---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The point is, it seems to me that my mind…"
description: "\"“The point is, it seems to me that my mind is a mass of totally contradictory attitudes about everything.’ ‘Everyone’s mind is a mass of contradictory ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png"
---

#  The point is, it seems to me that my mind is a mass of…

![“The point is, it seems to me that my mind is a mass of totally contradictory attitudes about everything.’ ‘Everyone’s mind is a mass of contradictory attitudes. Why should it matter?’ ‘It should matter to us, surely?” quote by Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png)

> ““The point is, it seems to me that my mind is a mass of totally contradictory attitudes about everything.’ ‘Everyone’s mind is a mass of contradictory attitudes. Why should it matter?’ ‘It should matter to us, surely?””

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

## About This Quote

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

Our minds hold contradictory attitudes; acknowledging this paradox is essential for self‑understanding.

**In simple terms:** We have conflicting thoughts; noticing them matters.

Key Takeaway

Embrace mental contradictions to grow.

Themes

mind contradiction self‑awareness

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- therapy
- creative writing

Key Concepts

paradox cognitive dissonance philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we resist contradictory thoughts?
- How can we use contradictions constructively?

A Different Perspective

Contradictions can cause confusion; may hinder decisive action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/)

## Related quotes

> [At the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes-an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/at-the-heart-of-science-is-an-essential-balance-between-two-seemingly/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [There is no such thing as a Mass Mind. The Mass Audience is made up of individuals, and good advertising is written always from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fairfax-cone/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-mass-mind-the-mass-audience-is-made-up-of/)

Fairfax Cone

> [Well-meaning, helpful, good-natured attitudes of mind have not come to be honored on account of their usefulness, but because they are states of richer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/well-meaning-helpful-good-natured-attitudes-of-mind-have-not-come-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jones/the-greatest-discovery-of-my-generation-is-that-a-human-being-can-2/)

[William Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jones/)

> [The greatest discovery of my generation is that human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of his mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-greatest-discovery-of-my-generation-is-that-human-being-can-alter/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [Your outer world of attitudes, wealth, work, relationships and health will always be a reflection of your inner attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/your-outer-world-of-attitudes-wealth-work-relationships-and-health/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [“Studies of cancer patients show that attitudes of mind have very little effect on clinical outcome. We may say we are fighting cancer, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/studies-of-cancer-patients-show-that-attitudes-of-mind-have-very/)

[Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/)

> [Your thoughts become your words and your attitudes. Where the mind goes, the man follows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/your-thoughts-become-your-words-and-your-attitudes-where-the-mind/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-iacocca/the-greatest-discovery-of-my-generation-is-that-human-beings-can/)

[Lee Iacocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-iacocca/)

> [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/)

[William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/)

> [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [We've got a great team sport, but we harp on about individuals. It's a bit contradictory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/we-ve-got-a-great-team-sport-but-we-harp-on-about-individuals-it-s-a/)

[Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/)

> [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

## More by Doris Lessing

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“In the morning, when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest, and pats my face with her paw. Or, if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/in-the-morning-when-she-wishes-me-to-wake-she-crouches-on-my-chest/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [You know, whenever women make imaginary female kingdoms in literature, they are always very permissive, to use the jargon word, and easy and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/you-know-whenever-women-make-imaginary-female-kingdoms-in-literature/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [There is only one real sin and that is to persuade oneself that the second best is anything but second best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/there-is-only-one-real-sin-and-that-is-to-persuade-oneself-that-the/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“She was using the water as she had used the fruit earlier—to calm herself, to assure herself of the possibility of normality. Yet all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/she-was-using-the-water-as-she-had-used-the-fruit-earlier-to-calm/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I remember World War II when there were very few books, very little paper available. For me to walk into a shop or look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-remember-world-war-ii-when-there-were-very-few-books-very-little/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [They can't give a Nobel to someone who's dead so I think they were probably thinking they had better give it to me now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/they-can-t-give-a-nobel-to-someone-who-s-dead-so-i-think-they-were/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“While she strode rapidly through the ward to the door at the other end, she was able to see that every bed or cot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/while-she-strode-rapidly-through-the-ward-to-the-door-at-the-other/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I do not think that marriage is one of my talents. I've been much happier unmarried than married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-do-not-think-that-marriage-is-one-of-my-talents-i-ve-been-much/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [I haven't got the energy to write now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/i-haven-t-got-the-energy-to-write-now/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [What really fascinates me is this need that is so strong now that if you read a work of the imagination you instantly have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-really-fascinates-me-is-this-need-that-is-so-strong-now-that-if/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“The charge that the United Nations are using bacteriological warfare in Korea cannot be dismissed merely because it would be insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-charge-that-the-united-nations-are-using-bacteriological-warfare/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [What I did have, which others perhaps didn't, was a capacity for sticking at it, which really is the point, not the talent at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/what-i-did-have-which-others-perhaps-didn-t-was-a-capacity-for/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [The human community is evolving... . We can survive anything you care to mention. We are supremely equipped to survive, to adapt and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-human-community-is-evolving-we-can-survive-anything-you-care-to/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [So love is rest? The cosy corner? The little nook? Sometimes it ought to be. Sometimes it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/so-love-is-rest-the-cosy-corner-the-little-nook-sometimes-it-ought-to/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

[Explore all 508 Doris Lessing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

## More Contradictory quotes

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/)

[Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/)

> [We've got a great team sport, but we harp on about individuals. It's a bit contradictory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/we-ve-got-a-great-team-sport-but-we-harp-on-about-individuals-it-s-a/)

[Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/)

> [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/strong-men-don-t-compromise-it-is-said-and-principles-should-never-be/)

[Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/)

> [Ruth and I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/ruth-and-i-don-t-have-a-perfect-marriage-but-we-have-a-great-one-how/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [“Away from Lev, she craves his need for her. When with him, it enervates. Why is that? She cannot help it. Nothing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/away-from-lev-she-craves-his-need-for-her-when-with-him-it-enervates/)

[Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/)

> [“Throughout my life, I have always felt torn between my dual contradictory natures. I'm the obedient daughter and devoted friend, but also a self-destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-schein/throughout-my-life-i-have-always-felt-torn-between-my-dual/)

Elyse Schein

> [When faced with a loss, it is no use trying to recover what has gone. On the other hand, a great space has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-faced-with-a-loss-it-is-no-use-trying-to-recover-what-has-gone/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [ The typical white intellectual considers himself superior to ordinary white people for two contradictory reasons: a\] he constantly proclaims belief in human equality, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-sailer/the-typical-white-intellectual-considers-himself-superior-to-ordinary/)

[Steve Sailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-sailer/)

> [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/)

[Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/)

> [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [A girl asks her doctor, "Doctor, I've forgotten to take my contradictory pill!" The doctor says: "Are you ignorant?" The girl says: "Yes, three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-carson/a-girl-asks-her-doctor-doctor-i-ve-forgotten-to-take-my-contradictory/)

[Frank Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-carson/)

> [“Is this a Kurdish thing?’ ‘What?’ ‘Being deliberately contradictory?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcdonald/is-this-a-kurdish-thing-what-being-deliberately-contradictory/)

[Ian McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcdonald/)

Browse all 443 Contradictory quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The point is, it seems to me that my mind is a mass of totally contradictory attitudes about everything.’ ‘Everyone’s mind is a mass of contradictory attitudes. Why should it matter?’ ‘It should matter to us, surely?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Doris Lessing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind-is-a-mass-of-totally/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Contradictory"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind-is-a-mass-of-totally/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c24/doris-lessing-501_contradictory_the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind_602558.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The point is, it seems to me that my mind is a mass of totally contradictory attitudes about everything.’…” — Doris Lessing",
                "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": "Doris Lessing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The point is, it seems to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind-is-a-mass-of-totally/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-point-is-it-seems-to-me-that-my-mind-is-a-mass-of-totally/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
