---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, many insane people and seriously…"
description: "\"Well, many insane people and seriously mentally ill people seem very reasonable.\" — Alan Dershowitz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png"
---

#  Well, many insane people and seriously mentally ill people…

![“Well, many insane people and seriously mentally ill people seem very reasonable.” quote by Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png)

> “Well, many insane people and seriously mentally ill people seem very reasonable.”

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Even individuals with severe mental illness can appear rational and reasonable.

**In simple terms:** Insanity does not preclude logical behavior.

Key Takeaway

Avoid assuming irrationality based on diagnosis.

Themes

mental health perception reason stigma

Mood

analytical empathetic

Type

legal psychological

When to use this quote

- clinical assessment
- social interaction
- legal testimony
- media representation

Key Concepts

psychology of rationality diagnostic bias

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we better assess rationality?
- What biases affect our view of mental illness?

A Different Perspective

Stigma may lead to misjudgment of capabilities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Mentally ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentally-ill/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [“And indeed, if Evgeny Irtenev was mentally ill, then all people are just as mentally ill, and the most mentally ill are undoubtably those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/and-indeed-if-evgeny-irtenev-was-mentally-ill-then-all-people-are/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“People always feel sorry for you if you’re physically sick. It doesn’t matter if you have cancer or a cold. People always feel sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-ortiz/people-always-feel-sorry-for-you-if-you-re-physically-sick-it-doesn-t/)

Annie. Ortiz

> [Mentally ill people come from all belief systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/mentally-ill-people-come-from-all-belief-systems/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Most people are reasonable. That's why they only do reasonably well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-arden/most-people-are-reasonable-that-s-why-they-only-do-reasonably-well/)

[Paul Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-arden/)

> [I'm sure that there are reasonable people that had some reasonable projections about the future of New Orleans, but none of those could include…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-connick-jr/i-m-sure-that-there-are-reasonable-people-that-had-some-reasonable/)

[Harry Connick, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-connick-jr/)

> [“As soon as they leave, Leon says to me: "I disagree, sir. There are people who aren't insane, and I'm one of them. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-rokeach/as-soon-as-they-leave-leon-says-to-me-i-disagree-sir-there-are-people/)

[Milton Rokeach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-rokeach/)

> [“There is no society in human history that ever suffered because its people became too reasonable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-society-in-human-history-that-ever-suffered-because-its/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“No atrocity was ever committed because people were being too reasonable, too skeptical, or too independently minded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/no-atrocity-was-ever-committed-because-people-were-being-too/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [“Finally, let them recognise that there are two kinds of people one can call reasonable; those who serve God with all their heart because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/finally-let-them-recognise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-people-one-can/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [As I get older, the tyranny that football exerts over my life, and therefore over the lives of the people around me, is less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/as-i-get-older-the-tyranny-that-football-exerts-over-my-life-and/)

[Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/)

> [There are two kinds of people one can call reasonable: those who serve God with all their heart because they know him, and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-one-can-call-reasonable-those-who-serve/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [What a strange distance there is between ill people and well ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/what-a-strange-distance-there-is-between-ill-people-and-well-ones/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [I don't like to hold grudges, I don't like to talk ill of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sean/i-don-t-like-to-hold-grudges-i-don-t-like-to-talk-ill-of-people/)

[Jay Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sean/)

> [The tooth-ach is more ease then to deale with ill people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/the-tooth-ach-is-more-ease-then-to-deale-with-ill-people/)

[George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/)

## More by Alan Dershowitz

> [I am a peace supporting Jew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-am-a-peace-supporting-jew/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [There is no perfect justice, just as there is no absolute in ethics. But there is perfect injustice, and we know it when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/there-is-no-perfect-justice-just-as-there-is-no-absolute-in-ethics/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [A criminal trial is never about seeking justice for the victim. If it were, there could be only one verdict: guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/a-criminal-trial-is-never-about-seeking-justice-for-the-victim-if-it/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [If torture is going to be administered as a last resort in the ticking-bomb case, to save enormous numbers of lives, it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/if-torture-is-going-to-be-administered-as-a-last-resort-in-the/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [The Second Amendment has no place in modern society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/the-second-amendment-has-no-place-in-modern-society/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [Our First Amendment expresses a far different calculus for regulating speech than for regulating nonexpressive conduct and that is as it should be. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/our-first-amendment-expresses-a-far-different-calculus-for-regulating/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [I think that lawyers are terrible at admitting that they're wrong. And not just admitting it; also realizing it. Most lawyers are very successful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-that-lawyers-are-terrible-at-admitting-that-they-re-wrong-and/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/asymmetrical-warfare-is-a-euphemism-for-terrorism-just-like/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [I never had an existential moment when I asked myself what I was going to do. I always wanted to be a lawyer, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-never-had-an-existential-moment-when-i-asked-myself-what-i-was/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [The Internet knows no national borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/the-internet-knows-no-national-borders/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [It's a new phenomenon in America that states can now sue the national government and become a kind of check and balance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/it-s-a-new-phenomenon-in-america-that-states-can-now-sue-the-national/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [When it comes to partisan politics, everyone is a hypocrite. And all they care about is whether it hurts or helps them ... Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/when-it-comes-to-partisan-politics-everyone-is-a-hypocrite-and-all/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [Everybody says they're opposed to torture. But everyone would do it personally if they knew it could save the life of a kidnapped child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/everybody-says-they-re-opposed-to-torture-but-everyone-would-do-it/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [I think mistakes are the essence of science and law. It's impossible to conceive of either scientific progress or legal progress without understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-think-mistakes-are-the-essence-of-science-and-law-it-s-impossible/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

> [I never place limits on the potential success of my students. If they're going into acting, they're going to win the Oscar... If they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/i-never-place-limits-on-the-potential-success-of-my-students-if-they/)

[Alan Dershowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

[Explore all 177 Alan Dershowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/)

## More Ill quotes

> [In our society we have hard nerds and soft nerds. The hard nerds are the ones who used to have the slide rules at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/in-our-society-we-have-hard-nerds-and-soft-nerds-the-hard-nerds-are/)

[Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/)

> [Love reacts with goodness towards those who ill-treat it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-begg/love-reacts-with-goodness-towards-those-who-ill-treat-it/)

[Alistair Begg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-begg/)

> [But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-effect-of-her-being-on-those-around-her-was-incalculably/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [I will follow my instincts, be myself for good or ill, and see what will be the upshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-will-follow-my-instincts-be-myself-for-good-or-ill-and-see-what/)

[John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/)

> [One reason why my memory decays is that I have three cats, all so loving and insistent that they play cat's-cradle with every train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/one-reason-why-my-memory-decays-is-that-i-have-three-cats-all-so/)

[Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/)

> [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/)

[Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/)

> [How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/how-oft-the-sight-of-means-to-do-ill-deeds-makes-ill-deeds-done/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/ill-fitting-grammar-are-like-ill-fitting-shoes-you-can-get-used-to-it/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/)

[Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/)

> [Im a farmer. I always will be a farmer. When I die, Ill be a farmer. Its something that Ive wanted to do since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/im-a-farmer-i-always-will-be-a-farmer-when-i-die-ill-be-a-farmer-its/)

[Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/)

> [Some people are born skinny, and that's just the way it is. You can't point a finger at them and say they're ill or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-klum/some-people-are-born-skinny-and-that-s-just-the-way-it-is-you-can-t/)

[Heidi Klum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-klum/)

> [Need to go to the pharmacy, because I'm so sick!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasha-matthews/need-to-go-to-the-pharmacy-because-i-m-so-sick/)

Tasha Matthews

> [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [To think profoundly, to seek and speak truth, to love justice and denounce wrong is to draw upon one's self the ill will of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lancaster-spalding/to-think-profoundly-to-seek-and-speak-truth-to-love-justice-and/)

[John Lancaster Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lancaster-spalding/)

> [The Roman Catholic Church is an institution for whose gains the phrase "ill-gotten" might have been specially invented. And of all its money-making rip-offs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-roman-catholic-church-is-an-institution-for-whose-gains-the/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

[Browse all 2,279 Ill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Well, many insane people and seriously mentally ill people seem very reasonable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Dershowitz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-mentally-ill-people-seem-very/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ill"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-mentally-ill-people-seem-very/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37d/alan-dershowitz-2194_ill_well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-me_1986734.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Well, many insane people and seriously mentally ill people seem very reasonable.” — Alan Dershowitz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alan Dershowitz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dershowitz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Well, many insane people and seriously...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-mentally-ill-people-seem-very/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dershowitz/well-many-insane-people-and-seriously-mentally-ill-people-seem-very/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
