If everyone was just like you, they might like your style, your clothes, but they would also show up in exactly the same outfit. They would see the world just as you do, and whilst it would be great if your boyfriend always wanted to watch the same movies, it would get boring to have no one to discuss the movie with, as they would agree with everything you would say (HORRORS! To have a boyfriend who actually agrees with you!).
Our similarities and differences combined are what make us form friendships and fall in love. Having a person discover something in you, that only they can see, can be beautiful. We experience ourselves through others by seeing ourselves in a different light. They are different from us, so they see us differently.
Likewise, a person can show you things in life from a new perspective and enhance your experience. At the same time, people who are able to see a situation from your point of view, understanding you entirely, are such a beautiful blessing.
Friendships and relationships are made up of those similarities and differences, and it’s what makes us click or disagree. Whilst at time it hurts that not everyone sees the world the way we do and appreciate us for who we are, it’s a small price to pay for enjoying this world with so many unique people.
Another important thing to note is that the most successful people were at some point in their lives seen as mad, because they discovered something people weren’t aware of yet. The first person suggesting the world was round didn’t have an easy time.
The truth is we are all a little mad, because otherwise, how could we all live in the same world and see it so differently? Reality is different to all of us. After reading these quotes about being different, you will realize how great that really is, and maybe have more courage to express yourself freely.
Sanity doesn’t always come in numbers
There was a time when it was considered normal to treat people with different skin color differently from one another. There was a time when Hitler had concentration camps set up to extinguish Jews. Both scenarios were normal for those people at that place and at that time. That’s not to say they were right – they weren’t. They weren’t even sane.
Sometimes it’s the sane person who stands out from the crowd.
When you’re the only sane person, you look like the only insane person. ~ Criss Jami, Diotima, Battery, Electric Personality
Do not be afraid to color outside the lines. Take risks and do not be afraid to fail. Know that when the world knocks you down, the best revenge is to get up and continue forging ahead. Do not be afraid to be different or to stand up for what’s right. Never quiet your voice to make someone else feel comfortable. No one remembers the person that fits in. It’s the one who stands out that people will not be able to forget. ~ Nancy Arroyo Ruffin, Letters to My Daughter: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems about Love, Pride, and Identity
We must never be afraid to be a sign of contradiction for the world. ~ Mother Teresa
You have one life – live it
All over the world people have developed their own ideas about what’s right and wrong in life, but so long as you aren’t harming others or the Earth, it’s your choice when you decide how you want to live your life – Yours and yours alone.
Life’s no piece of cake, mind you, but the recipe’s my own to fool with. ~ Haruki Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
We spend so long trying to be what other people want, that when we look in the mirror, we see a stranger. ~ Anthony T. Hincks
One of the greatest regrets in life is being what others would want you to be, rather than being yourself. ~ Shannon L. Alder
Getting noticed
If you wear the same outfit everyone else is wearing, do the same thing they are doing, chances are you won’t get noticed. It’s those who dare to be different who get seen and discovered.
Of course though, the most important thing is not to be different just for the sake of standing out like a sore thumb all the time – the important thing is to be who you are, and when you need to stand out, then it’s time to do something different.
Just always being different for the sake of being noticed will get tiring. Be who you are, then use the differences you know you have to your advantage when you wish to do so.
Be different so that people can see you clearly amongst the crowds. ~ Mehmet Murat Ildan
Yes, be different, but not for the vanities of being different. ~ Criss Jami, Killosophy
The relentless pursuit of being different is very French. ~ Alain Ducasse
Discovery
As mentioned previously, people used to think the world was flat. Because someone later started to question this, they found out it wasn’t. It’s only when you start pondering things and asking questions, that you discover something new. Most skilled entrepreneurs and scientists do this.
The person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The person who walks alone is likely to find himself in places no one has ever seen before. ~ Albert Einstein
Anyone who lives in her own world is crazy. Like schizophrenics, psychopaths, maniacs. I mean people who are different from others.’
‘Like you?’
‘On the other hand,’ Zedka continued, pretending not to have heard the remark, ‘you have Einstein, saying that there was no time or space, just a combination of the two. Or Columbus, insisting that on the other side of the world lay not an abyss but a continent. Or Edmund Hillary, convinced that a man could reach the top of Everest. Or the Beatles, who created an entirely different sort of music and dressed like people from another time. Those people–and thousands of others–all lived in their own world. ~ Paulo Coelho, Veronika Decides to Die
Nobody sees the same event the same way
You know when you watch a movie with a group of friends, and afterwards everyone has different opinions about it? That’s because everyone was paying attention to different things, and was drawn to or repelled by different aspects of the movie.
We are all a little different, no matter how close we are as friends – we all see the world differently and experience things differently, we all have quirks and odd habits and ideas we sometimes think are crazy.
I have long ago accepted that I am a little crazy and a little weird. It wasn’t that exciting a revelation though. Turns out everyone is. ~ Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
I think every person has their own identity and beauty. Everyone being different is what is really beautiful. If we were all the same, it would be boring. ~ Tila Tequila
Attacking differences
There are people who can’t stand feeling different, as it makes them feel like they will never be loved for who they truly are. Others, who so badly want to feel good about themselves, try to put others down and make fun of their unique ways. The only thing that truly makes people feel good though, is embracing who they are in their heart, and being a living expression of that heart.
We need to learn to foster individuality as much as we need to learn to foster co-operation and collaboration.
The magical thing is that as soon as someone truly accepts themselves for who they are, they become confident, and others are drawn to them like magnets. They also become a lot kinder and open to others, because they don’t fear their judgment. And as mentioned previously – when you walk a different road, you often discover something new.
Bullying is killing our kids. Being different is killing our kids and the kids who are bullying are dying inside. We have to save our kids whether they are bullied or they are bullying. They are all in pain. ~ Cat Cora
I want to encourage kids to speak up, to tell their stories. That is the only way people will know what we have to go through. Believe in yourself. Someone once told me being different isn’t bad – different is just different! ~ Lauren Potter
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. ~ Apple Inc.
If you celebrate your differentness, the world will, too. It believes exactly what you tell it—through the words you use to describe yourself, the actions you take to care for yourself, and the choices you make to express yourself. Tell the world you are one-of-a-kind creation who came here to experience wonder and spread joy. Expect to be accommodated. ~ Victoria Moran, Lit From Within: Tending Your Soul for Lifelong Beauty
Alan, you seem to think we won’t like you unless you do things just like everyone else. Have you ever thought we might like you because you’re different? ~ Tamora Pierce, Alanna: The First Adventure
Great artists are a little too gifted to be bound by boxes and labels, and in saying that, the label ‘artist’ is to be used lightly. ~ Criss Jami, Killosophy
Being yourself
Oftentimes it is not others who stop us from being who we are, but rather we have an imaginary idea that others will not appreciate us for who we truly are, so we pretend to be someone else. The funny thing is, if they appreciate us for being that person, then they still aren’t truly appreciating us.
Of course we are the person trying to be someone we are not, and that’s what they like, but we will always feel rejected, because underneath, we know we are someone else.
Your greatest light will always shine when you start listening to what your heart is trying to say and become who you truly are. It feels like it’s a vulnerable place to be, but it’s only when you are your true self that you attract people who will love you for that person. It’s better to be loved and rejected for who you are, than to surround yourself with people who love you for who you are not.
Our own greatness will always spring from being a living expression of our own heart and standing tall in the knowledge that we embrace ourselves.
When we let our own light shine; when we stand up for who we are and share our knowledge and skills with the world, we give more than we ever have before. If we play small, we only keep our gifts to ourselves. Look at business: if you don’t market the product, no one will see it.
There is nothing cocky about letting your light shine – by doing so; you allow others to do the same. And, also, you know that everyone is great, only in different ways.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~ Marianne Williamson
I hope this gave you some perspective and encouraged you to act exactly how you want to. There’s nothing more liberating than not feeling the chains of society. Dare to do things your own way and own it! Do you have any advice for other readers? If so, leave your comment in the section beow.
Cover photo: wallhaven.cc
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