SubCulture Quotes
"In any culture, subculture, or family in which belief is valued above thought, and self-surrender is valued above self-expression, and conformity is valued above integrity, those who preserve their self-esteem are likely to be heroic exceptions" Nathaniel Branden
"The masses have their heads on backwards. If you want to get things right, first look at how they think and behave, and consider going the opposite way." - Lama Drom Tonpa
"The first step toward change is awareness. The second is acceptance.“ Nathaniel Branden
"Be content to seem what you really are.“ Marcus Aurelius
"I've learned to trust myself, to listen to truth, to not be afraid of it and to not try and hide it. “ Sarah McLachlan
Whatever the public blames your for, cultivate it; it is yourself. “ Jean Cocteau
"When two cultures collide is the only time when true suffering exists. “ Herman Hesse
"That is true culture which helps us to work for the social betterment of all. “ Henry Ward Beecher
"A man should be just cultured enough to be able to look with suspicion upon culture. “ Samuel Butler
"Are not the processes of culture rapidly creating a class of supercilious infidels, who believe in nothing? Shall a man lose himself in countless masses of adjustments, and be so shaped with reference to this, that, and the other, that the simply good and healthy and brave parts of him are reduced and clipp'd away, like the bordering of a box in a garden? “ Walt Whitman
"No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive. “ Mahatma Ghandi
"Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? “ Ernest Gaines
"If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him." “ John F. Kennedy
"People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist." “ Daisaku Ikeda
"When one looks back over human existence, however, it is very evident that all culture has developed through an initial resistance against adaptation to the reality in which man finds himself" “ Beatrice Hinkle
"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place. “ Margaret Mead
"It is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that equality is an ethical and not a biological principle" “ Ashely Montaqu
"Culture, with us, ends in headache “ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." “ Albert Einstein
"I fear being like everyone I hate, I fear failure, I fear losing control. I love balancing between chaos and control with everything I do. I always have a fear of going one way or another, getting lost in something, or losing everything to get lost in. And I fear being a completely acceptable sheep in society." “ Marilyn Manson
"People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain." “ Jim Morrison
"It is the reformer who is anxious for the reform, and not society, from which he should expect nothing better than opposition, abhorrence and mortal persecution." “ Mahatma Ghandi
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." “ Benjamin Franklin
"We live in a society of victimization, where people are much more comfortable being victimized than actually standing up for themselves." “ Marilyn Manson
"One wonders what would happen in a society in which there were no rules to break. Doubtless everyone would quickly die of boredom." “ Susan Howitch
"I offer images- I conjure memories of freedom that can still be reached- like the Doors, right? But we can only open the doors, we can't drag people through. I can't free them unless they want to be free. Maybe primitive people have less bullshit to let go of, to give up. A person has to be willing to give up everything- not just wealth. All the bullshit that he's been taught- all society's brainwashing. You have to let go of all that to get to the other side. Most people aren't willing to do that." “ Jim Morrison
"The most violent element in society is ignorance." “ Emma Goldman
"Society is a republic. When an individual tries to lift themselves above others, they are dragged down by the mass, either by ridicule or slander." “ Victor Hugo
"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." “ Bertrand de Jouvenel
"Society knows perfectly well how to kill a man and has methods more subtle than death." “ Andre Gide
"I made a speech by that title [A Time for Choosing] in 1964. I said, "We've been told increasingly that we must choose between left or right." But we're still using those terms -- left or right. And I'll repeat what I said then in '64. "There is no left or right. There's only an up or down": up to the ultimate in individual freedom, consistent with an orderly society -- or down to the totalitarianism of the ant heap. And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path." “ Ronald Reagan
"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe." “ Frederick Douglas
"Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government." “ B. R. Ambedkar
"A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill." Robert A. Heinlen
"The society based on production is only productive, not creative." “ Albert Camus
"Our modern society is engaged in polishing and decorating the cage in which man is kept imprisoned." “ Swami Nirmalananda
"The web of domination has become the web of Reason itself, and this society is fatally entangled in it." “ Herbert Marcuse
"My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all." “ John Lennon
"Persecution is the first law of society because it is always easier to suppress criticism than to meet it" “ Howard Mumford Jones
"People run around searching for identity, but it isn't handed out free any more -- not in this transient, rootless society. Your identity is what you have committed yourself to. You build meaning into your life through your commitments -- whether to your religion, to your conception of an ethical order, to your family, group or community, to the rights of others, to unborn generations." “ John W. Gardner
"The paradox of education is precisely this -- that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." “ James Arthur Baldwin
"Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?" “ Erich Fromm
"Though all society is founded on intolerance, all improvement is founded on tolerance." “ George Bernard Shaw
"Society is one vast conspiracy for carving one into the kind of statue it likes, and then placing it in the most convenient niche it has." “ Ralph Bourne
"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 aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary." “ Kathleen Norris
>"When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him." “ Bayard Rustin
"They have exiled me now from their society and I am pleased, because humanity does not exile except the one whose noble spirit rebels against despotism and oppression. He who does not prefer exile to slavery is not free by any measure of freedom." “ Kahlil Gibran
"I think being different, going against the grain of society is the greatest thing in the world." “ Elijah Wood
"No society has been able to abolish human sadness, no political system can deliver us from the pain of living, from our fear of death, our thirst for the absolute. It is the human condition that directs the social condition, not vice versa." “ Eugene Lonesco
"No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." “ P. J. O'Rourke
"The most unpardonable sin in society is independence of thought." “ Emma Goldman
"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be." “ Isaac Asimov
"The masses have their heads on backwards. If you want to get things right, first look at how they think and behave, and consider going the opposite way." - Lama Drom Tonpa
"The first step toward change is awareness. The second is acceptance.“ Nathaniel Branden
"Be content to seem what you really are.“ Marcus Aurelius
"I've learned to trust myself, to listen to truth, to not be afraid of it and to not try and hide it. “ Sarah McLachlan
Whatever the public blames your for, cultivate it; it is yourself. “ Jean Cocteau
"When two cultures collide is the only time when true suffering exists. “ Herman Hesse
"That is true culture which helps us to work for the social betterment of all. “ Henry Ward Beecher
"A man should be just cultured enough to be able to look with suspicion upon culture. “ Samuel Butler
"Are not the processes of culture rapidly creating a class of supercilious infidels, who believe in nothing? Shall a man lose himself in countless masses of adjustments, and be so shaped with reference to this, that, and the other, that the simply good and healthy and brave parts of him are reduced and clipp'd away, like the bordering of a box in a garden? “ Walt Whitman
"No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive. “ Mahatma Ghandi
"Why is it that, as a culture, we are more comfortable seeing two men holding guns than holding hands? “ Ernest Gaines
"If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him." “ John F. Kennedy
"People can only live fully by helping others to live. When you give life to friends you truly live. Cultures can only realize their further richness by honoring other traditions. And only by respecting natural life can humanity continue to exist." “ Daisaku Ikeda
"When one looks back over human existence, however, it is very evident that all culture has developed through an initial resistance against adaptation to the reality in which man finds himself" “ Beatrice Hinkle
"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place. “ Margaret Mead
"It is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that equality is an ethical and not a biological principle" “ Ashely Montaqu
"Culture, with us, ends in headache “ Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." “ Albert Einstein
"I fear being like everyone I hate, I fear failure, I fear losing control. I love balancing between chaos and control with everything I do. I always have a fear of going one way or another, getting lost in something, or losing everything to get lost in. And I fear being a completely acceptable sheep in society." “ Marilyn Manson
"People are afraid of themselves, of their own reality; their feelings most of all. People talk about how great love is, but that's bullshit. Love hurts. Feelings are disturbing. People are taught that pain is evil and dangerous. How can they deal with love if they're afraid to feel? Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio. You feel your strength in the experience of pain. It's all in how you carry it. That's what matters. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a part of you. Your own reality. If you feel ashamed of them, and hide them, you're letting society destroy your reality. You should stand up for your right to feel your pain." “ Jim Morrison
"It is the reformer who is anxious for the reform, and not society, from which he should expect nothing better than opposition, abhorrence and mortal persecution." “ Mahatma Ghandi
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." “ Benjamin Franklin
"We live in a society of victimization, where people are much more comfortable being victimized than actually standing up for themselves." “ Marilyn Manson
"One wonders what would happen in a society in which there were no rules to break. Doubtless everyone would quickly die of boredom." “ Susan Howitch
"I offer images- I conjure memories of freedom that can still be reached- like the Doors, right? But we can only open the doors, we can't drag people through. I can't free them unless they want to be free. Maybe primitive people have less bullshit to let go of, to give up. A person has to be willing to give up everything- not just wealth. All the bullshit that he's been taught- all society's brainwashing. You have to let go of all that to get to the other side. Most people aren't willing to do that." “ Jim Morrison
"The most violent element in society is ignorance." “ Emma Goldman
"Society is a republic. When an individual tries to lift themselves above others, they are dragged down by the mass, either by ridicule or slander." “ Victor Hugo
"A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." “ Bertrand de Jouvenel
"Society knows perfectly well how to kill a man and has methods more subtle than death." “ Andre Gide
"I made a speech by that title [A Time for Choosing] in 1964. I said, "We've been told increasingly that we must choose between left or right." But we're still using those terms -- left or right. And I'll repeat what I said then in '64. "There is no left or right. There's only an up or down": up to the ultimate in individual freedom, consistent with an orderly society -- or down to the totalitarianism of the ant heap. And those today who, however good their intentions, tell us that we should trade freedom for security are on that downward path." “ Ronald Reagan
"Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe." “ Frederick Douglas
"Political tyranny is nothing compared to the social tyranny and a reformer who defies society is a more courageous man than a politician who defies Government." “ B. R. Ambedkar
"A society that gets rid of all its troublemakers goes downhill." Robert A. Heinlen
"The society based on production is only productive, not creative." “ Albert Camus
"Our modern society is engaged in polishing and decorating the cage in which man is kept imprisoned." “ Swami Nirmalananda
"The web of domination has become the web of Reason itself, and this society is fatally entangled in it." “ Herbert Marcuse
"My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all." “ John Lennon
"Persecution is the first law of society because it is always easier to suppress criticism than to meet it" “ Howard Mumford Jones
"People run around searching for identity, but it isn't handed out free any more -- not in this transient, rootless society. Your identity is what you have committed yourself to. You build meaning into your life through your commitments -- whether to your religion, to your conception of an ethical order, to your family, group or community, to the rights of others, to unborn generations." “ John W. Gardner
"The paradox of education is precisely this -- that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." “ James Arthur Baldwin
"Why should society feel responsible only for the education of children, and not for the education of all adults of every age?" “ Erich Fromm
"Though all society is founded on intolerance, all improvement is founded on tolerance." “ George Bernard Shaw
"Society is one vast conspiracy for carving one into the kind of statue it likes, and then placing it in the most convenient niche it has." “ Ralph Bourne
"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 aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary." “ Kathleen Norris
>"When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him." “ Bayard Rustin
"They have exiled me now from their society and I am pleased, because humanity does not exile except the one whose noble spirit rebels against despotism and oppression. He who does not prefer exile to slavery is not free by any measure of freedom." “ Kahlil Gibran
"I think being different, going against the grain of society is the greatest thing in the world." “ Elijah Wood
"No society has been able to abolish human sadness, no political system can deliver us from the pain of living, from our fear of death, our thirst for the absolute. It is the human condition that directs the social condition, not vice versa." “ Eugene Lonesco
"No drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." “ P. J. O'Rourke
"The most unpardonable sin in society is independence of thought." “ Emma Goldman
"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be." “ Isaac Asimov