Crude thoughts and fierce forces are my state. I do not know who I am. Nor what I was. I cannot hear a sound. Pain is near that will be like no pain felt before.
Norman MailerRead
I had a quick grasp of the secret to sanity, it had become the ability to hold the maximum of impossible combinations in one's mind.
Interpretation
Sanity can be achieved by embracing complexity and holding contradictory ideas in our minds.
This quote by Norman Mailer encapsulates the essence of mental resilience and the capacity to navigate the complexities of life. It suggests that achieving sanity is not about reducing life to simple truths, but rather about the ability to accept and understand the multitude of contradictions and challenges we face. By holding these ‘impossible combinations’ in our thoughts, we can maintain our mental balance in an often chaotic world.
In practice
Use this quote when discussing mental health strategies in a seminar.
Crude thoughts and fierce forces are my state. I do not know who I am. Nor what I was. I cannot hear a sound. Pain is near that will be like no pain felt before.
I no longer gave a sick dog's drop for the wisdom, the reliability and the authority of the public's literary mind, those creeps and old ladies of vested reviewing.
There's nothing glorious about being a professional. . . . Professionalism probably comes down to being able to work on a bad day.
The natural role of twentieth-century man is anxiety.
Over-certified adjectives are the mark of most best-seller writing
At bottom, I mean profoundly at bottom, the FBI has nothing to do with Communism, it has nothing to do with catching criminals, it has nothing to do with the Mafia, the syndicate, it has nothing to do with trust-busting, it has nothing to do with interstate commerce, it has nothing to do with anything but serving as a church for the mediocre. A high church for the true mediocre.
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.
When I start on a book, I have been thinking about it and making occasional notes for some time... So I have lots of theme, locale, subjects and technical ideas... I don't worry about long periods of not doing anything. I know my subconscious is busy.
Pundits are no better at forecasting election outcomes than they would be at predicting the final path of a hurricane. Smart pundits should consider either abandoning this activity or consulting with the geeks before rendering their guesses.
An excellent plumber is infinitely more admirable than an incompetent philosopher.
You should be dynamic, and still be soft in the heart. _x000D_ You should stand against injustice and simultaneously, be compassionate within you, like a saint. _x000D_ Be a saint and a soldier, together
Revenge by young men is considered gain, even at the cost of their own lives, but old men who stay at home in times of war, and mothers who have sons to lose, know better.
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