We're Hardwired to Protect the Status Quo

Find your new mantra for change here.

This past week, I was preparing relevant stories and sticky examples to deliver the sales module at a conference for entrepreneurs. I was struck with admiration for the people who had signed up for this event. These people are setting out for an adventure, endeavoring to change, to learn and challenge their own status quo and current reality. It’s not an easy road to build a business. You can’t do it without risk or without leaving your comfort zone. And to be successful, you’re definitely going to have to make waves.

Which made me think my own waves. My mother would tell you I was born rocking the boat—to change, challenge and negotiate. It’s more of my perception and outlook than it is a contrary personality. But like most people you know, not everyone likes change.

Human beings are actually hard wired to protect the status quo—as a state of survival.

Some jobs even revolve around defending against potential changes, like Risk Management, Procurement Managers, etc.

It’s difficult to change your outlook from one of preservation and stability to being the one that stands up to stand out and do things differently. Going against the grain is not for everyone but at some point in your life—whether you’re building a business, a brand or a career, you’ve got to rise to the challenge and fight the status quo.

If you need to light a fire under your own resolve, find inspiration in one or several of these quotes on change and challenging the status quo.

20 Quotes—Pick 1 to Make it Your New Mantra for Driving Change

"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
"Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision." – Peter F. Drucker
"In a battle between two ideas, the best one doesn’t necessarily win. No, the idea that wins is the one with the most fearless heretic behind it." – Seth Godin
"In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are." – Max De Pree
"If the status quo came carbonated in a can, I’d shake things up." – Jarod Kintz
"If you can’t Rock the Boat. Sink the Boat." – Bruce Meisterman
"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." – Max Lucado
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." – Amelia Earhart
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." – Henry Ford
"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." –Mark Twain
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage." – Anais Nin
" The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me." – Ayn Rand
"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." – Apple Inc.
"Two reasons why people hate and/or fight change: (1) People fear the unknown; and (2) There are always people profiting from how things are." – Mokokoma Mokhonoana
"Nothing is more terrifying to me, really, than the status quo. I’ll make mistakes before I keep doing something the same way." – Twyla Tharp
"Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in’." – Ronald Reagan
"If you’re trying to disrupt the status quo and beat bigger competitors, you’re not going to do it by playing their game." – Dharmesh Shah
"Status quo or grow; You are in control of your future." – Mary Mihalic
"Bureaucracy defends the status quo long after the 'quo' has lost its status." – Laurence J. Peter