--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When a village ceases to be a community…" description: "\"When a village ceases to be a community, it becomes oppressive in its narrow conformity. So one becomes an individual and migrates to the city. There, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg" --- # When a village ceases to be a community, it becomes… ![“When a village ceases to be a community, it becomes oppressive in its narrow conformity. So one becomes an individual and migrates to the city. There, finding others like-minded, one re-establishes a village community. Nowadays only New Yorkers are yokels.” quote by Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg) > “When a village ceases to be a community, it becomes oppressive in its narrow conformity. So one becomes an individual and migrates to the city. There, finding others like-minded, one re-establishes a village community. Nowadays only New Yorkers are yokels.” [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a village loses its communal spirit, it becomes oppressive; individuals seek individuality in cities, forming new like‑minded communities. **In simple terms:** Loss of community leads to conformity; people create new groups elsewhere. Key Takeaway Seek authentic community, not forced conformity. Themes community individuality conformity urbanization Mood reflective critical hopeful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - urban migration - forming clubs - online forums - neighborhood revitalization Key Concepts social dynamics identity formation collective behavior Questions to Reflect On - What defines a genuine community? - How can we balance individuality with belonging? A Different Perspective New groups may replicate old hierarchies, limiting true freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cease/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Community Nowadays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community-nowadays-4188764/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Establishes Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/establishes-village-4188763/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Migrate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migrate/) [New yorkers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-yorkers/) [Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village/) [Village Ceases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village-ceases-4188762/) [Village Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village-community-4188761/) ## Related quotes > [I love the energy of Islington, the variety of things you can see, taste and buy, the number of young people around you all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/i-love-the-energy-of-islington-the-variety-of-things-you-can-see/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [What is left that only the family can do? According to the new economy - nothing. The leading view today is 'It Takes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/what-is-left-that-only-the-family-can-do-according-to-the-new-economy/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [“More than ever, Romanians are suffering from back problems: back from Spain, back from Italy and back from France.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristian-calin/more-than-ever-romanians-are-suffering-from-back-problems-back-from/) [Cristian Calin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristian-calin/) > [When excesses such as lax lending standards become widespread and persist for some time, people are lulled into a false sense of security, creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-klarman/when-excesses-such-as-lax-lending-standards-become-widespread-and/) [Seth Klarman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-klarman/) > [Whom can I ask what I came to make happen in this world? Why do I move without wanting to, why am I not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/whom-can-i-ask-what-i-came-to-make-happen-in-this-world-why-do-i-move/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [Indeed, we have reached a level of complexity where simplicity itself is suspect. For example, the simple reality is that jobs migrate to less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/indeed-we-have-reached-a-level-of-complexity-where-simplicity-itself/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) > [Inwardness is the characteristic feature of the vegetable rather than the animal approach to existence. The animals move, migrate and swarm, while plants hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/inwardness-is-the-characteristic-feature-of-the-vegetable-rather-than/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The real stars of society are tired of appearing there. He who is curious to gaze at them must often migrate to another hemisphere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-real-stars-of-society-are-tired-of-appearing-there-he-who-is/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Don't Migrate, Get money and live great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/londa-ntombela/don-t-migrate-get-money-and-live-great/) [Londa Ntombela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/londa-ntombela/) > [More than ever, I feel that the human race is one. There are differences of colour, language, culture and opportunities, but people's feelings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastiao-salgado/more-than-ever-i-feel-that-the-human-race-is-one-there-are/) [Sebastiao Salgado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastiao-salgado/) > [I feel like everyone directs their own career according to their taste, what they migrate to emotionally and what kind of artists they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/i-feel-like-everyone-directs-their-own-career-according-to-their/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [I do not believe that all books will or should migrate onto screens: as Douglas Adams once pointed out to me, more than 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-do-not-believe-that-all-books-will-or-should-migrate-onto-screens-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [And then, the Earth being small, mankind will migrate into space, and will cross the airless Saharas which separate planet from planet and sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-winwood-reade/and-then-the-earth-being-small-mankind-will-migrate-into-space-and/) [William Winwood Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-winwood-reade/) > [There is no such thing as a Difficult Piece. A piece is either impossible - or it is easy. The process whereby it migrates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kentner/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-difficult-piece-a-piece-is-either/) [Louis Kentner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kentner/) > [The soul of the truly benevolent man does not seem to reside much in his own body. Its life, to a great extent, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/the-soul-of-the-truly-benevolent-man-does-not-seem-to-reside-much-in/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) ## More by Paul Goodman > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [When there is official censorship it is a sign that speech is serious. Where there is none, it is pretty certain that the official…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-there-is-official-censorship-it-is-a-sign-that-speech-is-serious/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Freud pointed out, in his Problem of Lay Analysis, that it is extremely unlikely that a young man who would throw the best years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/freud-pointed-out-in-his-problem-of-lay-analysis-that-it-is-extremely/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [It is by losing himself in the objective, in inquiry, creation, and craft, that a man becomes something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/it-is-by-losing-himself-in-the-objective-in-inquiry-creation-and/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [All men are creative but few are artists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/all-men-are-creative-but-few-are-artists/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Thwarted, or starved, in the important objects proper to young capacities, the boys and young men naturally find or invent deviant objects for themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/thwarted-or-starved-in-the-important-objects-proper-to-young/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [We do not need to be able to say what "human nature" is in order to be able to say that some training is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/we-do-not-need-to-be-able-to-say-what-human-nature-is-in-order-to-be/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Not to teach the whole curriculum is to give up on the whole man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/not-to-teach-the-whole-curriculum-is-to-give-up-on-the-whole-man/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [An obstacle is something you see when you take your eyes off the goal Few great men could pass personnel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/an-obstacle-is-something-you-see-when-you-take-your-eyes-off-the-goal/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [The stultifying effect of the movies is not that the children see them but that their parents do, as if Hollywood provided a plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-stultifying-effect-of-the-movies-is-not-that-the-children-see/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [“As our organized system perfects itself, there is less "open" environment. It is hard for a social animal to grow when there is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/as-our-organized-system-perfects-itself-there-is-less-open/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [The ancient dream of man to fly among the stars and go through the could and look down on the lands and seas has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-ancient-dream-of-man-to-fly-among-the-stars-and-go-through-the/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [When the sciences are supreme, average people lose their feeling of causality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-the-sciences-are-supreme-average-people-lose-their-feeling-of/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [We define boredom as the pain a person feels when he's doing nothing or something irrelevant, instead of something he wants to do but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/we-define-boredom-as-the-pain-a-person-feels-when-he-s-doing-nothing/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) [Explore all 88 Paul Goodman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) ## More Cease quotes > [So long as we fear the outside world, we must cease to think of Swaraj.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/so-long-as-we-fear-the-outside-world-we-must-cease-to-think-of-swaraj/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [In the name of Jerusalem. If I forget the extermination of the Jews, may my right hand wither, may my tongue stick to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menachem-begin/in-the-name-of-jerusalem-if-i-forget-the-extermination-of-the-jews/) [Menachem Begin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menachem-begin/) > [But if you will recall the history of our civil troubles, you will see half the nation bathe itself, out of piety, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-diderot/but-if-you-will-recall-the-history-of-our-civil-troubles-you-will-see/) [Denis Diderot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-diderot/) > [Metallica's the only band i've ever been in. I'm not sure that when it ends in five, ten years, I'm going to put an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lars-ulrich/metallica-s-the-only-band-i-ve-ever-been-in-i-m-not-sure-that-when-it/) [Lars Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lars-ulrich/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) [Nicholas Roerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-roerich/) > [Without a function, we cease to be. So, I will write till I die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/without-a-function-we-cease-to-be-so-i-will-write-till-i-die/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) > [We have won an armistice on a single battlefield, not peace in our world. We may not now relax our guard nor cease our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/we-have-won-an-armistice-on-a-single-battlefield-not-peace-in-our/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [My child, seek those things which make for peace. Cease to stir up the King against the Church, and urge upon him a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-child-seek-those-things-which-make-for-peace-cease-to-stir-up-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To write is to make oneself the echo of what cannot cease speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/to-write-is-to-make-oneself-the-echo-of-what-cannot-cease-speaking/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [When fear ceases to scare you, it cannot stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/when-fear-ceases-to-scare-you-it-cannot-stay/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [We may argue eloquently that 'Honesty is the best Policy' - unfortunately, the moment honesty is adopted for the sake of policy it mysteriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/we-may-argue-eloquently-that-honesty-is-the-best-policy-unfortunately/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [He who ceases to pray ceases to prosper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurney-benham/he-who-ceases-to-pray-ceases-to-prosper/) [William Gurney Benham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurney-benham/) > [For we must share, if we would keep, that blessing from above; ceasing to give, we cease to have; such is the law of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chenevix-trench/for-we-must-share-if-we-would-keep-that-blessing-from-above-ceasing/) [Richard Chenevix Trench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chenevix-trench/) > [When men are unhappy, they do not imagine they can ever cease to be so; and when some calamity has fallen on them, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-men-are-unhappy-they-do-not-imagine-they-can-ever-cease-to-be-so/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) [Browse all 1,358 Cease quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cease/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When a village ceases to be a community, it becomes oppressive in its narrow conformity. So one becomes an individual and migrates to the city. There, finding others like-minded, one re-establishes a village community. Nowadays only New Yorkers are yokels.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Goodman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community-it-becomes-oppressive-in-its/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cease" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community-it-becomes-oppressive-in-its/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/paul-goodman-7755_cease_when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community_2099576.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When a village ceases to be a community, it becomes oppressive in its narrow conformity. So one becomes an…” — Paul Goodman", "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": "Paul Goodman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When a village ceases to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community-it-becomes-oppressive-in-its/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/when-a-village-ceases-to-be-a-community-it-becomes-oppressive-in-its/#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 } } ] } ```