Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out?

Why fit in when you were born to stand out? Isn’t it a great prompt by Dr Seuss? I’ve talked extensively about being yourself. As much as I appreciate that it is one of the hardest things in the world to be yourself, this quote sends a powerful reminder. What are you being if you’re not being yourself? And is that worth it?

Who said why fit in when you were born to stand out?

This beautiful quote was by Dr.Seuss. Dr Seuess was known for his children’s books. What better way to influence people than in their formative years? I love this quote which talks about individuality. I think the quote takes a stronger meaning in facing the challenges that stand in the way of establishing our individuality. Society is weird – it wants us to be different but doesn’t give us the confidence to fight for ourselves. This is a strong reminder that we were born to stand out, be different and establish our identity.

Why fit in when you were born to stand out , Dr Seuess fit in,
Why fit in when you were born to stand out

Your life is your own. No one else can decide what it is about. Your values are sacred – if someone is stepping over them, it is a violation of your personal space. I believe this is the central theme of Dr Seuss’s quote

Why fit in when you were born to stand out

Dr Seuess – https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/dr-seuss-quotes

Theodor Seuss Geisel, very well known as Dr Seuss was a writer and cartoonist who has inspired visual artists, poets, writers, filmmakers, and people from different fields of life. He has remained one of the favourite children’s book writers, publishing about 46 children’s books.

His famous ones are The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Fox in Socks, The Lorax and many more. Dr Seuss inspires us through his life stories and quotes. Presenting a few such inspirations from the man who has a lot to offer us. You can find more about Dr Seuss on the wiki page

Why fit in when you were born to stand out meaning

Being ourselves is one of the biggest challenges in the world. Society and our environment is a very powerful thing. It imposes a lot of expectations on us. The weirdest thing is that society wants us to follow its rules but also maintain our individuality. No one encourages us to be ourselves, but it is an implicit rule. Dr Seuss establishes this beautifully in the meaning of this quote explained below. The main themes that come out of the meaning of why fit in when you were born to stand out are:

Why fit in when you were born to stand out meaning
Why fit in when you were born to stand out meaning
  • Being yourself: This is the crux of the meaning of this quote by Dr.Seuss. We only have one life which means only one opportunity to establish ourselves. But it’s not easy, particularly when everyone around us is trying to make us someone else. If this life is not our signature, then what’s the point of living it for someone else? We have to find a way to find this innate sense and give it a channel.
  • Rejecting the social and limiting norms: It takes a lot to stand aside from the crowd and establish our signature. The best way we can support this is by finding our roots and values. Any time we feel weak, we need to find this strength beyond these social norms. Our society is a fabric that protects us and helps us grow. If anything is limiting us, we have to find a way to move forward.
  • Finding our identity and establishing our authenticity: This is about who we are. We can’t waste our entire life trying to fit into a fabric. Instead, we have to find a way to find our authenticity. Why fit in when you are born to stand out right? Our authenticity is the only thing that can create this difference.
  • Celebrating differences in people and helping them stand their ground: Finally, these differences are not just about us, right? Other people are different too. We need to find a way to support this and help others shine and stand out. Finally, our win is in supporting each other to win. We can’t stand out alone, it takes a lot of support from others and us supporting others to build this individuality.

Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out Quotes

Most books and inspirational talks speak highly about being yourself. Unfortunately, you’re punished if you don’t follow the crowd. This makes it an impossible standard to live with. It isn’t easy to stand up for yourself. Especially when the resistance is so strong. But, some battles are worth the effort. We owe it to our individuality to understand what our values are and who we are as people.

Here are a few selected quotes on being yourself.

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is already taken!

– Oscar Wilde

Don’t change so that people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you

The biggest challenge in life is to be yourself in a world that is trying to make you like everyone else

– E E Cummins

Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy!

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring

Marilyn Monroe

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them

Maya Angelou

Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out Quotes

Dr Seuss Quotes

As a part of this article, I want to present a few Dr Seuss quotes to inspire us

Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go.”

“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living.”

Dr Seuss Quotes

Motivational Quips about Dr Seuss

The pseudonym “Seuss.”: Dr Seuss, pretty well known as ‘Geisel’ in his college days was an editor in chief of a humour magazine in his college. Once he was caught violating the prohibition law by drinking with his friends. This in turn forced him to leave his job. But he continued to live his dream with the pseudonym “Seuss.”

From English Literature to cartoons: He intended to get a PhD in English literature to become an English teacher. But later chose to pursue his dream with Helen Palmer’s (his wife’s) encouragement.

When you are hungry, you see food everywhere:

It was the time when Dr Seuss was returning from an ocean voyage. He heard the ship’s engine rhythm. And that rhythm became his inspiration for his first book. It’s true when you are very passionate about something, anything can inspire you.

30+ NOs but somewhere he heard a YES:

More than 30 publishers rejected Dr Seuss’s first book. But he got someone to say yes after that – a testament to self-belief and chasing his convictions. I’m sure he’d have changed his approach and learnt from the feedback of these rejections. Yet, I take my hats off for his perseverance.

Poor to Rich:

Before you think it’s about money let me alert you. It isn’t about money here. His children’s collection called Boner’s book sold poorly but made him a rich man. It gave him a break into children’s literature. And even to this day, his books are the finest and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.

“You have ’em; I’ll entertain ’em.”: Dr Seuss didn’t have his own children, when asked about this he would say, “You have ’em; I’ll entertain ’em.” This makes me wonder about the positive attitude of Dr Seuss. How often we worry about all the things we don’t have. Maybe it comforts us for time being but what keeps us happy for a lifetime is what we choose to replace our worries with.


8 thoughts on “Why Fit In When You Were Born To Stand Out?”

  1. Pingback: Stay Hungry Stay Foolish - Steve Jobs Quote Meaning - Inspire99

  2. Pingback: Be yourself because an original is worth more than a copy - Inspire99

  3. Pingback: 10 Elegant Be Yourself Quotes do define your values - Inspire99

  4. Beautiful write up Vidya. Too inspirational and motivating. I love first quote the most – “why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Great line of thought. Enjoyed reading it. Thanks for Sharing….:)

  5. What a coincidence.. yesterday I saw a movie ‘The Lorax’ and now I read about Dr. Seuss. I admire him and his thoughts. He is truly a great person, who sends amazing messages to the world through stories. Thank you for sharing the info. Vidyashree :)

Comments are closed.

Scroll to Top