--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject…" description: "\"Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. Reject names.\" — Ming-Dao Deng" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/ming-dao-deng-15068_conformity_reject-labels-reject-identities-reject-c_2281790.png" --- # Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity… ![“Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. Reject names.” quote by Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/ming-dao-deng-15068_conformity_reject-labels-reject-identities-reject-c_2281790.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/ming-dao-deng-15068_conformity_reject-labels-reject-identities-reject-c_2281790.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/444/ming-dao-deng-15068_conformity_reject-labels-reject-identities-reject-c_2281790.png) > “Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. Reject names.” [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A call to discard imposed categories and expectations that limit personal freedom. **In simple terms:** Reject imposed categories and Key Takeaway Live beyond labels. Themes individualism freedom nonconformity Mood defiant reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - creative work - social activism Key Concepts identity social constructs authenticity Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel more authentic without labels? - What risks arise from total rejection of categories? A Different Perspective Labels can provide useful shorthand for communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Labels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labels/) ## Related quotes > [All progress in literary style lies in the heroic resolve to cast aside accretions and exuberances, all the conventions of a past age that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/all-progress-in-literary-style-lies-in-the-heroic-resolve-to-cast/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [ Everything \[Ted\] Cruz was doing was legal, it was aboveboard, but it was portrayed as Cruz is the villain, and here's \[Donald\] Trump and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/everything-ted-cruz-was-doing-was-legal-it-was-aboveboard-but-it-was/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The psychotherapist ... tries to help the individual to be himself and to go it alone without giving unnecessary offense to his community, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-psychotherapist-tries-to-help-the-individual-to-be-himself-and-to/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Based on the considerations of history, ancient history, and international axioms, the logic of following up a citizen with his shadow for the purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saddam-hussein/based-on-the-considerations-of-history-ancient-history-and/) [Saddam Hussein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saddam-hussein/) > [My characters are all kind of geek archetypes of people I've encountered at gaming and comic book conventions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-cline/my-characters-are-all-kind-of-geek-archetypes-of-people-i-ve/) [Ernest Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-cline/) > [On the surface the avant garde as a whole seems united primarily in terms of what they are against: the rejection of social institutions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-innes/on-the-surface-the-avant-garde-as-a-whole-seems-united-primarily-in/) C. D. Innes > [Once we realized that there were these 25 invariable types - the class politician, the frigid popular girl, the kid who tags along behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/once-we-realized-that-there-were-these-25-invariable-types-the-class/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [As so often, a political event involving Donald Trump looks like swinging wildly between melodrama and farce. The Republican National Convention in Cleveland has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-colvin/as-so-often-a-political-event-involving-donald-trump-looks-like/) [Mark Colvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-colvin/) > [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The President? Hmmm, I wonder who that might be? Could it be, perhaps, the sitting two-term incumbent of the same party holding its convention?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fallows/the-president-hmmm-i-wonder-who-that-might-be-could-it-be-perhaps-the/) [James Fallows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fallows/) > [I joked at our National Convention that our party was nominating a candidate for president who was charismatic, larger than life, memorable, so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/i-joked-at-our-national-convention-that-our-party-was-nominating-a/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Nobody can live in society without conventions. The reason why sensible people are as conventional as they can bear to be is that conventionality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/nobody-can-live-in-society-without-conventions-the-reason-why/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [ \[The Massachusetts constitution\] resembles the federal Constitution of 1787 more closely than any of the other revolutionary state constitutions. It was also drawn up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-s-wood/the-massachusetts-constitution-resembles-the-federal-constitution-of/) [Gordon S. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-s-wood/) > [ \[James\] Madison pointed out in the discussion of the constitutional debates - the constitutional convention - that democracy would be a danger. He used… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/james-madison-pointed-out-in-the-discussion-of-the-constitutional/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [2004 was a great year for Boston! The Patriots won the Super Bowl! Boston hosted its first national political convention! And - the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-menino/2004-was-a-great-year-for-boston-the-patriots-won-the-super-bowl/) [Thomas Menino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-menino/) ## More by Ming-Dao Deng > [Build your life brick upon brick, Live a life of truth, And you will look back on a life of truth. Live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/build-your-life-brick-upon-brick-live-a-life-of-truth-and-you-will/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [An ancient gnarled tree: Too fibrous for a logger's saw, Too twisted to fit a carpenter's square, Outlasts the whole forest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/an-ancient-gnarled-tree-too-fibrous-for-a-logger-s-saw-too-twisted-to/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [Rain scatters plum petals; Weeping stains the earth. One can only take shelter And wait for clearing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/rain-scatters-plum-petals-weeping-stains-the-earth-one-can-only-take/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [A funeral is for those left behind. Sometimes, one wonders if the weeping is more out of fear for ourselves than it is sympathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/a-funeral-is-for-those-left-behind-sometimes-one-wonders-if-the/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [It is said that if one chooses to pray to a rock with enough devotion, even that rock will come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/it-is-said-that-if-one-chooses-to-pray-to-a-rock-with-enough-devotion/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [if i dont want to be known, i cannot be known.the best actor can divide role from self.the best liar can divide truth from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/if-i-dont-want-to-be-known-i-cannot-be-known-the-best-actor-can/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [Give back what you have learned. Share your experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/give-back-what-you-have-learned-share-your-experience/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [Use a mirror in difficult times. You will see both cause and resolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/use-a-mirror-in-difficult-times-you-will-see-both-cause-and-resolution/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [“Every day passes whether you participate or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/every-day-passes-whether-you-participate-or-not/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [Self-discipline leads to higher spiritual states only if practiced with under- standing. The clearer the goal, the greater the result.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/self-discipline-leads-to-higher-spiritual-states-only-if-practiced/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [Trees in winter lose their leaves. Some trees may even fall during storms, but most stand patiently and bear their fortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/trees-in-winter-lose-their-leaves-some-trees-may-even-fall-during/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [“To be a Taoist, one need not engage in fanatical denial of any part of life, nor does one need to leave family and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/to-be-a-taoist-one-need-not-engage-in-fanatical-denial-of-any-part-of/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [Cooperation with others. Perception, experience, tenacity. Know when to lead and when to follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/cooperation-with-others-perception-experience-tenacity-know-when-to/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [“Emperors uphold censorship, But extreme repression leads to extreme reaction. Individualists believe in freedom, But extreme expression leads to extreme reaction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/emperors-uphold-censorship-but-extreme-repression-leads-to-extreme/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) > [A moving door hinge never corrodes. Flowing water never grows stagnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ming-dao-deng/a-moving-door-hinge-never-corrodes-flowing-water-never-grows-stagnant/) [Ming-Dao Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) [Explore all 44 Ming-Dao Deng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ming-dao-deng/) ## 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 > [“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 > [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": "Reject labels. Reject identities. Reject conformity. Reject convention. Reject definitions. 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