"Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent"
- Virginia Woolf
About this Quote
This quote by Virginia Woolf talks to the threats of conformity. When we comply with the expectations of others, we risk losing our uniqueness and our sense of self. We become dull, callous, and indifferent, our finer nerves and faculties numbed by the lethargy of conformity. We end up being concentrated on outer show, on what others expect people, instead of on our own inner truth. We risk losing our sense of purpose and our connection to our own unique identity. Woolf's words advise us of the value of remaining real to ourselves and of resisting the temptation to conform to the expectations of others. We must strive to remain open to our own inner fact and to the unique gifts that we have to offer the world.