"Those who create are rare; those who cannot are numerous. Therefore, the latter are stronger"
About this Quote
Her intent reads like a piece of professional self-defense from someone who built an empire by breaking rules. Chanel knew creation isn’t just a private act of inspiration; it’s a public act of provocation. To invent a silhouette or a look is to disturb an ecosystem of habits, gatekeepers, buyers, and copyists. The subtext: the real opposition to new ideas isn’t a single rival designer but the collective weight of people invested in the familiar - and the people who profit from policing it. “Those who cannot” aren’t only the untalented; they’re the bureaucrats of taste, the critics protecting their authority, the manufacturers who’d rather replicate than risk, the consumers who want novelty that doesn’t demand change from them.
Context matters: Chanel worked in a 20th-century fashion world where women’s bodies were literally engineered by corsetry and tradition, and where credit was slippery and imitation was rampant. The quote carries the chill realism of someone who watched her ideas become trends, then templates. It’s a reminder that creation is fragile because it’s singular, while conformity is organized, networked, and loud.
Quote Details
| Topic | Art |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Chanel, Coco. (2026, January 17). Those who create are rare; those who cannot are numerous. Therefore, the latter are stronger. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/those-who-create-are-rare-those-who-cannot-are-33557/
Chicago Style
Chanel, Coco. "Those who create are rare; those who cannot are numerous. Therefore, the latter are stronger." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/those-who-create-are-rare-those-who-cannot-are-33557/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Those who create are rare; those who cannot are numerous. Therefore, the latter are stronger." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/those-who-create-are-rare-those-who-cannot-are-33557/. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.







