---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I write plays not to make money, but to…"
description: "\"I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from going mad. Because it's my way of making the world rational to me.\" — Edward Bond"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg"
---

#  I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from…

![“I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from going mad. Because it's my way of making the world rational to me.” quote by Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg)

> “I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from going mad. Because it's my way of making the world rational to me.”

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

## About This Quote

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

I write plays to maintain sanity and make sense of the world.

**In simple terms:** I write plays to stay sane and understand the world.

Key Takeaway

Use creative expression to process reality.

Themes

creativity mental health art meaning sanity

Mood

introspective inspirational

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- personal therapy
- artistic projects

Key Concepts

theatre rationalization self-expression

Questions to Reflect On

- How does writing help you think?
- What other outlets could you use?

A Different Perspective

Art may not solve all problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Every time you blow the whistle, half the people are going to be mad at you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-cuccinelli/every-time-you-blow-the-whistle-half-the-people-are-going-to-be-mad/)

[Ken Cuccinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-cuccinelli/)

> [Sometimes I think I am going mad. I live for days in the mystery and tears of things so that the commonest object, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-n-p-barbellion/sometimes-i-think-i-am-going-mad-i-live-for-days-in-the-mystery-and/)

[W.N.P. Barbellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-n-p-barbellion/)

> [If you're going to be mad, at least let the people know what you're mad about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/if-you-re-going-to-be-mad-at-least-let-the-people-know-what-you-re/)

[Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/)

> [While everybody else was going mad, we were actually the sanest people in the whole thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/while-everybody-else-was-going-mad-we-were-actually-the-sanest-people/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [In describing one way of going mad, I shall try to show that there is a comprehensible transition from the sane schizoid way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-describing-one-way-of-going-mad-i-shall-try-to-show-that-there-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [“The world was a maze of mysteries and puzzles, but it was a world of rational design that did not present puzzles without answers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-world-was-a-maze-of-mysteries-and-puzzles-but-it-was-a-world-of/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [I've always wanted to make the world a more rational place. I'm still working on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/i-ve-always-wanted-to-make-the-world-a-more-rational-place-i-m-still/)

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

> [“The events we have passed through form a coherent pattern and the political actors who have shaped the world are rational--if not necessarily moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-events-we-have-passed-through-form-a-coherent-pattern-and-the/)

[George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/)

> [What has struck me about the political world, as opposed to the business world, is that rational discourse has become all but impossible. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-miller/what-has-struck-me-about-the-political-world-as-opposed-to-the/)

[Gina Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-miller/)

> [The world is not a rational place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-greene/the-world-is-not-a-rational-place/)

[Bette Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-greene/)

> [“The world is rational and creative. It's a wonderful mystery for our minds to discover and celebrate . God's everywhere and we are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-rational-and-creative-it-s-a-wonderful-mystery-for-our/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The only suggestions I get on my plays is to make them more of what they already are, and that's wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/the-only-suggestions-i-get-on-my-plays-is-to-make-them-more-of-what/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [If you get the ball two times, make two plays - make two big plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sony-michel/if-you-get-the-ball-two-times-make-two-plays-make-two-big-plays/)

[Sony Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sony-michel/)

> [I make impact plays. I make game-changing plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-make-impact-plays-i-make-game-changing-plays/)

[LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/)

> [You can write 16 plays and not make as much money as you did doing one movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/you-can-write-16-plays-and-not-make-as-much-money-as-you-did-doing/)

[Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/)

## More by Edward Bond

> [“Your law always does more harm than crime, and your morality is a form of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/your-law-always-does-more-harm-than-crime-and-your-morality-is-a-form/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [It's wonderful to be able to sit down and write a play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/it-s-wonderful-to-be-able-to-sit-down-and-write-a-play/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [But we are not in the world to be good but to change it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/but-we-are-not-in-the-world-to-be-good-but-to-change-it/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [As Shakespeare himself knew, the peace, the reconciliation that he created on the stage would not last an hour on the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/as-shakespeare-himself-knew-the-peace-the-reconciliation-that-he/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [We are still living in the aftershock of Hiroshima, people are still the scars of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/we-are-still-living-in-the-aftershock-of-hiroshima-people-are-still/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [The human mind is a dramatic structure in itself and our society is absolutely saturated with drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/the-human-mind-is-a-dramatic-structure-in-itself-and-our-society-is/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [It's insulting to ask a dramatist what his view of his play is. I have no opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/it-s-insulting-to-ask-a-dramatist-what-his-view-of-his-play-is-i-have/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [Whatever the economy needs to maintain itself, the government will do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/whatever-the-economy-needs-to-maintain-itself-the-government-will-do/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [“O burn the house! You've murdered the husband, slaughtered the cattle, poisoned the well, raped the mother, killed the child - you must burn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/o-burn-the-house-you-ve-murdered-the-husband-slaughtered-the-cattle/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [The one overall structure in my plays is language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/the-one-overall-structure-in-my-plays-is-language/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [“It's dangerous to tell the truth, truth without power is always dangerous. And we should fight! Freedom's not an idea, it's a passion! If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/it-s-dangerous-to-tell-the-truth-truth-without-power-is-always/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [“WANG. We live in a time of great change. It is easy to find monsters- and as easy to find heroes. To judge rightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/wang-we-live-in-a-time-of-great-change-it-is-easy-to-find-monsters/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [Now, drama is quite useful at helping us to understand what our position is and, conversely, we might then understand why our theatre is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/now-drama-is-quite-useful-at-helping-us-to-understand-what-our/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [What I try to do in a play is put a problem on stage, head-on, without evasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/what-i-try-to-do-in-a-play-is-put-a-problem-on-stage-head-on-without/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

> [We may seem competent, but by the end of next century there will be new deserts, new ruins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/we-may-seem-competent-but-by-the-end-of-next-century-there-will-be/)

[Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

[Explore all 52 Edward Bond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/)

## More Mad quotes

> ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/)

[Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/)

> [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/)

[Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/)

> [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/)

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

> [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/)

> [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [You get those hunger pains. 'I am so hungry. We don't have any food. What are we going to eat?' Your stomach hurts. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mclemore/you-get-those-hunger-pains-i-am-so-hungry-we-don-t-have-any-food-what/)

[Ben McLemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mclemore/)

> [My life always came first. When I got nominated for Diary of a Mad Housewife, I didn't think, 'Aah, now I'll get more money.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-snodgress/my-life-always-came-first-when-i-got-nominated-for-diary-of-a-mad/)

[Carrie Snodgress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-snodgress/)

> [I'm not mad at digital media at all; I just see the importance and beauty of physical media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/i-m-not-mad-at-digital-media-at-all-i-just-see-the-importance-and/)

[El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/)

> [The planet's survival has become so uncertain that any effort, any thought that presupposes an assured future amounts to a mad gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-planet-s-survival-has-become-so-uncertain-that-any-effort-any/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Most men are secretly still mad at their mothers for throwing away their comic books. They would be valuable now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/most-men-are-secretly-still-mad-at-their-mothers-for-throwing-away/)

[Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/)

> [Your eyes are closed in hell and you haven't even opened them to see heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-eyes-are-closed-in-hell-and-you-haven-t-even-opened-them-to-see/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You see all of us go through the same doubts. We are afraid of being mad; unfortunately for us, of course, all of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/you-see-all-of-us-go-through-the-same-doubts-we-are-afraid-of-being/)

[Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/)

> [I don't think you can ever get used to being this famous. I've learnt how to keep things separate or at a distance. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-styles/i-don-t-think-you-can-ever-get-used-to-being-this-famous-i-ve-learnt/)

[Harry Styles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-styles/)

> [Mothers." The man made a word sound like a curse. "I think birthing does something to your minds. You are all mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mothers-the-man-made-a-word-sound-like-a-curse-i-think-birthing-does/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Helen Hunt is terrific, and I got to do a couple of guest spots with Helen and Paul Reiser on 'Mad About You.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyle-lovett/helen-hunt-is-terrific-and-i-got-to-do-a-couple-of-guest-spots-with/)

[Lyle Lovett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyle-lovett/)

Browse all 2,874 Mad quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from going mad. Because it's my way of making the world rational to me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward Bond"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-stop-myself-from-going-mad/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mad"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-stop-myself-from-going-mad/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e0/edward-bond-13025_mad_i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-s_132560.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I write plays not to make money, but to stop myself from going mad. Because it's my way of making the world…” — Edward Bond",
                "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": "Edward Bond",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I write plays not to make...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-stop-myself-from-going-mad/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-stop-myself-from-going-mad/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
