--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd rather stay here with all the madmen…" description: "\"I'd rather stay here with all the madmen than perish with the sadmen roaming free.\" — David Bowie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/david-bowie-508_insanity_i-d-rather-stay-here-with-all-the-madmen_3048262.jpg" --- # I'd rather stay here with all the madmen than perish with… ![“I'd rather stay here with all the madmen than perish with the sadmen roaming free.” quote by David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/david-bowie-508_insanity_i-d-rather-stay-here-with-all-the-madmen_3048262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/david-bowie-508_insanity_i-d-rather-stay-here-with-all-the-madmen_3048262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08c/david-bowie-508_insanity_i-d-rather-stay-here-with-all-the-madmen_3048262.jpg) > “I'd rather stay here with all the madmen than perish with the sadmen roaming free.” [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing companionship with the unconventional over isolation with the conventional. **In simple terms:** Prefer the company of the crazy over the lonely sad. Key Takeaway Embrace the unconventional. Themes individualism community choice Mood reflective defiant Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic circles - mental health support groups - alternative lifestyle communities Key Concepts existentialism social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Do you value authenticity over safety? - How does this choice affect your wellbeing? A Different Perspective May overlook practical stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Madmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madmen/) ## Related quotes > [“Cause I'd rather stay here With all the madmen Than perish with the sadmen roaming free And I'd rather play here With all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/cause-i-d-rather-stay-here-with-all-the-madmen-than-perish-with-the/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I miss roaming around the Basant Lok market, eating out, the Capital's wide roads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshu-chatterjee/i-miss-roaming-around-the-basant-lok-market-eating-out-the-capital-s/) [Priyanshu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanshu-chatterjee/) > [There are things roaming around inside my head as clever as Theseus in the Labyrinth. It's just that nobody ever gave them the necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/there-are-things-roaming-around-inside-my-head-as-clever-as-theseus/) [Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/) > [It's said that All Hallows' Eve is one of the nights when the veil between the worlds is thin - and whether you believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/it-s-said-that-all-hallows-eve-is-one-of-the-nights-when-the-veil/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry, and that's extra scary to me. There's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-think-bigfoot-is-blurry-that-s-the-problem-it-s-not-the/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [“Loaming is my special word for it..it's a combination of looming and roaming”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-milton/loaming-is-my-special-word-for-it-it-s-a-combination-of-looming-and/) Wendy Milton > [Rocking on a lazy billow With roaming eyes, Cushioned on a dreamy pillow, Thou art now wise. Wake the power within thee slumbering, Trim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-blackie/rocking-on-a-lazy-billow-with-roaming-eyes-cushioned-on-a-dreamy/) [John Stuart Blackie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-blackie/) > [Every day you wake up is an opportunity to go beyond, and that 's why I let my band go right now. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-santana/every-day-you-wake-up-is-an-opportunity-to-go-beyond-and-that-s-why-i/) [Carlos Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-santana/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Genius, whether locked up in a cell or roaming at large, is always solitary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/genius-whether-locked-up-in-a-cell-or-roaming-at-large-is-always/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Even when I was in the orphanage, when I was roaming the street trying to find enough to eat, even then I thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/even-when-i-was-in-the-orphanage-when-i-was-roaming-the-street-trying/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [I may be stupid, as you say, to believe in honour and friendship and loyalty without price. But these are virtues to be cherished,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-may-be-stupid-as-you-say-to-believe-in-honour-and-friendship-and/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [I still am very afraid to Google myself. There are some embarrassing roaming photos that I wish weren't on Google. But I intend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nolan-gerard-funk/i-still-am-very-afraid-to-google-myself-there-are-some-embarrassing/) [Nolan Gerard Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nolan-gerard-funk/) > [I’m getting all warm and fuzzy inside at the prospect of these demon things roaming the street, preying on us. (Tate)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-getting-all-warm-and-fuzzy-inside-at-the-prospect-of-these-demon/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More by David Bowie > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [No more free steps to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/no-more-free-steps-to-heaven/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I'm not sure whether it is me changing my mind, or whether I lie a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-not-sure-whether-it-is-me-changing-my-mind-or-whether-i-lie-a-lot/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I do some kind of work, whether writing or painting or recording, on a daily basis. And it's so essential that when I'm involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-do-some-kind-of-work-whether-writing-or-painting-or-recording-on-a/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [To not be modest about it, you'll find that with only a couple of exceptions, most of the musicians that I've worked with have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/to-not-be-modest-about-it-you-ll-find-that-with-only-a-couple-of/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I went mainstream in a major way with the song "Let's Dance." And what I found I had done was put a box around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-went-mainstream-in-a-major-way-with-the-song-let-s-dance-and-what-i/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“Keep your 'lectric eye on me babe Put your ray gun to my head Press your space face close to mine, love Freak out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/keep-your-lectric-eye-on-me-babe-put-your-ray-gun-to-my-head-press/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I'm in awe of the universe, but I don't necessarily believe there's an intelligence or agent behind it. I do have a passion for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-m-in-awe-of-the-universe-but-i-don-t-necessarily-believe-there-s-an/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [TV has eaten up everything else, and Warhol films are all that are left, which is fabulous. Pork could become the next I Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/tv-has-eaten-up-everything-else-and-warhol-films-are-all-that-are/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“My brain hurt like a warehouse It had no room to spare I had to cram so many things to store everything in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/my-brain-hurt-like-a-warehouse-it-had-no-room-to-spare-i-had-to-cram/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I suppose for me as an artist it wasn't always just about expressing my work; I really wanted, more than anything else, to contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-suppose-for-me-as-an-artist-it-wasn-t-always-just-about-expressing/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [... And these children that you spit on as they try to change their worlds are immune to your consultations. They're quite aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/and-these-children-that-you-spit-on-as-they-try-to-change-their/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I think the first song I ever wrote ... was called "Can't Help Thinking About Me." That's an illuminating little piece, isn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-think-the-first-song-i-ever-wrote-was-called-can-t-help-thinking/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I've come to the realizations that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing half the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-ve-come-to-the-realizations-that-i-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-i-m/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [I never really felt like a rock singer or a rock star or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-never-really-felt-like-a-rock-singer-or-a-rock-star-or-whatever/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) [Explore all 508 David Bowie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) ## More Insanity quotes > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Insanity is beautiful, I'm absolutely glad to be crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/insanity-is-beautiful-i-m-absolutely-glad-to-be-crazy/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [You perceive, now, that these things are all impossible except in a dream. You perceive that they are pure and puerile insanities, the silly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-perceive-now-that-these-things-are-all-impossible-except-in-a/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Yeah, and there’s this constant refrain from privileged people; it’s like they’re all racing to prove how miserable they used to be. Every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-archura/yeah-and-there-s-this-constant-refrain-from-privileged-people-it-s/) K. Archura > [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [What is commonly honored with the name of Friendship is no very profound or powerful instinct. Men do not, after all, love their Friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-is-commonly-honored-with-the-name-of-friendship-is-no-very/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I was born in Tyrone, 1956, for something I didn't do. I was innocent. But they gave me life. I still remember the midwife…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcaleer/i-was-born-in-tyrone-1956-for-something-i-didn-t-do-i-was-innocent/) Kevin McAleer > [“There is nothing that is more certain sign of insanity than to do the same thing over and over and expect the results to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/there-is-nothing-that-is-more-certain-sign-of-insanity-than-to-do-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“To stand at the very moment when all seems lost is the point of insanity for the coward, but it is the home of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-stand-at-the-very-moment-when-all-seems-lost-is-the-point-of/) [Craig D. 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It’s as if you were in a foreign country, able to see and understand everything that’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/insanity-is-the-inability-to-communicate-your-ideas-it-s-as-if-you/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The definition of insanity is doing the same thing with the same result over and over again, expecting something different. The left just spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-definition-of-insanity-is-doing-the-same-thing-with-the-same/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [One thing is certain: you can never become anything other than yourself, and unless you become yourself you cannot be happy. 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