---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They made us participate in their own…"
description: "\"They made us participate in their own madness, because we couldn't help but retrace their steps, rethink their thoughts, and see that none of them led ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg"
---

#  They made us participate in their own madness, because we…

![“They made us participate in their own madness, because we couldn't help but retrace their steps, rethink their thoughts, and see that none of them led to us.” quote by Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg)

> “They made us participate in their own madness, because we couldn't help but retrace their steps, rethink their thoughts, and see that none of them led to us.”

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

## About This Quote

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

People can be drawn into others' chaotic mindsets, losing their own perspective.

**In simple terms:** Following others can erase personal identity.

Key Takeaway

Maintain critical distance from others' madness.

Themes

identity influence psychology

Mood

cautionary introspective

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- family dynamics
- social media
- cult groups

Key Concepts

conformity selfhood mental health

Questions to Reflect On

- What boundaries protect your sense of self?
- How do you recognize when you’re mirroring others?

A Different Perspective

Over-identification can cause loss of self.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Madness Couldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness-couldn-3683801/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) [Participate Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/participate-madness-3683806/) [Rethink Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rethink-thoughts-3683803/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Steps Rethink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps-rethink-3683804/) [Thoughts Led](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-led-1878311/)

## Related quotes

> [Your life is constantly nourished by your thoughts. Whatever the direction your life is moving, your thoughts have led you there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/your-life-is-constantly-nourished-by-your-thoughts-whatever-the/)

[Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/)

> [The Achiever says his Thoughts led him to Success and the Criminal says his Thoughts led him to Crime. Everybody thinks, but what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/the-achiever-says-his-thoughts-led-him-to-success-and-the-criminal/)

[RVM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rvm/)

> [RVM's Thought for the Day - The Achiever says his Thoughts led him to Success and the Criminal says his Thoughts led him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/rvm-s-thought-for-the-day-the-achiever-says-his-thoughts-led-him-to/)

[RVM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rvm/)

> [“This was a characteroloical prelude, but it wasn’t chemical or somatic. It was the anatomy of melancholy, not the anatomy of his brain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/this-was-a-characteroloical-prelude-but-it-wasn-t-chemical-or-somatic/)

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

> [“The word is dissociate. There is no 'a' before the 'ss'. People invariably say dis-a-ssociate, which, if you're suffering Disso-ciative Identity Disorder/Multiple Personality Disorder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/the-word-is-dissociate-there-is-no-a-before-the-ss-people-invariably/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [love is a mental illness, an obsessive-compulsive disorder romanticized!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-jerome-dickey/love-is-a-mental-illness-an-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-romanticized/)

[Eric Jerome Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-jerome-dickey/)

> [“It goes without saying that all mental illnesses are neurologically instantiated, but this says nothing about their causation. If it is true, for instance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fisher/it-goes-without-saying-that-all-mental-illnesses-are-neurologically/)

[Mark Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fisher/)

> [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [There are people with much bigger profiles than mine who are talking about mental illness. I am going to try to use whatever platform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mauro-ranallo/there-are-people-with-much-bigger-profiles-than-mine-who-are-talking/)

[Mauro Ranallo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mauro-ranallo/)

> [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [“Mental illness is not something you misunderstand in this era. Get educated because bias is no different than racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/mental-illness-is-not-something-you-misunderstand-in-this-era-get/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/)

[Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/)

> [“Today, our view of genuine reality is increasingly clouded by professionals whose technical expertise often introduces a superficial and soulless model of the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-kleinman/today-our-view-of-genuine-reality-is-increasingly-clouded-by/)

[Arthur Kleinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-kleinman/)

> [This tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them is the primary basis of all human mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/this-tendency-to-avoid-problems-and-the-emotional-suffering-inherent/)

[Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/)

> [“I swear that I will never cause trouble for anybody, as long as I live!! So please! Nobody cause any trouble for me, either!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minoru-furuya/i-swear-that-i-will-never-cause-trouble-for-anybody-as-long-as-i-live/)

[Minoru Furuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minoru-furuya/)

## More by Jeffrey Eugenides

> [“Only the Lisbon house remained dark, a tunnel, an emptiness, past our smoke and flames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/only-the-lisbon-house-remained-dark-a-tunnel-an-emptiness-past-our/)

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

> [“She had just started living like a grown-up and she'd never felt more vulnerable, frightened or confused in her life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/she-had-just-started-living-like-a-grown-up-and-she-d-never-felt-more/)

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

> [It's often said that a traumatic experience early in life marks a person forever, pulls her out of line, saying, "Stay there. Don't move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/it-s-often-said-that-a-traumatic-experience-early-in-life-marks-a/)

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

> [“Adolescents tend to seek love where they can find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/adolescents-tend-to-seek-love-where-they-can-find-it/)

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

> [“The window was still open,” Mr Lisbon said. “I don’t think we’d ever remembered to shut it. It was all clear to me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/the-window-was-still-open-mr-lisbon-said-i-don-t-think-we-d-ever/)

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

> [I was aware that you weren't supposed to write about suburbia, that it was undignified in some way, the subject matter not momentous enough.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-was-aware-that-you-weren-t-supposed-to-write-about-suburbia-that-it/)

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

> [“Dr. Armonson stitched up her wrist wounds. Within five minutes of the transfusion he declared her out of danger. Chucking her under the chin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/dr-armonson-stitched-up-her-wrist-wounds-within-five-minutes-of-the/)

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

> [“I don't approve of women driving, mind you. And now they get to vote!" He grumbled to himself. "Remember that play we saw ("The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-don-t-approve-of-women-driving-mind-you-and-now-they-get-to-vote-he/)

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

> [“Her face was calm, but inside she was tense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/her-face-was-calm-but-inside-she-was-tense/)

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

> [I know that attaching memories to books may be going out of the world, but while it lasts, it's a strong record of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-know-that-attaching-memories-to-books-may-be-going-out-of-the-world/)

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

> [I spend most of every day writing. I like to write every day if I can. I don't start extremely early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-spend-most-of-every-day-writing-i-like-to-write-every-day-if-i-can/)

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

> [Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/maybe-the-best-proof-that-the-language-is-patriarchal-is-that-it/)

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

> [We knew that Cecilia had killed herself because she was a misfit, because the beyond called to her, and we knew that her sisters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-knew-that-cecilia-had-killed-herself-because-she-was-a-misfit/)

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

> [You can tell when something's not moving forward anymore. When the doubts you have about it don't go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/you-can-tell-when-something-s-not-moving-forward-anymore-when-the/)

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

> [Normality wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If normality were normal, everybody could leave it alone. They could sit back and let normality manifest itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/normality-wasn-t-normal-it-couldn-t-be-if-normality-were-normal/)

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

[Explore all 516 Jeffrey Eugenides quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

## More Depression quotes

> [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

[Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/)

> [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/)

[Heidi Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-ames/)

> [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/)

[Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/)

> [Im tired, tired of putting more effort than you do. Im tired of always having to start the conversation and if I dont, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-tired-tired-of-putting-more-effort-than-you-do-im-tired-of-always/)

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

> [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/)

[Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/)

> [“Why in depression" "If we are human, why not have the right to smile, Why in depression, young, and beautiful as earth, Why in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanilsa-pena/why-in-depression-if-we-are-human-why-not-have-the-right-to-smile-why/)

[Yanilsa pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanilsa-pena/)

> [“Depression makes me stronger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shayamalan/depression-makes-me-stronger/)

[Shayamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shayamalan/)

> [“Shorter believes that psychosomatic illnesses (such as leg paralysis at the turn of the twentieth century or multiple personality disorder at the turn of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-watters/shorter-believes-that-psychosomatic-illnesses-such-as-leg-paralysis/)

[Ethan Watters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-watters/)

> [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [Repression will provoke rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-williamson/repression-will-provoke-rebellion/)

[Hugh Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-williamson/)

> [I'm certainly not a perfect mother, but I'm trying to be what my mother wasn't for me. My mother's battled depression, so I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-hamill/i-m-certainly-not-a-perfect-mother-but-i-m-trying-to-be-what-my/)

[Dorothy Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-hamill/)

> [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/)

[James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/)

> [Scars by Papa Roach. &lt;3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophielianne/scars-by-papa-roach-3/)

[Sophielianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophielianne/)

[Browse all 4,965 Depression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "They made us participate in their own madness, because we couldn't help but retrace their steps, rethink their thoughts, and see that none of them led to us.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeffrey Eugenides"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-madness-because-we-couldn-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Depression"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-madness-because-we-couldn-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a8/jeffrey-eugenides-462_depression_they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-ma_2024458.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They made us participate in their own madness, because we couldn't help but retrace their steps, rethink…” — Jeffrey Eugenides",
                "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": "Jeffrey Eugenides",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "They made us participate in their...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-madness-because-we-couldn-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/they-made-us-participate-in-their-own-madness-because-we-couldn-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
