---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Going mad is the beginning of a process…"
description: "\"“Going mad is the beginning of a process, it's not meant to be the end result.”\" — Jeanette Winterson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png"
---

#  Going mad is the beginning of a process, it's not meant to…

![“Going mad is the beginning of a process, it's not meant to be the end result.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png)

> ““Going mad is the beginning of a process, it's not meant to be the end result.””

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## About This Quote

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

Madness can be a catalyst for transformation, not a final destination.

**In simple terms:** Madness starts change, not ends it.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the chaos as a stepping stone.

Themes

creativity transformation mental health

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- artistic creation
- personal crisis
- therapy sessions
- entrepreneurial risk

Key Concepts

psychology growth mindset

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you channel disruptive thoughts product??
- What boundaries protect you from destructive chaos?

A Different Perspective

Madness may also lead to harmful instability if unchecked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crazy/) [End result](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-result/) [Going crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-crazy/) [Going Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-mad/) [Mad Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad-beginning-2040949/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Meant End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-end-370882/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) [Process Meant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-meant-2040950/)

## Related quotes

> [If its meant to be, it will be. End of story. Im not chasing you if you're chasing after someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-its-meant-to-be-it-will-be-end-of-story-im-not-chasing-you-if-you/)

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

> [“I do not think the patient truly meant to end her life. Her act was a cry for help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-do-not-think-the-patient-truly-meant-to-end-her-life-her-act-was-a/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [That letter was your whole future, you daft prince." "It was my past. I lost that the night my parents died. But I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/that-letter-was-your-whole-future-you-daft-prince-it-was-my-past-i/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

> [“Maybe this is the point of it all. Maybe this is where the road is meant to end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/maybe-this-is-the-point-of-it-all-maybe-this-is-where-the-road-is/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [“But she still had time. Surely she still had time. Stories like this one weren’t meant to end badly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-n-holmberg/but-she-still-had-time-surely-she-still-had-time-stories-like-this/)

[Charlie N. Holmberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-n-holmberg/)

> [When I said forever, I meant it. When you said and ever, you meant the end of the week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-said-forever-i-meant-it-when-you-said-and-ever-you-meant-the/)

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

> [Obsolescence never meant the end of anything, it's just the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/obsolescence-never-meant-the-end-of-anything-it-s-just-the-beginning/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“I’ve given up on Lulu before. In Utrecht. In Mexico. But that felt like surrendering. Like it was me I was really giving up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/i-ve-given-up-on-lulu-before-in-utrecht-in-mexico-but-that-felt-like/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [People that are meant to be together always find each other in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-that-are-meant-to-be-together-always-find-each-other-in-the-end/)

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

> [“The story that meant the end arrived late one night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/the-story-that-meant-the-end-arrived-late-one-night/)

[Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/i-write-plays-not-to-make-money-but-to-stop-myself-from-going-mad/)

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

> [“No. It's bad for me. Cole Porter wrote the words and the music. This knowledge that you're going mad for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/no-it-s-bad-for-me-cole-porter-wrote-the-words-and-the-music-this/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

## More by Jeanette Winterson

> [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [What would it have meant to be happy? What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

[Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## More Beginning quotes

> [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/)

[Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/)

> [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/)

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

> [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/)

[Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/)

> [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/)

[Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/)

> [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/)

[Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/)

> [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&amp;R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/)

[Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/)

> [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/)

[Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/)

> [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/)

[Manae Poet Of Carisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manae-poet-of-carisis/)

> [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/)

[Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/)

> [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/)

[Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/)

> [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/)

[Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/)

> [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/)

[Jacklyn H Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacklyn-h-lucas/)

[Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Going mad is the beginning of a process, it's not meant to be the end result.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeanette Winterson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process-it-s-not-meant-to-be-the-end/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beginning"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process-it-s-not-meant-to-be-the-end/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1fc/jeanette-winterson-166_beginning_going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process_1802037.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Going mad is the beginning of a process, it's not meant to be the end result.” — Jeanette Winterson",
                "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": "Jeanette Winterson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Going mad is the beginning of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process-it-s-not-meant-to-be-the-end/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/going-mad-is-the-beginning-of-a-process-it-s-not-meant-to-be-the-end/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
