--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a society where the roles everyone…" description: "\"In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious, the refusal to conform to any standard will excite interest. Be both masculine and feminine, i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/robert-greene-498_acceptable_in-a-society-where-the-roles-everyone-pl_1151452.png" --- # In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious… ![“In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious, the refusal to conform to any standard will excite interest. Be both masculine and feminine, impudent and charming, subtle and outrageous. Let other people worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen, and you are…” quote by Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/robert-greene-498_acceptable_in-a-society-where-the-roles-everyone-pl_1151452.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/robert-greene-498_acceptable_in-a-society-where-the-roles-everyone-pl_1151452.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd8/robert-greene-498_acceptable_in-a-society-where-the-roles-everyone-pl_1151452.png) > “In a society where the roles everyone plays are obvious, the refusal to conform to any standard will excite interest. Be both masculine and feminine, impudent and charming, subtle and outrageous. Let other people worry about being socially acceptable; those types are a dime a dozen, and you are after a power greater than they can imagine.” [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rejecting social norms draws attention and creates a unique power that transcends ordinary acceptance. **In simple terms:** Nonconformity attracts interest and power. Key Takeaway Embrace paradoxical traits to stand out. Themes individualism power identity social norms creativity Mood confident defiant Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - leadership - personal branding - artistic expression - social activism Key Concepts psychology strategy self‑presentation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance authenticity with social cooperation? - What risks arise from constantly defying expectations? A Different Perspective Nonconformity can alienate allies and invite conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feminine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminine/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Masculine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculine/) [Masculine and feminine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masculine-and-feminine/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [“I think he is the ornament of society! Oh, there is not just one role for the artist in society. He has many roles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-taylor/i-think-he-is-the-ornament-of-society-oh-there-is-not-just-one-role/) [Peter Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-taylor/) > [Working mothers are just as likely to want to conform to a standard of perfection and just as likely to suffer from their failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-m-marshall/working-mothers-are-just-as-likely-to-want-to-conform-to-a-standard/) Melinda M Marshall > [When we awaken the love for God, that love naturally extends toward every living being. Also, the concept of Krishna and Radha, the masculine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/when-we-awaken-the-love-for-god-that-love-naturally-extends-toward/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [Design is a matter of balancing different needs and outlooks-practical and aesthetic, masculine and feminine, designer and client, dream and reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-hampton/design-is-a-matter-of-balancing-different-needs-and-outlooks/) Alexa Hampton > [“Woman's fear of the female Self, of the experience of the numinous archetypal Feminine, becomes comprehensible when we get a glimpse - or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-neumann/woman-s-fear-of-the-female-self-of-the-experience-of-the-numinous/) [Erich Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-neumann/) > [I like the idea of paradox, between the authentic fabrics and sophisticated shapes and between masculine and feminine. I'm not so much for sportswear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedi-slimane/i-like-the-idea-of-paradox-between-the-authentic-fabrics-and/) [Hedi Slimane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedi-slimane/) > [The Pentacle - The ancients envisioned their world in two halves - masculine and feminine. Their gods and goddesses worked to keep a balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-pentacle-the-ancients-envisioned-their-world-in-two-halves/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I would put all the efforts to humanize the "masculine" and "feminine" gender roles that are the beginning of a false human hierarchy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-would-put-all-the-efforts-to-humanize-the-masculine-and-feminine/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [A real woman understands that man was created to be the initiator, and she operates on that premise. This is primarily a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/a-real-woman-understands-that-man-was-created-to-be-the-initiator-and/) [Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/) > [By healing our internal divisions and fully accepting ourselves as we are, we learn to accept and empower our sexual core, and we learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/by-healing-our-internal-divisions-and-fully-accepting-ourselves-as-we/) [David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/) > [Ideally, people find mates with whom they can express both their masculine and feminine sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bakula/ideally-people-find-mates-with-whom-they-can-express-both-their/) [Scott Bakula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bakula/) > [Masculine and feminine roles are not biologically fixed but socially constructed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/masculine-and-feminine-roles-are-not-biologically-fixed-but-socially/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [The original languages didn't even have he and she. They didn't have concepts of masculine and feminine. People were people. And the whole idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-original-languages-didn-t-even-have-he-and-she-they-didn-t-have/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think of masculine and feminine energy like two sides to a battery. There's a plus side and a minus side, and in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/i-think-of-masculine-and-feminine-energy-like-two-sides-to-a-battery/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [What makes a gay icon is someone who possesses both masculine and feminine qualities simultaneously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/what-makes-a-gay-icon-is-someone-who-possesses-both-masculine-and/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) ## More by Robert Greene > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I'm afraid I'm just too intense to have soft ideas, you know, about what to read when you're trying to pass the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-m-afraid-i-m-just-too-intense-to-have-soft-ideas-you-know-about/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [You are facing death and danger and competition, but at any moment, you can decide to have a fearless mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/you-are-facing-death-and-danger-and-competition-but-at-any-moment-you/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Let me spell it out: with the psychotic boss, nothing you do is ever quite right. They set traps, asking you to do things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-me-spell-it-out-with-the-psychotic-boss-nothing-you-do-is-ever/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Evil or manipulative people don't need a book, they just do it anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/evil-or-manipulative-people-don-t-need-a-book-they-just-do-it-anyway/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Everybody knows what they were kind of drawn towards or what they're gifted at and it's more of courage and looking at yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/everybody-knows-what-they-were-kind-of-drawn-towards-or-what-they-re/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Remember: your bosses prefer to keep you in dependent positions. It is in their interest that you do not become self-reliant, and so they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/remember-your-bosses-prefer-to-keep-you-in-dependent-positions-it-is/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I want to be able to write, that's my first love and I don't want to deviate from it even though I probably could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-want-to-be-able-to-write-that-s-my-first-love-and-i-don-t-want-to/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [It's sometimes hard to talk about politics and art. Obviously, I have my core beliefs, but I think art is best when it's troublesome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-s-sometimes-hard-to-talk-about-politics-and-art-obviously-i-have/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [If you change and adapt your persona, you are seen as inauthentic; if you stay the angry young man, you fade from attention or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/if-you-change-and-adapt-your-persona-you-are-seen-as-inauthentic-if/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Your energy, your spirit are important considerations. Feeling petty and frustrated can have reverberating consequences for your ability to think strategically and reach your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/your-energy-your-spirit-are-important-considerations-feeling-petty/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [Fear creates its own self-fulfilling dynamic- as people give into it, they lose energy and momentum. Their lack of confidence translates into inaction that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/fear-creates-its-own-self-fulfilling-dynamic-as-people-give-into-it/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [What I like about the internet, what I see there is that its much more democratic. I have much more control, and if what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/what-i-like-about-the-internet-what-i-see-there-is-that-its-much-more/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“It is hard for us to imagine now, but our earliest human ancestors who ventured out onto the grasslands of East Africa some six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/it-is-hard-for-us-to-imagine-now-but-our-earliest-human-ancestors-who/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“Let us call this quality the Original Mind. This mind looked at the world more directly—not through words and received ideas. It was flexible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/let-us-call-this-quality-the-original-mind-this-mind-looked-at-the/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) [Explore all 511 Robert Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) ## More Acceptable quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [I remember being a kid and seeing the 'National Inquirer' at the grocery store checkout line. 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It furnishes examples of holy living, and displays…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-study-of-freemasonry-is-the-study-of-man-as-a-candidate-for-a/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/) Sally Struthers > [We cannot guess the outcome of our actions... Which is why our actions must always be acceptable in themselves, and not as strategies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-heilbrun/we-cannot-guess-the-outcome-of-our-actions-which-is-why-our-actions/) [Carolyn Heilbrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-heilbrun/) > [In any case, open-seat presidential elections like 2008 just are different in character from incumbent reelects, and I think that's the most important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kristol/in-any-case-open-seat-presidential-elections-like-2008-just-are/) [William Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kristol/) > [It's horrible how money and fame can make you acceptable while, if you're not famous or rich, you're not acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-tonioli/it-s-horrible-how-money-and-fame-can-make-you-acceptable-while-if-you/) [Bruno Tonioli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-tonioli/) > [I disagree with the prevailing point of view of some black leaders that special treatment for blacks is acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-thomas/i-disagree-with-the-prevailing-point-of-view-of-some-black-leaders/) [Clarence Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-thomas/) > [We get used to a certain kind of colour of form or format, and it's acceptable. 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