--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The road to creativity passes so close to…" description: "\"The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and often detours or ends there.\" — Ernest Becker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg" --- # The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and… ![“The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and often detours or ends there.” quote by Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg) > “The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and often detours or ends there.” [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creativity lies near madness, often leading to chaotic outcomes. **In simple terms:** Creativity borders madness. Key Takeaway Balance imagination with stability. Themes creativity madness psychology Mood cautious inspired Type psychological artistic When to use this quote - artistic work - innovation - mental health Key Concepts existentialism risk taking Questions to Reflect On - When does creativity become harmful? - How to channel chaotic energy product A Different Perspective Risk of losing control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Close Madhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-madhouse-5106883/) [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Detours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detours/) [Detours Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detours-ends-5106885/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Madhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madhouse-919635/) [Madhouse Detours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madhouse-detours-5106882/) [Road Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/road-creativity-5106884/) ## Related quotes > [“one of the great dangers of life is too much possibility, and that the place where we find people who have succumbed to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/one-of-the-great-dangers-of-life-is-too-much-possibility-and-that-the/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Have you ever thought that war is a madhouse and that everyone in the war is a patient?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/have-you-ever-thought-that-war-is-a-madhouse-and-that-everyone-in-the/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [“It's a madhouse, of course. A complete, utter madhouse. I only hope to God it remains one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/it-s-a-madhouse-of-course-a-complete-utter-madhouse-i-only-hope-to/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [“The world's a madhouse,' Padre Jimenez corrected. 'This is a place to heal it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-world-s-a-madhouse-padre-jimenez-corrected-this-is-a-place-to/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Too long, the earth has been a madhouse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/too-long-the-earth-has-been-a-madhouse/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [A first visit to a madhouse is always a shock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/a-first-visit-to-a-madhouse-is-always-a-shock/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [You don't want madhouse and the whole thing there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/you-don-t-want-madhouse-and-the-whole-thing-there/) [William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/) > [“Once you start seeing this place for the madhouse it is, you can’t stop seeing it that way. It’s everywhere, everyone. It doesn’t make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-mckenna/once-you-start-seeing-this-place-for-the-madhouse-it-is-you-can-t/) [Jed McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-mckenna/) > [Small steps to the madhouse still get us there at last](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/small-steps-to-the-madhouse-still-get-us-there-at-last/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [The madhouse is in a lot of places, not just a hospital, not just a palace, but also a pattern woven from threads so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-madhouse-is-in-a-lot-of-places-not-just-a-hospital-not-just-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This is a madhouse!” said Horace. Deirdre laughed. “No, doveling. It’s a menagerie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/this-is-a-madhouse-said-horace-deirdre-laughed-no-doveling-it-s-a/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“ Miss Evans was a scornful Max Reinhardt saint... She left the room, her hips provocative and fluid. page 270 Murder In The Madhouse/…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-latimer/miss-evans-was-a-scornful-max-reinhardt-saint-she-left-the-room-her/) [Jonathan Latimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-latimer/) > [Dear Lord, what a madhouse the world is!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/dear-lord-what-a-madhouse-the-world-is/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I believe that on any trip to heaven, there are always detours through hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-finney/i-believe-that-on-any-trip-to-heaven-there-are-always-detours-through/) [Richard Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-finney/) ## More by Ernest Becker > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“the characteristics the modern mind prides itself on are precisely those of madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-characteristics-the-modern-mind-prides-itself-on-are-precisely/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“When we are young we are often puzzled by the fact that each person we admire seems to have a different version of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/when-we-are-young-we-are-often-puzzled-by-the-fact-that-each-person/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Relationship is thus always slavery of a kind, which leaves a residue of guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/relationship-is-thus-always-slavery-of-a-kind-which-leaves-a-residue/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“neurosis as a problem of character and have seen that it can be approached in two ways: as a problem of too much narrowness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/neurosis-as-a-problem-of-character-and-have-seen-that-it-can-be/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [When we understand that man is the only animal who must create meaning, who must open a wedge into neutral nature, we already understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/when-we-understand-that-man-is-the-only-animal-who-must-create/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [What is the ideal for mental health, then? 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Freud thought that modern man’s moral dependence on another was a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/understanding-this-rank-could-take-a-great-step-beyond-freud-freud/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“The world of human aspiration is largely fictitious and if we do not understand this we understand nothing about man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-world-of-human-aspiration-is-largely-fictitious-and-if-we-do-not/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“If the partner becomes God he can just as easily become the Devil; the reason is not far to seek. For one thing, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/if-the-partner-becomes-god-he-can-just-as-easily-become-the-devil-the/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“every human being is… equally unfree, that is, we… create out of freedom, a prison….”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/every-human-being-is-equally-unfree-that-is-we-create-out-of-freedom/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [“The point is that if the love object is divine perfection, then one’s own self is elevated by joining one’s destiny to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-point-is-that-if-the-love-object-is-divine-perfection-then-one-s/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) [Explore all 95 Ernest Becker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) ## More Creativity quotes > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“The Soviet “creative intelligentsia” - that is, people accustomed to thinking one thing, saying another and doing a third - is as a whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-amalrik/the-soviet-creative-intelligentsia-that-is-people-accustomed-to/) [Andrei Amalrik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-amalrik/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [You don't get lucky. You create lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/you-don-t-get-lucky-you-create-lucky/) [Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“You are the end of beauty and creativity one must have created so far.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/you-are-the-end-of-beauty-and-creativity-one-must-have-created-so-far/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [If you've got creativity, imagination, and intelligence, and you want to be hypnotised, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-barry/if-you-ve-got-creativity-imagination-and-intelligence-and-you-want-to/) [Keith Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-barry/) > [“I believe in magic. As a writer, I create them on blank paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonnia-kemmer/i-believe-in-magic-as-a-writer-i-create-them-on-blank-paper/) [Sonnia Kemmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonnia-kemmer/) > [Creativity is like chasing chickens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-niemann/creativity-is-like-chasing-chickens/) [Christoph Niemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-niemann/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [You always hear actors say, 'Theater is my first love,' and it is. 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Their creativity and productivity will increase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/create-an-environment-for-people-to-fail-to-learn-and-to-grow-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 13,625 Creativity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and often detours or ends there.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ernest Becker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-to-the-madhouse-and-often/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Creativity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-to-the-madhouse-and-often/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a62/ernest-becker-7036_creativity_the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-t_3056325.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The road to creativity passes so close to the madhouse and often detours or ends there.” — Ernest Becker", "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": "Ernest Becker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The road to creativity passes so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-to-the-madhouse-and-often/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-road-to-creativity-passes-so-close-to-the-madhouse-and-often/#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 } } ] } ```