--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were creating a world where the…" description: "\"We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive is to be bland.\" — Jon Ronson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png" --- # We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive… ![“We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive is to be bland.” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png) > “We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive is to be bland.” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society may favor conformity, making “blandness” a survival strategy in a complex world. **In simple terms:** Conformity can be a survival tactic. Key Takeaway Question the cost of blending in. Themes conformity survival identity Mood reflective analytical Type sociological philosophical When to use this quote - workplace culture - social media - education - politics Key Concepts sociology psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is conformity beneficial? - What are the risks of being “bland”? A Different Perspective Blending in can suppress individuality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Smartest Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smartest-way-3327061/) [Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive/) [Survive Bland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survive-bland-3327060/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Survive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-survive-1093180/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Of knowing that there is a larger energy and force that can crush our ambitions and plans in the blink of an eye, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-j-abdul-kalam-2/of-knowing-that-there-is-a-larger-energy-and-force-that-can-crush-our/) [A.P.J. Abdul Kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-j-abdul-kalam-2/) > [“The only way to survive is to let some of them go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-only-way-to-survive-is-to-let-some-of-them-go/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Almost any show that has reviewers behind it, Rotten Tomatoes behind it, will find a way to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-blodget/almost-any-show-that-has-reviewers-behind-it-rotten-tomatoes-behind/) [Henry Blodget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-blodget/) > [i still have no way to survive but to keep writing one line, one more line, one more line...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/i-still-have-no-way-to-survive-but-to-keep-writing-one-line-one-more/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [Life is a constant battle, the only way to survive is always getting ready.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/life-is-a-constant-battle-the-only-way-to-survive-is-always-getting/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [It dawned on me that art was the way I could survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/it-dawned-on-me-that-art-was-the-way-i-could-survive/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The best way to survive life is - never fret over what you don't get. 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Mutual trust...and help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-kirk/there-s-another-way-to-survive-mutual-trust-and-help/) [James T Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-kirk/) > [In this complex world, the best way to survive is to be genuine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sogyal-rinpoche/in-this-complex-world-the-best-way-to-survive-is-to-be-genuine/) [Sogyal Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sogyal-rinpoche/) > [“The only way to survive insanity is to admit it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-jace/the-only-way-to-survive-insanity-is-to-admit-it/) [Cameron Jace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-jace/) > [Change is seemingly the only way we can survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bulumko-pantsi/change-is-seemingly-the-only-way-we-can-survive/) [Bulumko Pantsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bulumko-pantsi/) > [“Be a lover of the world, it is the only way to survive in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janosch/be-a-lover-of-the-world-it-is-the-only-way-to-survive-in-it/) [Janosch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janosch/) > [The only way to survive is to intently focus on how the art world operates. Once you understand how things work, you can find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-edward/the-only-way-to-survive-is-to-intently-focus-on-how-the-art-world/) [Mark Edward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-edward/) ## More by Jon Ronson > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It may very well be that the frotteurist is a helpless victim in the clutches of his obsession, but it’s equally possible that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-may-very-well-be-that-the-frotteurist-is-a-helpless-victim-in-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. Imagine what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-worryingly-paradoxical-thought-process-could-be-summarized-thus/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Friends are the fruitcake of life - some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/friends-are-the-fruitcake-of-life-some-nutty-some-soaked-in-alcohol/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“The consensus from the beginning was that only 1 percent of humans had it, but the chaos they caused was so far-reaching it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-consensus-from-the-beginning-was-that-only-1-percent-of-humans/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“That's an incredibly depressing thought," I said "that if you're in a room and at one end lies madness and at the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/that-s-an-incredibly-depressing-thought-i-said-that-if-you-re-in-a/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [The world outside Twitter was great. I read books. I reconnected with people I knew from real life and met them for drinks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-world-outside-twitter-was-great-i-read-books-i-reconnected-with/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My paranoia never ends, but I haven't been paranoid about being spied on my shadowy forces for some time now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-paranoia-never-ends-but-i-haven-t-been-paranoid-about-being-spied/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-an-awful-lot-harder-tony-told-me-to-convince-people-you-re-sane/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [It is slightly chilling to realize there are rational, functional people up there employed to spot, nurture, and exploit those down here among us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-slightly-chilling-to-realize-there-are-rational-functional/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) [Explore all 209 Jon Ronson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More Bland quotes > [Going to a site with more users seems obviously better to me, but at the same time, having a bland, middle of the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-rudder/going-to-a-site-with-more-users-seems-obviously-better-to-me-but-at/) [Christian Rudder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-rudder/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“I desperately wanted to give him something. By contrast, taking seemed so bland, so facile, so mechanical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-desperately-wanted-to-give-him-something-by-contrast-taking-seemed/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [ If no one speaks out for \[young readers\], if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/if-no-one-speaks-out-for-young-readers-if-they-don-t-speak-out-for/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [The turkeys that most Americans eat for Thanksgiving are turkeys - losers that are mass produced and bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-burros/the-turkeys-that-most-americans-eat-for-thanksgiving-are-turkeys/) [Marian Burros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-burros/) > [We didn't think the library was funny looking in it's faux- Greek splendor, nor did we find the cuisine limited or bland, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/we-didn-t-think-the-library-was-funny-looking-in-it-s-faux-greek/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [Do you want to increase your hunger for the Lord? Try weaning yourself from the world's diet- be prepared for some withdrawal symptoms when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/do-you-want-to-increase-your-hunger-for-the-lord-try-weaning-yourself/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [I really like people who can do both drama and comedy and not some like middle of the road do both drama and comedy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-really-like-people-who-can-do-both-drama-and-comedy-and-not-some/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [Now is the time to act or get stuck with a bland, boring, career politician who will lose to Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/now-is-the-time-to-act-or-get-stuck-with-a-bland-boring-career/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [For a couple of days after chemotherapy, food tastes really bland, even the best foods. I haven't been sick, but have been a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/for-a-couple-of-days-after-chemotherapy-food-tastes-really-bland-even/) [Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/) > [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [If Fobbit leaves a reader feeling stranded in some bland in-between territory, then I haven't done my job. But having said all that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-abrams/if-fobbit-leaves-a-reader-feeling-stranded-in-some-bland-in-between/) [Dave Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-abrams/) > [Often I think bullying - especially in its adult, verbal forms - is the sort of thing you don't realize till the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/often-i-think-bullying-especially-in-its-adult-verbal-forms-is-the/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [Forget mung beans' reputation as healthy yet bland - used right, they soak up loads of flavour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/forget-mung-beans-reputation-as-healthy-yet-bland-used-right-they/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) [Browse all 195 Bland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive is to be bland.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Ronson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smartest-way-to-survive-is-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bland" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smartest-way-to-survive-is-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/534/jon-ronson-1772_bland_we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smart_2783259.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We were creating a world where the smartest way to survive is to be bland.” — Jon Ronson", "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": "Jon Ronson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We were creating a world where...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smartest-way-to-survive-is-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-were-creating-a-world-where-the-smartest-way-to-survive-is-to-be/#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 } } ] } ```