--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Banality is a symptom of…" description: "\"Banality is a symptom of non-communication. Men hide behind their cliches.\" — Eugene Ionesco" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_banality_banality-is-a-symptom-of-non-communicati_1459316.jpg" --- # Banality is a symptom of non-communication. Men hide… ![“Banality is a symptom of non-communication. Men hide behind their cliches.” quote by Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_banality_banality-is-a-symptom-of-non-communicati_1459316.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_banality_banality-is-a-symptom-of-non-communicati_1459316.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/eug-ne-ionesco-1878_banality_banality-is-a-symptom-of-non-communicati_1459316.jpg) > “Banality is a symptom of non-communication. Men hide behind their cliches.” [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When people rely on clichés, they avoid genuine communication, leading to superficial interactions. **In simple terms:** Clichés block real communication. Key Takeaway Encourage honest, original dialogue. Themes communication authenticity clichés Mood reflective analytical Type observational social commentary When to use this quote - workplace meetings - media discourse - personal conversations Key Concepts language theory social interaction Questions to Reflect On - What clichés dominate your speech? - How can you foster deeper dialogue? A Different Perspective Overcoming clichés requires effort and awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Banality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banality/) [Banality Symptom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banality-symptom-5268216/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Cliche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliche/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Communication Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication-men-3869481/) [Hide Cliches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-cliches-5268217/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Non Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-communication-3458319/) [Symptoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symptoms/) ## Related quotes > [“It was a mystery why the army bothered with a signal communication system when its men were so good at gossip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-downie/it-was-a-mystery-why-the-army-bothered-with-a-signal-communication/) [Ruth Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-downie/) > [True contact between beings is established only by mute presence, by apparent non-communication, by that mysterious and wordless exchange which resembles inward prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/true-contact-between-beings-is-established-only-by-mute-presence-by/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [“because total non-communication in a place like the circle was so difficult, it felt like violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/because-total-non-communication-in-a-place-like-the-circle-was-so/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Well-determined centers of revery are means of communication between men who dream as surely as well-defined concepts are means of communications between men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/well-determined-centers-of-revery-are-means-of-communication-between/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [Boredom flourishes too, when you feel safe. It's a symptom of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/boredom-flourishes-too-when-you-feel-safe-it-s-a-symptom-of-security/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [I really like the idea of banality and repetition being used to generate the image, which are simple and unobstructed and not captivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-aitken/i-really-like-the-idea-of-banality-and-repetition-being-used-to/) [Doug Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-aitken/) > [Language is in decline. Not only has eloquence departed but simple, direct speech as well, though pomposity and banality have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-newman/language-is-in-decline-not-only-has-eloquence-departed-but-simple/) [Edwin Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-newman/) > [I was filled with angst in college, that I struggled with the question of my future, the meaning of my life - spoiled sheltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/i-was-filled-with-angst-in-college-that-i-struggled-with-the-question/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [Understanding a people's culture exposes their normalness without reducing their particularity...It renders them accessible: setting them in the frame of their own banalities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/understanding-a-people-s-culture-exposes-their-normalness-without/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. Banality here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-great-work-of-art-is-the-complete-banality-and-the-fault-with/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [“A plain circular bullet is widely disdained for its banality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-de-bartolo/a-plain-circular-bullet-is-widely-disdained-for-its-banality/) [Carolina de Bartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-de-bartolo/) > [My life is short. I can't listen to banality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/my-life-is-short-i-can-t-listen-to-banality/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation are directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/honest-criticism-and-sensitive-appreciation-are-directed-not-upon-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Spirituality can be severed from both vicious sectarianism and thoughtless banalities. Spirituality, I have come to see, is nothing less than the thoughtful love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-solomon/spirituality-can-be-severed-from-both-vicious-sectarianism-and/) [Robert C. Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-solomon/) > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## More by Eugene Ionesco > [I am, it seems, an avant-garde dramatist. It would even seem obvious since I am present here at discussions on the avant-garde theatre. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-am-it-seems-an-avant-garde-dramatist-it-would-even-seem-obvious/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [ “My boy! It's really true, you really love hashed brown potatoes? You make me so happy. JACK \[without conviction\]: Yes, I like them, I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/my-boy-it-s-really-true-you-really-love-hashed-brown-potatoes-you/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Everything that has been will be, everything that will be is, everything that will be has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/everything-that-has-been-will-be-everything-that-will-be-is/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“Rhinoceros The Leader The Future is in Eggs or It Takes all Sorts to Make a World”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/rhinoceros-the-leader-the-future-is-in-eggs-or-it-takes-all-sorts-to/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Every message of despair is the statement of a situation from which everybody must freely try to find a way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/every-message-of-despair-is-the-statement-of-a-situation-from-which/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [I've always been suspicious of collective truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-ve-always-been-suspicious-of-collective-truths/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Shakespeare was the great one before us. His place was between God and despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/shakespeare-was-the-great-one-before-us-his-place-was-between-god-and/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [I'll never waste my dreams by falling asleep. Never again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-ll-never-waste-my-dreams-by-falling-asleep-never-again/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“All doctors are quacks. And all patients too. Only the Royal Navy is honest in England.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/all-doctors-are-quacks-and-all-patients-too-only-the-royal-navy-is/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [That's how we stay young these days: murder and suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/that-s-how-we-stay-young-these-days-murder-and-suicide/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“I read a page of Plato's great work. I can no longer understand anything, because behind the words on the page, which have their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-read-a-page-of-plato-s-great-work-i-can-no-longer-understand/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“MRS. SMITH: Well, this is how it was. It is difficult for me to speak openly to you, but a fireman is also a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/mrs-smith-well-this-is-how-it-was-it-is-difficult-for-me-to-speak/) [Eugène Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Childhood is over the moment things are no longer astonishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/childhood-is-over-the-moment-things-are-no-longer-astonishing/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [Realism falls short of reality. It shrinks it, attenuates it, falsifies it; it does not take into account our basic truths and our fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/realism-falls-short-of-reality-it-shrinks-it-attenuates-it-falsifies/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [A nose that can see is worth two that sniff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/a-nose-that-can-see-is-worth-two-that-sniff/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) [Explore all 169 Eugene Ionesco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) ## More Banality quotes > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Spirituality can be severed from both vicious sectarianism and thoughtless banalities. Spirituality, I have come to see, is nothing less than the thoughtful love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-c-solomon/spirituality-can-be-severed-from-both-vicious-sectarianism-and/) [Robert C. Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-c-solomon/) > [Honest criticism and sensitive appreciation are directed not upon the poet but upon the poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/honest-criticism-and-sensitive-appreciation-are-directed-not-upon-the/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [My life is short. I can't listen to banality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/my-life-is-short-i-can-t-listen-to-banality/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [“A plain circular bullet is widely disdained for its banality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-de-bartolo/a-plain-circular-bullet-is-widely-disdained-for-its-banality/) [Carolina de Bartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-de-bartolo/) > [The great work of art is the complete banality, and the fault with most banalities is that they are not banal enough. Banality here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asger-jorn/the-great-work-of-art-is-the-complete-banality-and-the-fault-with/) [Asger Jorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asger-jorn/) > [Understanding a people's culture exposes their normalness without reducing their particularity...It renders them accessible: setting them in the frame of their own banalities, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-geertz/understanding-a-people-s-culture-exposes-their-normalness-without/) [Clifford Geertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-geertz/) > [I was filled with angst in college, that I struggled with the question of my future, the meaning of my life - spoiled sheltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-kostova/i-was-filled-with-angst-in-college-that-i-struggled-with-the-question/) [Elizabeth Kostova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-kostova/) > [Language is in decline. Not only has eloquence departed but simple, direct speech as well, though pomposity and banality have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-newman/language-is-in-decline-not-only-has-eloquence-departed-but-simple/) [Edwin Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-newman/) > [I really like the idea of banality and repetition being used to generate the image, which are simple and unobstructed and not captivated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-aitken/i-really-like-the-idea-of-banality-and-repetition-being-used-to/) [Doug Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-aitken/) > [“There seemed no particular object in avoiding banality from the start, as the evening showed every sign of developing into a banal one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/there-seemed-no-particular-object-in-avoiding-banality-from-the-start/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) > [On the subway today, a man came up to me to start a conversation. He made small talk, a lonely man talking about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-doe/on-the-subway-today-a-man-came-up-to-me-to-start-a-conversation-he/) [John Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-doe/) > [Fight fire with fire. If you must have bores, always put them together or at the same table ... bores have an effervescent chemical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-maxwell/fight-fire-with-fire-if-you-must-have-bores-always-put-them-together/) [Elsa Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-maxwell/) > [What concerns me most is the horrible degradation our notions of truth, civility, and decency have undergone. Also the way that language has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-concerns-me-most-is-the-horrible-degradation-our-notions-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Once you start rewriting, you're not able to stop. With each draft the fundamental banality and worthlessness of the material becomes more evident even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-n-malzberg/once-you-start-rewriting-you-re-not-able-to-stop-with-each-draft-the/) [Barry N. Malzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-n-malzberg/) [Browse all 124 Banality quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banality/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Banality is a symptom of non-communication. 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