Nothing uniquely bad has happened to me in my personal life, but all the regular little bad things have accumulated to make me a neurotic person. And these adventures are my way of trying to make sense of that.
Jon RonsonRead
Suddenly, madness was everywhere, and I was determined to learn about the impact it had on the way society evolves. I've always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing, but what if it isn't? What if it is built on insanity?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the idea that society may not be as rational as we believe, but rather influenced by madness.
In this quote, Jon Ronson presents a thought-provoking perspective on the nature of society. He questions the widely held belief that society is solely a rational construct, suggesting instead that it may be underpinned by elements of insanity. This challenges readers to reconsider their understanding of social norms and behaviors, and to explore the chaotic forces that shape our collective existence.
Themes
MadnessSocietyRationalityInsanityEvolution
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the irrational behaviors observed during crises, this quote could serve to emphasize the hidden madness in society.
More from Jon Ronson
All quotes →Sometimes the personalities at the helm of the madness industry are, with their drives and obsessions, as mad in their own way as those they study. And that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their maddest edges.
Jon RonsonRead
I wondered if sometimes the difference between a psychopath in Broadmoor and a psychopath on Wall Street was the luck of being born into a stable, rich family.
Jon RonsonRead
Similar quotes
Any group of persons – prisoners, primitives, pilots, or patients – develop a life of their own that becomes meaningful, reasonable and normal once you get close to it.
Erving GoffmanRead
There's an African proverb: 'When death finds you, may it find you alive.' Alive means living your own damned life, not the life that your parents wanted, or the life some cultural group or political party wanted, but the life that your own soul wants to live.
Michael MeadeRead
The shadow escapes from the body like an animal we had been sheltering.
Gilles DeleuzeRead
There are hidden contradictions in the minds of people who "love Nature" while deploring the "artificialities" with which "Man has spoiled Nature.'" The obvious contradiction lies in their choice of words, which imply that Man and his artifacts are not part of "Nature" : but beavers and their dams are.
Robert A. HeinleinRead
A display of indifference to all the actions and passions of mankind was not supposed to be such a distinguished quality at that time, I think, as I have observed it to be considered since. I have known it very fashionable indeed. I have seen it displayed with such success, that I have encountered some fine ladies and gentlemen who might as well have been born caterpillars.
Charles DickensRead
Not everything that steps out of line, and thus "abnormal", must necessarily be "inferior".
Hans AspergerRead