--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tradition is the great misleader because…" description: "\"Tradition is the great misleader because it's too easy to follow what has already been done - even though you may think you're giving it a kick. I was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7da/marcel-duchamp-2390_easy_tradition-is-the-great-misleader-because_2214286.jpg" --- # Tradition is the great misleader because it's too easy to… ![“Tradition is the great misleader because it's too easy to follow what has already been done - even though you may think you're giving it a kick. I was really trying to invent, instead of merely expressing myself.” quote by Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7da/marcel-duchamp-2390_easy_tradition-is-the-great-misleader-because_2214286.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7da/marcel-duchamp-2390_easy_tradition-is-the-great-misleader-because_2214286.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7da/marcel-duchamp-2390_easy_tradition-is-the-great-misleader-because_2214286.jpg) > “Tradition is the great misleader because it's too easy to follow what has already been done - even though you may think you're giving it a kick. I was really trying to invent, instead of merely expressing myself.” [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Tradition can mislead by making conformity seem safe, discouraging genuine innovation. **In simple terms:** Tradition can hinder true creativity. Key Takeaway Question the status quo. Themes tradition innovation conformity Mood reflective inquisitive Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic practice - business strategy - education reform - personal growth Key Concepts creative risk originality cultural inertia Questions to Reflect On - What tradition could be re‑imagined? - When is tradition beneficial? A Different Perspective Some traditions preserve valuable knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Expressing Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressing-myself/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Misleader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-misleader-4915929/) [Invent Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invent-instead-4915928/) [Misleader Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misleader-easy-4915927/) [Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/myself/) [Too easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-easy/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Tradition Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition-great-3595787/) ## Related quotes > [Philly has that tradition of great basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jrue-holiday/philly-has-that-tradition-of-great-basketball/) [Jrue Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jrue-holiday/) > [ Having a tradition is a great thing to work within, and maybe today \[it\] is the only way to really land musically dramatic work. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-menken/having-a-tradition-is-a-great-thing-to-work-within-and-maybe-today-it/) [Alan Menken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-menken/) > [My goal... not to go back to Rembrandt... but to bring the great tradition and whatever is great about it, up to date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-levine/my-goal-not-to-go-back-to-rembrandt-but-to-bring-the-great-tradition/) [Jack Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-levine/) > [Being a perfectionist, I didn't want to settle for just getting by, so I enrolled in a vocal training program. I then learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-stoner/being-a-perfectionist-i-didn-t-want-to-settle-for-just-getting-by-so/) [Alyson Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-stoner/) > [“I’m not expressing myself very well—’ ‘Dexter, I understand you perfectly, that’s the problem—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-m-not-expressing-myself-very-well-dexter-i-understand-you-perfectly/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [It's odd. Though I've spent years working with and creating images, I feel most comfortable expressing myself through writing. I'd been in denial about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salu/it-s-odd-though-i-ve-spent-years-working-with-and-creating-images-i/) [Michael Salu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salu/) > [Expressing myself through language was always something that I had had to learn to do more so than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/expressing-myself-through-language-was-always-something-that-i-had/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [I'm just being who I am and expressing myself as everyone else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/i-m-just-being-who-i-am-and-expressing-myself-as-everyone-else-does/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [Music is my catharsis for that. 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But with the degree, I had to learn to do everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-armatrading/i-ve-written-what-and-when-i-want-to-it-s-been-about-expressing/) [Joan Armatrading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-armatrading/) > [I feel like I can always do better with action and I always want to push the envelope there as long as I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-carano/i-feel-like-i-can-always-do-better-with-action-and-i-always-want-to/) [Gina Carano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-carano/) > [I had to get used to wearing a mask and wearing a prosthetic and performing with those things while singing and expressing myself through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/i-had-to-get-used-to-wearing-a-mask-and-wearing-a-prosthetic-and/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) ## More by Marcel Duchamp > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Humor is the only reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/humor-is-the-only-reason-to-live/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [Society takes what it wants. The artist himself does not count, because there is no actual existence for the work of art. The work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/society-takes-what-it-wants-the-artist-himself-does-not-count-because/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [The creative act is not performed by the artist alone; the spectator brings the work in contact with the external world by deciphering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/the-creative-act-is-not-performed-by-the-artist-alone-the-spectator/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I believe that the artist doesn't know what he does. 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Paul Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-paul-getty/) [Browse all 14,306 Easy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Tradition is the great misleader because it's too easy to follow what has already been done - even though you may think you're giving it a kick. 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