--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic…" description: "\"You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic; the collective (school, rules, jobs, technology) wants you generic to the point of castration.\" — Nassim Nichol..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png" --- # You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic; the collective… ![“You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic; the collective (school, rules, jobs, technology) wants you generic to the point of castration.” quote by Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png) > “You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic; the collective (school, rules, jobs, technology) wants you generic to the point of castration.” [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society pressures conformity, eroding individuality and authenticity. **In simple terms:** Conformity erodes individuality. Key Takeaway Resist pressure, stay authentic. Themes individuality conformity societal pressure authenticity Mood defiant critical philosophical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - education - social media - family expectations Key Concepts existentialism social critique identity resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal authenticity with societal expectations? - What costs arise from strict conformity? A Different Perspective Authenticity may conflict with practical survival in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-yourself/) [Castration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castration/) [Collectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collectives/) [Generic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generic/) [Generic Point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generic-point-4112129/) [Idiosyncratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiosyncratic-367549/) [Idiosyncratic Collective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiosyncratic-collective-4964390/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Idiosyncratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-idiosyncratic-4964391/) [Wants Generic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-generic-4964392/) ## Related quotes > [When you have too many people and you're trying to satisfy everybody's input, you usually end up with something so incredibly generic that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-zombie/when-you-have-too-many-people-and-you-re-trying-to-satisfy-everybody/) [Rob Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-zombie/) > [I think connecting natural elements and musicology is probably pretty idiosyncratic of me, so it is hard to imagine anyone else going down that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/i-think-connecting-natural-elements-and-musicology-is-probably-pretty/) [Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/) > [Taste is idiosyncratic, so I don't love everything people recommend me, and I don't love everything my friends love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/taste-is-idiosyncratic-so-i-don-t-love-everything-people-recommend-me/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [I always say, 'What if you had to sell the house tomorrow?' And if it's too idiosyncratic, someone won't buy it and then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaquelin-t-robertson/i-always-say-what-if-you-had-to-sell-the-house-tomorrow-and-if-it-s/) [Jaquelin T. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaquelin-t-robertson/) > [Like the rest of us, Tom Paulin is a bundle of contradictions. At its finest, his work is brave, adventurous, original and wonderfully idiosyncratic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/like-the-rest-of-us-tom-paulin-is-a-bundle-of-contradictions-at-its/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Learning to write . . . is a desperately idiosyncratic, eccentric, single-souled, lifelong quest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-lott/learning-to-write-is-a-desperately-idiosyncratic-eccentric-single/) [Bret Lott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-lott/) > [“I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do from sources that detail universal practices or cite up-to-date studies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/i-often-learn-more-from-one-person-s-highly-idiosyncratic-experiences/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [“He always had to act in an obnoxiously idiosyncratic way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-neill/he-always-had-to-act-in-an-obnoxiously-idiosyncratic-way/) [Heather O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-neill/) > [What matters in literature in the end is surely the idiosyncratic, the individual, the flavor or the color of a particular human suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/what-matters-in-literature-in-the-end-is-surely-the-idiosyncratic-the/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [Creativity is to discover a question that has never been asked. If one brings up an idiosyncratic question, the answer he gives will necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-hara/creativity-is-to-discover-a-question-that-has-never-been-asked-if-one/) [Kenya Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-hara/) > [It's come around to that point of view at the end of a long evolutionary process, in which the rule of law has slowly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/it-s-come-around-to-that-point-of-view-at-the-end-of-a-long/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [What appears on the page comes out of your experience, and no-one is going to see it in quite the same way - so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/what-appears-on-the-page-comes-out-of-your-experience-and-no-one-is/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [I like to think that I'm a populist entertainer, but I'm a little bit idiosyncratic, and sometimes the networks wouldn't really roll with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-like-to-think-that-i-m-a-populist-entertainer-but-i-m-a-little-bit/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [During my study of happiness, I noticed something that surprised me: I often learn more from one person's highly idiosyncratic experiences than I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/during-my-study-of-happiness-i-noticed-something-that-surprised-me-i/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [While photography is the easiest medium in which to be competent, it is the hardest in which to develop an idiosyncratic personal vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/while-photography-is-the-easiest-medium-in-which-to-be-competent-it/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) ## More by Nassim Nicholas Taleb > [To become a philosopher, start by walking very slowly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/to-become-a-philosopher-start-by-walking-very-slowly/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wittgenstein's ruler: Unless you have confidence in the ruler's reliability, if you use a ruler to measure a table you may also be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/wittgenstein-s-ruler-unless-you-have-confidence-in-the-ruler-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [My nightmare scenario is that the government saves Citibank once again, as well as the other banks, and business resumes as usual. Then, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-nightmare-scenario-is-that-the-government-saves-citibank-once/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Using, as an excuse, others' failure of common sense is in itself a failure of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/using-as-an-excuse-others-failure-of-common-sense-is-in-itself-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [You know, children philosophize more than adults - and they are critical of adults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-know-children-philosophize-more-than-adults-and-they-are-critical/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Suckers think that you cure greed with money, addiction with substances, expert problems with experts, banking with bankers, economics with economists, and debt crises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/suckers-think-that-you-cure-greed-with-money-addiction-with/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“One needs to go out and buy a lottery ticket in order to win. Does it mean that the work involved in the trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/one-needs-to-go-out-and-buy-a-lottery-ticket-in-order-to-win-does-it/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Individuals should think about the worst-case scenarios and plan for them. The world will be crazier than you think it will be. Put money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/individuals-should-think-about-the-worst-case-scenarios-and-plan-for/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“If you are looking for your misplaced wallet in your living room, in a trial and error mode, you exercise rationality by not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-are-looking-for-your-misplaced-wallet-in-your-living-room-in-a/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Most humans manage to squander their free time, as free time makes them dysfunctional, lazy, and unmotivated—the busier they get, the more active they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/most-humans-manage-to-squander-their-free-time-as-free-time-makes/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We learn the most from fools ... yet we pay them back with the worst ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-learn-the-most-from-fools-yet-we-pay-them-back-with-the-worst/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [We are victims of the post-Enlightenment view that the world functions like a sophisticated machine, to be understood like a textbook engineering problem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/we-are-victims-of-the-post-enlightenment-view-that-the-world/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“loss of bone density and degradation of the health of the bones also causes aging, diabetes, and, for males, loss of fertility and sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/loss-of-bone-density-and-degradation-of-the-health-of-the-bones-also/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“It takes a huge investment in introspection to learn that the thirty or more hours spent “studying” the news last month neither had any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/it-takes-a-huge-investment-in-introspection-to-learn-that-the-thirty/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) [Explore all 635 Nassim Nicholas Taleb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) ## More Being yourself quotes > [Make-up can't cover up an ugly personality!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-up-can-t-cover-up-an-ugly-personality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [There is nothing to do, just be. Do nothing. Be. No climbing mountains and sitting in caves. I do not even say "be yourself"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/there-is-nothing-to-do-just-be-do-nothing-be-no-climbing-mountains/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [The thing about a pick-up line is, even if it works, then what? I just figure you unapologetically be yourself, and if it works,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skylar-astin/the-thing-about-a-pick-up-line-is-even-if-it-works-then-what-i-just/) [Skylar Astin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skylar-astin/) > [Say to yourself: 'Living essentially to please others is a monumental mistake.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-robinson/say-to-yourself-living-essentially-to-please-others-is-a-monumental/) [George Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-robinson/) > [About all you can do in life is be who you are. Some people will love you for you. Most will love you for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mae-brown/about-all-you-can-do-in-life-is-be-who-you-are-some-people-will-love/) [Rita Mae Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mae-brown/) > [If you don't feel free and be yourself, you can't connect. Find people who accept your quirks. They'll heal your soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/if-you-don-t-feel-free-and-be-yourself-you-can-t-connect-find-people/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Give yourself a chance to live because nobody will live it for you when you die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-yourself-a-chance-to-live-because-nobody-will-live-it-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not pretty,I'm not smart.I'm not perfect and some people don't think I'm worth it.But if you look inside and see,you will see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-price/i-m-not-pretty-i-m-not-smart-i-m-not-perfect-and-some-people-don-t/) [Lexi Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-price/) > [Your not born knowing what sex you like because you don't know what your feelings are, then before you know what sex you like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brown/your-not-born-knowing-what-sex-you-like-because-you-don-t-know-what/) [Charlie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brown/) > [You can't be everything to everyone. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who thinks differently. So concentrate on doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kitavi/you-can-t-be-everything-to-everyone-no-matter-what-you-do-there-will/) [Jonathan Kitavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kitavi/) > [The clashes of people and the clashes of cultures have assisted me in learning the openness you have to be a part of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kissey/the-clashes-of-people-and-the-clashes-of-cultures-have-assisted-me-in/) [Kissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kissey/) > [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [“If you're the smartest person in the room, you might wanna switch rooms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-newby/if-you-re-the-smartest-person-in-the-room-you-might-wanna-switch-rooms/) [Sabrina Newby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-newby/) > [Stop trying to impress other and start impressing yourself !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kale-bell/stop-trying-to-impress-other-and-start-impressing-yourself/) [Kale Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kale-bell/) [Browse all 1,461 Being yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-yourself/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic; the collective (school, rules, jobs, technology) wants you generic to the point of castration.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-the-collective-school-rules/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-the-collective-school-rules/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f1d/nassim-nicholas-taleb-352_being-yourself_you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-th_2222308.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic; the collective (school, rules, jobs, technology) wants you generic…” — Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "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": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You want to be yourself, idiosyncratic;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-the-collective-school-rules/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/you-want-to-be-yourself-idiosyncratic-the-collective-school-rules/#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 } } ] } ```