endeavor. We can, and should, engage in it to the extent we can and encourage others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-search-for-truth-is-a-cooperative-unending-endeavor-we-can-and/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Seeds have the power to preserve species, to enhance cultural as well as genetic diversity, to counter economic monopoly and to check the advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/seeds-have-the-power-to-preserve-species-to-enhance-cultural-as-well/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

> [“Brontë was attempting to depict a character that adheres to the unchanging principles of her faith though she refused conformity to the particular practices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-swallow-prior/bront-was-attempting-to-depict-a-character-that-adheres-to-the/)

[Karen Swallow Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-swallow-prior/)

> [Officers conditioned to conformity in peacetime cannot be expected to behave boldly and flexibly in combat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yingling/officers-conditioned-to-conformity-in-peacetime-cannot-be-expected-to/)

[Paul Yingling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yingling/)

> [The more civilized a nation, the more conformed its population, until that civilization's last age arrives, when multiplicity wages war with conformity. The former…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/the-more-civilized-a-nation-the-more-conformed-its-population-until/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/society-everywhere-is-in-conspiracy-against-the-manhood-of-every-one/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Deaths, births, and marriages, considering how much they are separately dependent on the freedom of the human will, should seem to be subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/deaths-births-and-marriages-considering-how-much-they-are-separately/)

[Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/)

[Browse all 937 Conformity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jacob Bronowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has-died-of-dissent-several-have-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Conformity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has-died-of-dissent-several-have-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22e/jacob-bronowski-3073_conformity_has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has_957278.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.” — Jacob Bronowski",
                "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": "Jacob Bronowski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Has there ever been a society...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has-died-of-dissent-several-have-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/has-there-ever-been-a-society-which-has-died-of-dissent-several-have-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
