The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.
Lily TomlinRead
My space chums think my unique hookup with humanity could be evolution's awkward attempt to jump-start itself up again. They're thinking just maybe, going crazy could be the evolutionary process trying to hurry up mind expansion. Maybe my mind didn't snap. Maybe it was just trying to stretch itself into a new shape. The cerebral cortex trying to grow a thumb of sorts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that unusual or 'crazy' thoughts may represent an evolutionary leap in human consciousness and development.
Lily Tomlin's quote contemplates the nature of human thought and evolution, proposing that what is often labeled as insanity may actually be a sign of the mind striving for greater complexity and understanding. She likens this to an awkward yet necessary evolution, where the mind seeks to expand and transform, perhaps even in unconventional ways. The metaphor of the cerebral cortex trying to 'grow a thumb' illustrates the tension between traditional thinking and the desire for intellectual and emotional growth.
Themes
EvolutionMindHumanityConsciousnessInsanity
In practice
Example use cases
During a psychology seminar, someone can reference this quote to discuss creativity and mental health.
More from Lily Tomlin
All quotes →Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.
Lily TomlinRead
The road to success is always under construction.
Lily TomlinRead
Ninety eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them.
Lily TomlinRead
Truth is, I've always been selling out. The difference is that in the past, I looked like I had integrity because there were no buyers.
Lily TomlinRead
Why is it that when we talk to God we're said to be praying but when God talks to us we're schizophrenic?
Lily TomlinRead
Similar quotes
I just like to have words that describe things correctly. Now to me, 'black feminist' does not do that. I need a word that is organic, that really comes out of the culture, that really expresses the spirit that we see in black women. And it's just... womanish.
Alice WalkerRead
What is the basic, the essential, the crucial principle that differentiates freedom from slavery? It is the principle of voluntary action versus physical coercion or compulsion.
Ayn RandRead
Buddhism notes that it is always a mistake to think your soul can go it alone.
Annie DillardRead
It doesn’t matter how old I get, but as long as I continue to live I’ll always discover something new about myself.
Haruki MurakamiRead
It is in the movements of emotional crisis that human beings reveal themselves most accurately.
Anais NinRead
Everyone is born into a certain era. I wouldn't want to see anyone faced with the circumstances that prevailed at the time, when there were few or no alternatives.
Gunter GrassRead