Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. ... I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker criticizes societal leadership as irrational and dangerous, noting the irony that speaking out against it risks being labeled insane.
- In plain terms
- Bad leaders run the world, and calling them out makes you look crazy too.
- What can you take from it?
- Questioning authority can be framed as madness by the system.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Who defines what is sane in society?
- When does speaking truth feel like madness?
Another view
It assumes all societal leaders are inherently irrational without nuance.
More from John Lennon
I've sold my soul to the devil.
Permalink to quote #17 Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.
Permalink to quote #19 I really thought that love would save us all.
Permalink to quote #16
Related quotes
a politician is an arse upon which everyone has sat except a man
E. E. CummingsE. E. Cummings quote #26 Arbitrary power is most easily established on the ruins of liberty abused to licentiousness.
George WashingtonGeorge Washington quote #1 When government disappears, it's not as if paradise will take its place. When governments are gone, other interests will take their place.
Lawrence LessigLawrence Lessig quote #1