--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are five things that societies do…" description: "\"There are five things that societies do: They reproduce; they produce food; they organize themselves in terms of law; they organize themselves in terms..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jane-smiley-2120_art_there-are-five-things-that-societies-do_347019.jpg" --- # There are five things that societies do: They reproduce… ![“There are five things that societies do: They reproduce; they produce food; they organize themselves in terms of law; they organize themselves in terms of belief; and they make art. Four of them are about conformity, and in these, everything would go more smoothly if people just would shut up and…” quote by Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jane-smiley-2120_art_there-are-five-things-that-societies-do_347019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jane-smiley-2120_art_there-are-five-things-that-societies-do_347019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/jane-smiley-2120_art_there-are-five-things-that-societies-do_347019.jpg) > “There are five things that societies do: They reproduce; they produce food; they organize themselves in terms of law; they organize themselves in terms of belief; and they make art. Four of them are about conformity, and in these, everything would go more smoothly if people just would shut up and do what they're told. But in art it doesn't work that way.” [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societies focus on conformity in most domains, but art thrives on dissent and individuality. **In simple terms:** Art resists conformity, unlike other societal functions. Key Takeaway Embrace creativity that challenges norms. Themes society conformity art law belief production Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - education curriculum - community projects Key Concepts cultural theory creative freedom social structure Questions to Reflect On - How can art foster constructive dissent? - What role should art play in societal progress? A Different Perspective Art may be inaccessible to many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Societies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/societies/) ## Related quotes > [To change societies you need to organize with others who share your views.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gro-harlem-brundtland/to-change-societies-you-need-to-organize-with-others-who-share-your/) [Gro Harlem Brundtland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gro-harlem-brundtland/) > [It is not from top to bottom that societies die; it is from bottom to top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george/it-is-not-from-top-to-bottom-that-societies-die-it-is-from-bottom-to/) [Henry George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george/) > [There's no such thing as an absolute openness. Openness is relative, I think, in all societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-eisenman/there-s-no-such-thing-as-an-absolute-openness-openness-is-relative-i/) [Peter Eisenman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-eisenman/) > [Our working hypothesis is that the status of knowledge is altered as societies enter what is known as the postindustrial age and cultures enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-francois-lyotard/our-working-hypothesis-is-that-the-status-of-knowledge-is-altered-as/) [Jean-Francois Lyotard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-francois-lyotard/) > [People have been looking for love potions since hunter-gatherer societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/people-have-been-looking-for-love-potions-since-hunter-gatherer/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [Societies who do not care for their young people and old people are decadent, decaying societies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzan-shown-harjo/societies-who-do-not-care-for-their-young-people-and-old-people-are/) Suzan Shown Harjo > [The poorest and most backward societies are always those that put women down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-poorest-and-most-backward-societies-are-always-those-that-put/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Inequality is corrosive. It rots societies from within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-judt/inequality-is-corrosive-it-rots-societies-from-within/) [Tony Judt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-judt/) > [“For a nation to be truly transformed, there must be movements, civil societies, NGOs that are spread all across the land to educate people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/for-a-nation-to-be-truly-transformed-there-must-be-movements-civil/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [We need to decarbonise our societies and economies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/we-need-to-decarbonise-our-societies-and-economies/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [“I value individuals and societies. I care about those who are not born yet. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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