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Familiarity Breeds Quotes

Quotes testing what familiarity really breeds.

The classic version shows up directly here, tying prestige to mystery and warning that too much familiarity turns into contempt. A gentler quote flips the idea, noting that with horses, familiarity actually breeds comfort, and suggests a rodeo visit is the Best way to build it.

You need to have a redesign because familiarity breeds a kind of complacency.

Quotes by Timothy White

But we're very much an American band and that's that. I think that's part of the appeal outside of this country and it might be part of the reason people turned away from us within this country, because familiarity breeds...

Quotes by Michael Stipe

With horses, familiarity breeds comfort. If you haven't been around horses for a while (or ever), the best thing to do is to go to the racetrack, a horse show, a rodeo, or some other horsey activity, and watch the...

Quotes by Jane Smiley

There can be no prestige without mystery, for familiarity breeds contempt.

Quotes by Charles de Gaulle

Because Quotes

My philosophy is familiarity breeds contempt.

Quotes by Chaka Khan

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the classic version of "familiarity breeds contempt" doing on this page?
It appears directly, warning that mystery is what preserves prestige, and that once everything about something becomes too well known, familiarity turns into Contempt.
Does any quote argue the opposite of that classic saying?
Yes, one flips it entirely, claiming that with horses, familiarity actually breeds comfort, and suggests visiting a rodeo or horse show as the Best way to build that comfort.
How is familiarity connected to needing a redesign?
One quote warns that too much familiarity breeds a kind of Complacency, using that risk as the reason a redesign becomes necessary.
Is there a music-related example of familiarity breeding something negative?
Yes, one quote reflects on a band's declining popularity within their own country, suggesting familiarity may have played a role in people turning away.
Do these quotes agree on what familiarity ultimately breeds?
Not at all - the page deliberately contrasts contempt, comfort, and complacency, showing familiarity can lead to very different outcomes depending on the situation.

One quote applies the idea to design, warning too much familiarity breeds a kind of Complacency that a redesign can fix. Another looks at a band's declining popularity at home, suggesting familiarity played a role.