Never once, during any of my bouts of depression, had I been inclined or able to pick up a telephone and ask a friend for help. It wasn't in me.
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
I think wanting to write is a fundamental sign of disease and discomfort. I don't think people who are comfortable want to write.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The desire to write often stems from inner turmoil rather than comfort.
This quote suggests that a strong desire to create, particularly through writing, originates from a place of dissatisfaction or unease. It implies that those who are truly comfortable in their lives lack the motivation to express their thoughts and feelings through writing, indicating that art often arises from struggle and the need for self-exploration.
Themes
WritingArtDiscomfortCreativityStruggle
In practice
Example use cases
During a writer's workshop, you could use this quote to spark a discussion about the emotional challenges that inspire creativity.
More from Kay Redfield Jamison
All quotes βNo pill can help me deal with the problem of not wanting to take pills; likewise, no amount of psychotherapy alone can prevent my manias and depressions. I need both. It is an odd thing, owing life to pills, one's own quirks and tenacities, and this unique, strange, and ultimately profound relationship called psychotherapy
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
Mood disorders are terribly painful illnesses, and they are isolating illnesses. And they make people feel terrible about themselves when, in fact, they can be treated.
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental domain. The future cannot be separated from the present, and the present is painful beyond solace. βThis is my last experiment,β wrote a young chemist in his suicide note. βIf there is any eternal torment worse than mine Iβll have to be shown.
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
When public figures remain silent about depression, there is a cost to the rest of society. Silence contributes to the misperception that successful people do not get depressed, and it keeps the public from seeing that treatment allows many individuals to return to competitive professional lives.
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
Because I teach and write about depression and bipolar illness, I am often asked what is the most important factor in treating bipolar disorder. My answer is competence. Empathy is important, but competence is essential.
Kay Redfield JamisonRead
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