Insanity Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old insanity quotes, insanity sayings, and insanity proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

A sane man often reasons from sound premises; an insane man commonly reasons as well, but the premises are unsound. Austin O'Malley
Great wits are sure to madness near allied; And thin partitions do their bonds divide. JohnDryden
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein
The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius
All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher. Ambrose Bierce
Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage. Ray Bradbury
A man who is "of sound mind" is one who keeps the inner madman under lock and key. Paul Valry
Madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. R.D. Laing
Temporary madness may be necessary in some cases, to cleanse and renovate the mind; just as a fit of illness is to carry off the humours of the body. Augustus William Hare And Julius Charles Hare
A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes, but to get into accord with them; they are legitimately what directs his conduct in the world. Sigmund Freud
Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked. Oliver Wendell Holmes
When we remember that we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained. Mark Twain
Madness is the result not of uncertainty but of certainty. Friedrich Nietzsche
Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively. Voltaire
The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane. Marcus Aurelius
No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness. Aristotle
The great proof of madness is the disproportion of one's designs to one's means. Napoleon Bonaparte
Insanity destroys reason, but not wit. Nathaniel Emmons
The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. Bruce Feirstein
No man is sane who does not know how to be insane on proper occasions. Henry Ward Beecher
For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity. Jean Dubuffet
For virtue's self may too much zeal be had; the worst of madmen is a saint run mad. Alexander Pope
Insanity in individuals is something rare -- but in groups, parties, nations, and epochs it is the rule. Friedrich Nietzsche
Let us consider that we are all partially insane. It will explain us to each other; it will unriddle many riddles; it will make clear and simple many things which are involved in haunting and harassing difficulties and obscurities now. Mark Twain
Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence. Henrik Tikkanen
I think that maybe in every company today there is always at least one person who is going crazy slowly. Joseph Heller
A neurosis is a secret that you don't know you are keeping. Kenneth Tynan
Where does one go from a world of insanity? Somewhere on the other side of despair. T. S. Eliot
Better mad with the rest of the world than wise alone. Baltasar Gracin Y Morales
There is in every madman a misunderstood genius whose idea, shining in his head, frightened people, and for whom delirium was the only solution to the strangulation that life had prepared for him. Antonin Artaud
Genius is one of the many forms of insanity. Cesare Lombroso
The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. Djamel Ouis
What is garlic to salad, insanity is to art. Augustus Saint Gaudens
Gambling is a way of throwing money down the toilet without people calling you insane. Djamel Ouis
In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane. Mark Twain
We always begin by being idiot before becoming a fool, and then half-wit on the way to becoming insane. Djamel Ouis
If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. Djamel Ouis
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music. Angela Monet
Hope can drive a man insane. Frank Darabont
One man's insanity is another man's vision. Eugene Halton
Insanity can be treated but not foolishness. Sukuma Wisdom
What is sensible today may be madness tomorrow. Yoruba Wisdom
Insanity is a matter of degree. Joaquim Machado de Assis
Sometimes it's to your advantage for people to think you're crazy. Thelonius Monk
When a man asks himself is meant by action he proves that he isn't a man of action. Action is a lack of balance. In order to act you must be somewhat insane. James Baldwin
In Africa, madmen are tolerated because madness is sacred.. A madman no longer decides, no longer distinguishes between good and bad. So we can't judge him. He is untouchable. Assane Kouyate
The origin of madness is a mystery and we don't meddle with it. Assane Kouyate
When the madness of an entire nation disturbs a solitary mind, it is not enough to say the man is mad. Francis Imbuga
All art is a kind of subconscious madness expressed in terms of sanity. George Jean Nathan
Normal means lack of imagination, lack of imagination. Jean Dubuffet
I am told that the clinical definition of insanity is the tenacy to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. Steven Mason