---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our lives our guided by that general…"
description: "\"Our lives our guided by that general conception of the course of things which has been created by society for social purposes.\" — William Kingdon Clifford"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg"
---

#  Our lives our guided by that general conception of the…

![“Our lives our guided by that general conception of the course of things which has been created by society for social purposes.” quote by William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg)

> “Our lives our guided by that general conception of the course of things which has been created by society for social purposes.”

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Society shapes our worldview to serve collective purposes, influencing how we interpret events.

**In simple terms:** Society creates shared ideas for social goals.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and question socially imposed narratives.

Themes

philosophy society perception

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- education
- media consumption
- community dialogue

Key Concepts

social constructivism norms collective meaning

Questions to Reflect On

- What societal beliefs shape your decisions?
- How can you challenge them?

A Different Perspective

Social constructs can limit individual critical thought.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/)

## Related quotes

> [Freedom of opinion is like health; both are individual, and no good general conception can be set up of either of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/freedom-of-opinion-is-like-health-both-are-individual-and-no-good/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [If we created a society based on love, it would be a society without exploitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/if-we-created-a-society-based-on-love-it-would-be-a-society-without/)

[Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/)

> [I guess as far as leftists are concerned, the United States can't qualify as a 'cultured society' simply because we've actually created a society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/i-guess-as-far-as-leftists-are-concerned-the-united-states-can-t/)

[Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/)

> [“we simply can't drop everything and run away, can we?' A warm wind kicked up, ruffling through his thick, dark hair. Very softly, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/we-simply-can-t-drop-everything-and-run-away-can-we-a-warm-wind/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [Haters is something created by society to make original people stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/just-me/haters-is-something-created-by-society-to-make-original-people/)

[Just Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/just-me/)

> [We have always understood that the foundations of the family, as an eternal unit, were laid even before this earth was created! Society without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/we-have-always-understood-that-the-foundations-of-the-family-as-an/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [The value of a dollar is social, as it is created by society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-value-of-a-dollar-is-social-as-it-is-created-by-society/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Our success as a nation is not measured by how many years we have governed or how many wars we have won. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morgan/our-success-as-a-nation-is-not-measured-by-how-many-years-we-have/)

Matthew Morgan

> [But we have created a society that does not allow opportunities for those people to take care of themselves because we have denied them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/but-we-have-created-a-society-that-does-not-allow-opportunities-for/)

[Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/)

> [“I was created, then the Society ordered the destruction of all mods. The day after I was born, the date of my death was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/i-was-created-then-the-society-ordered-the-destruction-of-all-mods/)

[Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/)

> [“You have created a society in which it is very not okay to want to die—very not okay to be very okay with death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/you-have-created-a-society-in-which-it-is-very-not-okay-to-want-to/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

> [We have created a society where individual rights and freedoms, compassion and diversity are core to our citizenship. But underlying that idea of Canada…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/we-have-created-a-society-where-individual-rights-and-freedoms/)

[Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/)

> [Better rooms better furniture, better objects d'art can only be created for a society interested in living - not existing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-day-truex/better-rooms-better-furniture-better-objects-d-art-can-only-be/)

[Van Day Truex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-day-truex/)

> [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974

## More by William Kingdon Clifford

> [The rule which should guide us in such cases is simple and obvious enough: that the aggregate testimony of our neighbours is subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/the-rule-which-should-guide-us-in-such-cases-is-simple-and-obvious/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [We feel much happier and more secure when we think we know precisely what to do, no matter what happens, then when we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-feel-much-happier-and-more-secure-when-we-think-we-know-precisely/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [All our liberties are due to men who, when their conscience has compelled them, have broken the laws of the land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/all-our-liberties-are-due-to-men-who-when-their-conscience-has/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [To consider only one other such witness: the followers of the Buddha have at least as much right to appeal to individual and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-consider-only-one-other-such-witness-the-followers-of-the-buddha/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [No simplicity of mind, no obscurity of station, can escape the universal duty of questioning all that we believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/no-simplicity-of-mind-no-obscurity-of-station-can-escape-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [“ Newton supposed that the case of the planet was similar to that of \[a ball spun around on the end of an elastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/newton-supposed-that-the-case-of-the-planet-was-similar-to-that-of-a/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [To sum up: it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-sum-up-it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-anyone-to-believe/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [He who truly believes that which prompts him to an action has looked upon the action to lust after it, he has committed it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/he-who-truly-believes-that-which-prompts-him-to-an-action-has-looked/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [“ Euclid 's Elements has been for nearly twenty-two centuries the encouragement and guide of that scientific thought which is one thing with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/euclid-s-elements-has-been-for-nearly-twenty-two-centuries-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [We may always depend on it that algebra, which cannot be translated into good English and sound common sense, is bad algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/we-may-always-depend-on-it-that-algebra-which-cannot-be-translated/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [There is one thing in the world more wicked than the desire to command, and that is the will to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/there-is-one-thing-in-the-world-more-wicked-than-the-desire-to/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [To know all about anything is to know how to deal with it under all circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/to-know-all-about-anything-is-to-know-how-to-deal-with-it-under-all/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [Thought is powerless, except it make something outside of itself: the thought which conquers the world is not contemplative but active.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/thought-is-powerless-except-it-make-something-outside-of-itself-the/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

> [“In like manner, if I let myself believe anything on insufficient evidence, there may be no great harm done by the mere belief; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/in-like-manner-if-i-let-myself-believe-anything-on-insufficient-2/)

[William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

[Explore all 38 William Kingdon Clifford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/)

## More Community quotes

> [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/)

[Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/)

> [The strains and stresses suffered by the individual in society are grounded in the normal functioning of that society (and of the individual!) rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-marcuse/the-strains-and-stresses-suffered-by-the-individual-in-society-are/)

[Herbert Marcuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-marcuse/)

> [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/)

[Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/)

[Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/)

> [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/)

[Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/)

> [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/)

[Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/)

> [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/)

[Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/)

> [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/)

Sheila Kamerman

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [Perhaps the greatest and least visible form of impoverishment caused by the Corporate State is the destruction of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-a-reich/perhaps-the-greatest-and-least-visible-form-of-impoverishment-caused/)

[Charles A. Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/)

[Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Our lives our guided by that general conception of the course of things which has been created by society for social purposes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Kingdon Clifford"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-conception-of-the-course-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Community"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-conception-of-the-course-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/089/william-kingdon-clifford-17148_community_our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-con_2139782.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Our lives our guided by that general conception of the course of things which has been created by society…” — William Kingdon Clifford",
                "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": "William Kingdon Clifford",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Our lives our guided by that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-conception-of-the-course-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/our-lives-our-guided-by-that-general-conception-of-the-course-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```