---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like contradictions. We have never…"
description: "\"I like contradictions. We have never attained the infinite variety and contradictions that exist in nature. Tomorrow I shall contradict myself. That is..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png"
---

#  I like contradictions. We have never attained the infinite…

![“I like contradictions. We have never attained the infinite variety and contradictions that exist in nature. Tomorrow I shall contradict myself. That is the one way I have of asserting my liberty, the real liberty one does not find as a member of society.” quote by Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png)

> “I like contradictions. We have never attained the infinite variety and contradictions that exist in nature. Tomorrow I shall contradict myself. That is the one way I have of asserting my liberty, the real liberty one does not find as a member of society.”

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

## About This Quote

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

Embracing contradictions is a way to claim personal freedom beyond societal constraints.

**In simple terms:** Contradictions express personal liberty.

Key Takeaway

Use contradictions to assert independence.

Themes

freedom individualism creativity

Mood

defiant reflective

Type

philosophical provocative

When to use this quote

- artistic expression
- personal decision‑making
- political dissent

Key Concepts

existentialism paradox self‑determination

Questions to Reflect On

- How do contradictions shape your sense of self?
- When does personal liberty conflict with social responsibility?

A Different Perspective

Contradictions can alienate others and hinder cooperation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Contradict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradict/) [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Contradictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictions/) [Contradictions Attained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictions-attained-3903288/) [Contradictions Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictions-exist-1119046/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Like Contradictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-contradictions-2072944/) [Members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/members/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Variety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/variety/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [To a Buddhist, contradictions only exist in a mind that has been forced to cultivate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burdett/to-a-buddhist-contradictions-only-exist-in-a-mind-that-has-been/)

[John Burdett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burdett/)

> [I like contradictions, and I like exceptions. I don't like rules and dogma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/i-like-contradictions-and-i-like-exceptions-i-don-t-like-rules-and/)

[Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/)

> [In general, I like contradictions and complex situations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/in-general-i-like-contradictions-and-complex-situations/)

[Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/)

> [“Beauty is a terrible and awful thing! It is terrible because it has not been fathomed and never can be fathomed, for God sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/beauty-is-a-terrible-and-awful-thing-it-is-terrible-because-it-has/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/contradictions-do-not-exist-whenever-you-think-you-are-facing-a/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Imagination could never invent the number of different contradictions that exist innately in each person's heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/imagination-could-never-invent-the-number-of-different-contradictions/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [“Turing attended Wittgenstein's lectures on the philosophy of mathematics in Cambridge in 1939 and disagreed strongly with a line of argument that Wittgenstein was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-barrow/turing-attended-wittgenstein-s-lectures-on-the-philosophy-of/)

[John D. Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-barrow/)

> [Beauty is a terrible and awful thing! It is terrible because it has not been fathomed, for God sets us nothing but riddles. Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/beauty-is-a-terrible-and-awful-thing-it-is-terrible-because-it-has-2/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“I'll give you a hint. Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-ll-give-you-a-hint-contradictions-do-not-exist-whenever-you-think/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I say things that contradict each other, that are in real tension with each other, that compose me, that make me live, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/i-say-things-that-contradict-each-other-that-are-in-real-tension-with/)

[Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/)

> [“BLACK AND WHITE I was born into A religion of Light, But with so many other Religions and Philosophies, How do I know which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/black-and-white-i-was-born-into-a-religion-of-light-but-with-so-many/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I can bear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/do-i-contradict-myself-very-well-then-i-can-bear-it/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [“Millions of business people are each constantly forced to choose between their desire to not be a bad person and their desire to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/millions-of-business-people-are-each-constantly-forced-to-choose/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/)

[Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/)

> [Contradictions in human character are one of its most consistent notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/contradictions-in-human-character-are-one-of-its-most-consistent-notes/)

[Muriel Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-spark/)

## More by Man Ray

> [All critics should be assassinated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/all-critics-should-be-assassinated/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Each one of us, in his timidity, has a limit beyond which he is outraged. It is inevitable that he who by concentrated application…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/each-one-of-us-in-his-timidity-has-a-limit-beyond-which-he-is/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [A camera alone does not make a picture. To make a picture you need a camera, a photographer and above all a subject. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/a-camera-alone-does-not-make-a-picture-to-make-a-picture-you-need-a/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/personally-i-have-always-preferred-inspiration-to-information/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [I believe in the relation between photography and music; And thats my inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-believe-in-the-relation-between-photography-and-music-and-thats-my/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Just as I work with paints, brushes, and canvas, I work with the light, pieces of glass and chemistry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/just-as-i-work-with-paints-brushes-and-canvas-i-work-with-the-light/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Lipstick is the red badge of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/lipstick-is-the-red-badge-of-courage/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Speaking of nudes, I have always had a great fondness for this subject, both in my paintings and in my photos, and I must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/speaking-of-nudes-i-have-always-had-a-great-fondness-for-this-subject/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [All my life I have painted pictures so that certain people would drop dead when they looked at them, but I have not succeeded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/all-my-life-i-have-painted-pictures-so-that-certain-people-would-drop/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [You don’t ask a writer what typewriter he uses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/you-don-t-ask-a-writer-what-typewriter-he-uses/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [I am not going to be dictated to by the size of the camera. I use everything from an 8 x 10 to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-am-not-going-to-be-dictated-to-by-the-size-of-the-camera-i-use/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [An original is a creation motivated by desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/an-original-is-a-creation-motivated-by-desire/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Dada cannot live in New York. All New York is dada, and will not tolerate a rival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/dada-cannot-live-in-new-york-all-new-york-is-dada-and-will-not/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [Quote me as much as you like; as a matter of fact I don’t even mind if you misquote me !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/quote-me-as-much-as-you-like-as-a-matter-of-fact-i-don-t-even-mind-if/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

> [If I'd had the nerve, I'd have become a thief or a gangster, but since I didn't, I became a photographer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/if-i-d-had-the-nerve-i-d-have-become-a-thief-or-a-gangster-but-since/)

[Man Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

[Explore all 53 Man Ray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/)

## More Contradict quotes

> [“No need to be intimidated, tesoro, but do be careful." "See, those two statements seem like they contradict each other to me, Gio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hunter/no-need-to-be-intimidated-tesoro-but-do-be-careful-see-those-two/)

[elizabeth hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hunter/)

> [“Our law and our morality contradict one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/our-law-and-our-morality-contradict-one-another/)

[Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/)

> [Religions contradict one another-on small matters, such as whether we should put on a hat or take one off on entering a house of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/religions-contradict-one-another-on-small-matters-such-as-whether-we/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [In reply, I can only plead that a discovery which seems to contradict the general tenor of previous investigations is naturally received with much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lyell/in-reply-i-can-only-plead-that-a-discovery-which-seems-to-contradict/)

[Charles Lyell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lyell/)

> [“To hold two ideas that contradict each other is to flirt with absurdity, and humans are creatures who spend their lives trying to convince…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/to-hold-two-ideas-that-contradict-each-other-is-to-flirt-with/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [In a world where people want answers immediately, I'm behaving a lot of the time in ways that contradict certain people's beliefs, or normally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/in-a-world-where-people-want-answers-immediately-i-m-behaving-a-lot/)

[Matty Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matty-healy/)

> [“I have been granted the terrible privilege of deciding what would have happened with no one left to contradict me. And maybe I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-have-been-granted-the-terrible-privilege-of-deciding-what-would/)

[Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/)

> [Some, merely to contradict what I had said, did not scruple to cast doubt upon things they had seen with their own eyes again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/some-merely-to-contradict-what-i-had-said-did-not-scruple-to-cast/)

[Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/)

> [“The major religions on the Earth contradict each other left and right. You can't all be correct. And what if all of you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-major-religions-on-the-earth-contradict-each-other-left-and-right/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [If you don't contradict yourself on a regular basis, then you're not thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/if-you-don-t-contradict-yourself-on-a-regular-basis-then-you-re-not/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [“Millions of business people are each constantly forced to choose between their desire to not be a bad person and their desire to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/millions-of-business-people-are-each-constantly-forced-to-choose/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [“As long as she persisted in her belief that bafflement justified her actions, she felt confident no one would contradict her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/as-long-as-she-persisted-in-her-belief-that-bafflement-justified-her/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [All of which was OK, as that proved then, I certainly wouldn't contradict it as a necessary sense of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-creeley/all-of-which-was-ok-as-that-proved-then-i-certainly-wouldn-t/)

[Robert Creeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-creeley/)

> [I have this idea of myself as this quiet, observant, thoughtful child, which my parents roundly contradict. They claim that I was loud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-coon/i-have-this-idea-of-myself-as-this-quiet-observant-thoughtful-child/)

[Carrie Coon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-coon/)

> [If asked whether you love God, say nothing. This is because if you say, 'I do not love God,'you are an unbeliever. If, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-fudhayl-bin-iyyadh/if-asked-whether-you-love-god-say-nothing-this-is-because-if-you-say/)

[Al-Fudhayl bin 'Iyyadh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-fudhayl-bin-iyyadh/)

[Browse all 124 Contradict quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradict/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I like contradictions. We have never attained the infinite variety and contradictions that exist in nature. Tomorrow I shall contradict myself. That is the one way I have of asserting my liberty, the real liberty one does not find as a member of society.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Man Ray"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-attained-the-infinite-variety-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contradict"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-attained-the-infinite-variety-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/374/man-ray-12681_contradict_i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-atta_1245320.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I like contradictions. We have never attained the infinite variety and contradictions that exist in nature…” — Man Ray",
                "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": "Man Ray",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/man-ray/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I like contradictions. We have never...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-attained-the-infinite-variety-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/man-ray/i-like-contradictions-we-have-never-attained-the-infinite-variety-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
