My dear,
Yesterday I conformed to please the people.
They cheered for me and applauded so loud that their hand claps sounded like an ocean about to consume me.
But I was not happy.
It felt like I had thrown away my heart to please the world.
Their cheers felt empty, and the ocean was no longer beautiful.
The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.
That’s what I learnt yesterday.
Today I woke up having learnt a new lesson. That the reward you give yourself far outweighs the rewards everyone gives you en masse. Leaving conformity to be nothing but cheap retail.
Falsely yours,
Rita Mae Brown
