---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is a mad planet,\" David Bowie said…"
description: "\"This is a mad planet,\" David Bowie said in 1971. \"It's doomed to madness.\" — David Bowie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg"
---

#  This is a mad planet," David Bowie said in 1971. "It's…

![“This is a mad planet," David Bowie said in 1971. "It's doomed to madness.” quote by David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg)

> “This is a mad planet," David Bowie said in 1971. "It's doomed to madness.”

[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.

The world is chaotic and destined for madness, reflecting a bleak outlook.

**In simple terms:** The planet is mad and doomed.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address societal chaos.

Themes

society future despair

Mood

reflective somber

Type

cultural philosophical

When to use this quote

- media analysis
- mental health awareness
- environmental activism

Key Concepts

existentialism cultural critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What can counteract societal madness?
- How to foster hope?

A Different Perspective

Perspective may be overly pessimistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/)

## Related quotes

> [One of my biggest heroes in music has been David Bowie. He's said, 'I'm going to be a painter now, or I'm going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/one-of-my-biggest-heroes-in-music-has-been-david-bowie-he-s-said-i-m/)

[Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/)

> [ \[David\] Bowie's last album "Blackstar" featured him backed by a jazz quartet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/david-bowie-s-last-album-blackstar-featured-him-backed-by-a-jazz/)

[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/)

> [ \[David\] Bowie had a genius for continual change himself, reinventing his sound and his image throughout the decades. Each album seemed to find Bowie… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/david-bowie-had-a-genius-for-continual-change-himself-reinventing-his/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [David Bowie emerged as a rock star in the late '60s. And as Ken Tucker wrote, "In the face of the hippy era's sincerity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/david-bowie-emerged-as-a-rock-star-in-the-late-60s-and-as-ken-tucker/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [ \[David\] Bowie went on to make best-selling music - funk, dance music, electronic music, while also being influenced by cabaret and jazz. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/david-bowie-went-on-to-make-best-selling-music-funk-dance-music/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [ Hearing that \[David\] Bowie passed was like you don't really believe it. It's as if the sky shifted a little bit, to remind you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/hearing-that-david-bowie-passed-was-like-you-don-t-really-believe-it/)

[Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/)

> [I am a big David Bowie fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-wiig/i-am-a-big-david-bowie-fan/)

[Kristen Wiig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-wiig/)

> [David Bowie always told me how good I smelt. He said to me he had never smelt Chanel smell like that on anybody!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-buell/david-bowie-always-told-me-how-good-i-smelt-he-said-to-me-he-had/)

[Bebe Buell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-buell/)

> [“The bravest thing David Bowie ever did was to go on stage after Queen at Live Aid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/the-bravest-thing-david-bowie-ever-did-was-to-go-on-stage-after-queen/)

[Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/)

> [David Bowie worked with Brian Eno and dressed up in extraordinary clothes, but he was also a brilliant songwriter who captured the thoughts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/david-bowie-worked-with-brian-eno-and-dressed-up-in-extraordinary/)

[Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/)

> [I do not use the word 'genius' lightly, but if David Bowie is not a genius, then there is no such thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/i-do-not-use-the-word-genius-lightly-but-if-david-bowie-is-not-a/)

[Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/)

> [The problem is that the internet IS some kid in a basement with an opinion. The fact that David Bowie and Elton John told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-hamilton/the-problem-is-that-the-internet-is-some-kid-in-a-basement-with-an/)

[Page Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-hamilton/)

> [ If I say something about David \[Bowie\], I get 1000 tweets, if I say something about my business just a few! The more personal,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-abdulmajid/if-i-say-something-about-david-bowie-i-get-1000-tweets-if-i-say/)

[Iman Abdulmajid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-abdulmajid/)

> [I was David Bowie-thin up to about 28, and then I discovered food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-was-david-bowie-thin-up-to-about-28-and-then-i-discovered-food/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

## 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 Bowie quotes

> [I was David Bowie-thin up to about 28, and then I discovered food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-was-david-bowie-thin-up-to-about-28-and-then-i-discovered-food/)

[Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/)

> [I gotta friend who spends his life, stabbing my picture with a bowie knife. Dreams of strangling me with a scarf, when my name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-gotta-friend-who-spends-his-life-stabbing-my-picture-with-a-bowie/)

[Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/)

> [“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/)

> [ If I say something about David \[Bowie\], I get 1000 tweets, if I say something about my business just a few! The more personal,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-abdulmajid/if-i-say-something-about-david-bowie-i-get-1000-tweets-if-i-say/)

[Iman Abdulmajid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-abdulmajid/)

> [The problem is that the internet IS some kid in a basement with an opinion. The fact that David Bowie and Elton John told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/page-hamilton/the-problem-is-that-the-internet-is-some-kid-in-a-basement-with-an/)

[Page Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/page-hamilton/)

> [I do not use the word 'genius' lightly, but if David Bowie is not a genius, then there is no such thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-rock/i-do-not-use-the-word-genius-lightly-but-if-david-bowie-is-not-a/)

[Mick Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-rock/)

> [David Bowie worked with Brian Eno and dressed up in extraordinary clothes, but he was also a brilliant songwriter who captured the thoughts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bat-for-lashes/david-bowie-worked-with-brian-eno-and-dressed-up-in-extraordinary/)

[Bat for Lashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bat-for-lashes/)

> [For Christmas when I was about four I got given 'Can the can' by Susie Quatro, so that was the first record I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-fanning/for-christmas-when-i-was-about-four-i-got-given-can-the-can-by-susie/)

[Bernard Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-fanning/)

> [“The bravest thing David Bowie ever did was to go on stage after Queen at Live Aid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/the-bravest-thing-david-bowie-ever-did-was-to-go-on-stage-after-queen/)

[Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/)

> [With the groups who asked me to join them - like the Rolling Stones, Spirit, David Bowie, and Blood, Sweat & Tears - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shuggie-otis/with-the-groups-who-asked-me-to-join-them-like-the-rolling-stones/)

[Shuggie Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shuggie-otis/)

> [David Bowie always told me how good I smelt. He said to me he had never smelt Chanel smell like that on anybody!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-buell/david-bowie-always-told-me-how-good-i-smelt-he-said-to-me-he-had/)

[Bebe Buell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-buell/)

> [I am a big David Bowie fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-wiig/i-am-a-big-david-bowie-fan/)

[Kristen Wiig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-wiig/)

> [Davy Jones was the grooviest of the Monkees, which makes him one of the grooviest pop stars who ever existed. He was the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/davy-jones-was-the-grooviest-of-the-monkees-which-makes-him-one-of/)

[Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/)

> [ Hearing that \[David\] Bowie passed was like you don't really believe it. It's as if the sky shifted a little bit, to remind you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babatunde-adebimpe/hearing-that-david-bowie-passed-was-like-you-don-t-really-believe-it/)

[Babatunde Adebimpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babatunde-adebimpe/)

> [It's fun to look at people that are so good at acting that aren't actors, like David Bowie creating a mystique about rock n'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/it-s-fun-to-look-at-people-that-are-so-good-at-acting-that-aren-t/)

[Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/)

Browse all 200 Bowie quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "This is a mad planet,\" David Bowie said in 1971. \"It's doomed to madness.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Bowie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in-1971-it-s-doomed-to-madness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bowie"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in-1971-it-s-doomed-to-madness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7d/david-bowie-508_bowie_this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in_656667.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This is a mad planet,\" David Bowie said in 1971. \"It's doomed to madness.” — David Bowie",
                "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": "David Bowie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "This is a mad planet,\" David...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in-1971-it-s-doomed-to-madness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/this-is-a-mad-planet-david-bowie-said-in-1971-it-s-doomed-to-madness/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```