Should originality always be more highly praised than conformity? Originality plays a pivotal role, for both the individual, as well as society. Originality is indeed a quintessential human trait; to be human is to be original, since each of us is the culmination of a unique and complex interplay of many factors. Thus, cherishing one’s originality is integral to one’s well-being. Moreover, originality performs a collective task: to drive society forward. Throughout history, original and progressive minds have always been the ones to make great discoveries, inventions, and innovations. Evidently, creativity and ingenuity are inextricably tied to originality, for how is one to let one’s mind roam freely and create without casting off the shackles of society’s norms and conventions? It has always taken one critical and free thinker to voice a progressive opinion, support it with convincing arguments, and attract a following, for society to evolve. Scientists like Galileo Galilei, thinkers such as the great Greek philosopher Socrates, and leaders like Abraham Lincoln exemplify the profoundly positive impact original minds can have on society. Galileo Galilei is a prime example of the significance of originality over