--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am neither for conformity nor…" description: "\"I am neither for conformity nor non-conformity. I am for individuality. If one's individuality is in effect non-conformity, then so be it. But basicall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg" --- # I am neither for conformity nor non-conformity. I am for… ![“I am neither for conformity nor non-conformity. I am for individuality. If one's individuality is in effect non-conformity, then so be it. But basically, one's individuality consists of conformity--to one's self.” quote by Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg) > “I am neither for conformity nor non-conformity. I am for individuality. If one's individuality is in effect non-conformity, then so be it. But basically, one's individuality consists of conformity--to one's self.” [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True individuality means being true to oneself, which may appear as conformity to personal values. **In simple terms:** Being yourself may look like conformity to self. Key Takeaway Embrace personal authenticity over external labels. Themes individuality philosophy self‑identity Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal decisions - creative work - social interactions Key Concepts authenticity non‑conformity self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does being true to yourself look like? - Can conformity to self be limiting? A Different Perspective Societal pressure can blur self‑perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Conformity Basically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-basically-804370/) [Conformity Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-individuality-804369/) [Conformity Non](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-non-804368/) [Conformity Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity-self-734761/) [Identity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identity/) [Individuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individuality/) [Non conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-conformity/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [“These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/these-are-the-voices-which-we-hear-in-solitude-but-they-grow-faint/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/these-are-the-voices-which-we-hear-in-solitude-but-they-grow-faint-4/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members. Society is a joint-stock company, in which the members agree, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/society-everywhere-is-in-conspiracy-against-the-manhood-of-everyone/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [These are the voices which we hear in solitude, but they grow faint and inaudible as we enter into the world. Society everywhere is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/these-are-the-voices-which-we-hear-in-solitude-but-they-grow-faint-3/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [To be original, or different, is felt to be "dangerous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/to-be-original-or-different-is-felt-to-be-dangerous/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [One must never forbid oneself anything. One must also be able to go back, one must always be able to change...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hartung/one-must-never-forbid-oneself-anything-one-must-also-be-able-to-go/) [Hans Hartung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hartung/) > [All my work keeps going like a pendulum; it seems to swing back to something I was involved with earlier, or it moves between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-krasner/all-my-work-keeps-going-like-a-pendulum-it-seems-to-swing-back-to/) [Lee Krasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-krasner/) > [I like him. I have a weakness for losers. Invalids, foreigners, the fat boy of the class, the ones nobody ever wants to dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-eg/i-like-him-i-have-a-weakness-for-losers-invalids-foreigners-the-fat/) [Peter Høeg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-eg/) > [Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/had-i-not-created-my-whole-world-i-would-certainly-have-died-in-other/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [... I stare into the fridge. Like a mirrored image of myself. Cold and empty, and the lights come on only when you open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallgr-mur-helgason/i-stare-into-the-fridge-like-a-mirrored-image-of-myself-cold-and/) [Hallgrimur Helgason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallgr-mur-helgason/) > [One day you're there and then all of a sudden, there's less of you. And you wonder where that part went. If it's living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-moss/one-day-you-re-there-and-then-all-of-a-sudden-there-s-less-of-you-and/) [Elisabeth Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-moss/) > [Non-conformity is the only real passion worth being ruled by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/non-conformity-is-the-only-real-passion-worth-being-ruled-by/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) > [The American people...have a stake in non-conformity. For they know that the American genius is non-conformist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-steele-commager/the-american-people-have-a-stake-in-non-conformity-for-they-know-that/) [Henry Steele Commager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-steele-commager/) > [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/) ## More by Paul Krassner > [For years, reality has been nipping at the heels of satire. Now, it's finally caught up. I don't need to make this stuff up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/for-years-reality-has-been-nipping-at-the-heels-of-satire-now-it-s/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [Irreverence is our only sacred cow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/irreverence-is-our-only-sacred-cow/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [The more repression there is, the more need there is for irreverence toward those who are responsible for that repression. But too often sarcasm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/the-more-repression-there-is-the-more-need-there-is-for-irreverence/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [Since I was both an atheist and an absurdist, I had decided that the most absurd thing I could do would be to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/since-i-was-both-an-atheist-and-an-absurdist-i-had-decided-that-the/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [Watch yourself as though you were observing a Martian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/watch-yourself-as-though-you-were-observing-a-martian/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [I had become an atheist at the age of thirteen, when atomic bombs were dropped on Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-had-become-an-atheist-at-the-age-of-thirteen-when-atomic-bombs-were/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [There is indeed a business like show business. It's the news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/there-is-indeed-a-business-like-show-business-it-s-the-news/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [Avoid internalizing society's sexism, racism, ageism - pick an ism, any ism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/avoid-internalizing-society-s-sexism-racism-ageism-pick-an-ism-any-ism/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [As long as the government can arbitrarily decide which substances are legal and which are illegal, then those who remain behind bars for illegal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/as-long-as-the-government-can-arbitrarily-decide-which-substances-are/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [People don't like to be lectured to, but if you can make them laugh, their defenses come down, and for the time being they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/people-don-t-like-to-be-lectured-to-but-if-you-can-make-them-laugh/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [“If you must give me a label, then label me a human being. I have no pride in being a human, though, because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/if-you-must-give-me-a-label-then-label-me-a-human-being-i-have-no/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [“False humility is better than no humility at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/false-humility-is-better-than-no-humility-at-all/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [I guess I'm a spiritual secularist, if that's not an oxymoron. My paths of secularism and spirituality are the same: I try to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-guess-i-m-a-spiritual-secularist-if-that-s-not-an-oxymoron-my-paths/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [ I think \[audiences are\] more aware now of the contradictions in mainstream culture, the phony piety that permeates society, the inhumane hypocrisy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-think-audiences-are-more-aware-now-of-the-contradictions-in/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) > [“Listen to the speeches, one after another telling the audience what it already knows, evoking applause with necessary cliches, no longer shocking anybody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/listen-to-the-speeches-one-after-another-telling-the-audience-what-it/) [Paul Krassner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) [Explore all 19 Paul Krassner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/) ## 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": "I am neither for conformity nor non-conformity. I am for individuality. If one's individuality is in effect non-conformity, then so be it. But basically, one's individuality consists of conformity--to one's self.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Krassner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conformity-i-am-for-individuality/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conformity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conformity-i-am-for-individuality/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d4/paul-krassner-28399_conformity_i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conf_856199.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am neither for conformity nor non-conformity. I am for individuality. If one's individuality is in effect…” — Paul Krassner", "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 Krassner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krassner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I am neither for conformity nor...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conformity-i-am-for-individuality/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krassner/i-am-neither-for-conformity-nor-non-conformity-i-am-for-individuality/#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 } } ] } ```