--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conformity is the last refuge of the…" description: "\"Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg" --- # Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive ![“Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg) > “Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conformity signals a lack of imagination, limiting originality. **In simple terms:** Following the crowd shows limited imagination. Key Takeaway Embrace originality over conformity. Themes conformity imagination individuality Mood critical reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - entrepreneurship - social activism Key Concepts creative thinking social pressure Questions to Reflect On - How does conformity hinder creativity? - When can conformity be useful? A Different Perspective May ignore benefits of social cohesion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Conformity Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-refuge-3993615/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Refuge Unimaginitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge-unimaginitive-3993616/) ## Related quotes > [Ambition is the last refuge of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/ambition-is-the-last-refuge-of-failure/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Sincerity is the last refuge of the shallow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/sincerity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-shallow/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Seriousness is the last refuge of the shallow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/seriousness-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-shallow/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Crying is the refuge of plain women but the ruin of pretty ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/crying-is-the-refuge-of-plain-women-but-the-ruin-of-pretty-ones/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Ambition is the last refuge of the failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/ambition-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-failure/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I have always been of the opinion that hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-have-always-been-of-the-opinion-that-hard-work-is-simply-the-refuge/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/work-is-the-refuge-of-people-who-have-nothing-better-to-do/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Indeed I have always been of the opinion that hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/indeed-i-have-always-been-of-the-opinion-that-hard-work-is-simply-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Consistency is the last refuge of the unimagininative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/consistency-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-unimagininative/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/seriousness-is-the-only-refuge-of-the-shallow/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [In a machine age, dressmaking is one of the last refuges of the human, the personal, the inimitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-dior/in-a-machine-age-dressmaking-is-one-of-the-last-refuges-of-the-human/) [Christian Dior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-dior/) > [Historical analogy is the last refuge of people who can't grasp the current situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/historical-analogy-is-the-last-refuge-of-people-who-can-t-grasp-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sarcasm is the last refuge of the imaginatively bankrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/sarcasm-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-imaginatively-bankrupt/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [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/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-unimaginitive/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conformity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-unimaginitive/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/898/oscar-wilde-16_conformity_conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-uni_2881098.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Conformity is the last refuge of the unimaginitive” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Conformity is the last refuge of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-unimaginitive/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/conformity-is-the-last-refuge-of-the-unimaginitive/#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 } } ] } ```