Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist. He who would gather immortal palms must not be hindered by the name of goodness, but must explore if it be goodness. Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.
— “Self Reliance,” Ralph Waldo Emerson
You may find this conversation interesting or useful as a colleague if you are on the fence about joining the Association of Professional Piercers.