Neo-confucianism Gifts

Wang Yangming turns a river into a scroll.

'Let's not go by the book.'

"What I do is pick up the morning paper, go through it carefully, and then, depending on how I feel about things, I either say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand there and do nothing, or walk out of the classroom."

"I'm not weird I'm a 'person of weirdness'."

Thinks he's too cool for school.

"To be honest, I don't mind the cold, and being an introvert, and slightly antisocial, I really treasure the quiet time when the others have flown south..."

"'How We Die' - fabulous!"

Protest

'You have no idea how hard I've gotta work just to maintain my indie cred around here!'

The Mainstream

You are much more likely to think outside the box if it is broken.

"Every now and then, I find myself in a room filled with people who are wrong."

'You just don't seem to be fitting in.'

"I'm outside the fancy dress shop...."

"Picasso is at it again. I don't know what he does in there. all he says is that he's living his dream."

Dare to be different.

Loner sheep sings 'I gotta be me'.

"I beg to differ."

"Say, why don't we go see the Hopper show at the Whitney?"

Rebel without a cause. Poet without a war.

"I used to be old, too, but it wasn't my cup of tea."

'Follow the crowd! Do what the other sheep do! Gad, child, why can't you remember that?'

The Feng Shui of the road must be off.

'What do you mean you don't want to be a model? Just what do you plan to do with the rest of your life?'

"Your experience is impressive and your qualifications excellent but I'm afraid you're let down by not being the same as everyone else."

"And what if we don’t feel like being herded?"

'It says here you like to push the envelope.'

"An ingenious choice, Madam - dispensing with the usual pretence of impressing one's guests in favour of amusing them!"

Dumbed Down Culture

'Malcolm is unswayed by post-foundationalist trendiness.'

'Sid slithers to a different drummer.'

'Ah, Baker! Still the company's lone voice in the wilderness, I see!'