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
You can indulge your righteous rage but the things it comes out of are pretty cheap. The trick is to make yourself an instrument of your own policy. Whether you like it or not, that's the highest effectiveness man has achieved.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Righteous anger can be misguided and superficial; true effectiveness comes from self-discipline and policy-driven action.
In this quote, Norman Mailer suggests that while it is natural to feel anger over injustices, one must recognize that such emotions often stem from trivial concerns. Instead of being consumed by anger, the true challenge is to channel that energy into constructive actions aligned with one’s principles, becoming a proactive force for change and achieving genuine effectiveness in one's pursuits.
Themes
AngerEffectivenessPolicyActionDiscipline
In practice
Example use cases
During a leadership seminar, one might cite this quote to emphasize the importance of measured responses to challenges rather than emotional reactions.
More from Norman Mailer
All quotes →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.
Norman MailerRead
There's nothing glorious about being a professional. . . . Professionalism probably comes down to being able to work on a bad day.
Norman MailerRead
The natural role of twentieth-century man is anxiety.
Norman MailerRead
Over-certified adjectives are the mark of most best-seller writing
Norman MailerRead
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.
Norman MailerRead
Similar quotes
No one has the right to criticize you for how your body looks, but they will. One thing I've learned from experiencing this exact kind of criticism is that no one else can label your body except for you. No one gets to have a place in your mind if they weren't invited there by you. So please do me this one favor: Don't let their ugly words into your beautiful mind.
Taylor SwiftRead
Go where he will, the wise man is at home, His hearth the earth, his hall the azure dome.
Ralph Waldo EmersonRead
Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
John F. KennedyRead
I insist on a lot of time being spent, almost every day, to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. I read and think. So I do more reading and thinking, and make less impulse decisions than most people in business. I do it because I like this kind of life.
Warren BuffettRead
Perhaps losing integrity with yourself is the greatest stress of all, far more hurtful to us than competition, time pressure, or lack of respect. Our vitality is rooted in our integrity. When we do not live in one piece, our life force becomes divided. Becoming separated from our authentic values may weaken us.
Rachel Naomi RemenRead
Even when the winds of misfortune blow, amazing things can still happen.
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead