---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is quite another thing,\" said…"
description: "\"“That is quite another thing,\" said Albert; \"because a man under the influence of violent passion loses all power of reflection, and is regarded as int..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg"
---

#  That is quite another thing," said Albert; "because a man…

![“That is quite another thing,&quot; said Albert; &quot;because a man under the influence of violent passion loses all power of reflection, and is regarded as intoxicated or insane.&quot; &quot;Oh! you people of sound understandings,&quot; I replied, smiling, &quot;are ever ready to exclaim 'Extravagance, and madness, and…” quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg)

> ““That is quite another thing," said Albert; "because a man under the influence of violent passion loses all power of reflection, and is regarded as intoxicated or insane." "Oh! you people of sound understandings," I replied, smiling, "are ever ready to exclaim 'Extravagance, and madness, and intoxication!' You moral men are so calm and so subdued! You abhor the drunken man, and detest the extravagant; you pass by, like the Levite, and thank God, like the Pharisee, that you are not like one of them. I have been more than once intoxicated, my passions have always bordered on extravagance: I am not ashamed to confess it; for I have learned, by my own experience, that all extraordinary men, who have accomplished great and astonishing actions, have ever been decried by the world as drunken or insane. And in private life, too, is it not intolerable that no one can undertake the execution of a noble or generous deed, without giving rise to the exclamation that the doer is intoxicated or mad? Shame upon you, ye sages!””

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker criticizes society’s condemnation of passionate, unconventional behavior, equating it with madness while praising extraordinary achievements.

**In simple terms:** Society often labels brilliance as madness.

Key Takeaway

Value originality over conformity.

Themes

conformity creativity social judgment

Mood

critical defiant

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- artistic expression
- innovative projects
- personal risk taking
- challenging norms

Key Concepts

philosophy of art psychology of genius

Questions to Reflect On

- When does passion become harmful?
- How can society better support unconventional thinkers?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize reckless behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Extravagance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extravagance/) [Insane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insane/) [Insanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insanity/) [Intoxicated Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxicated-mad-1784961/) [Intoxicated Passions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxicated-passions-1784959/) [Intoxication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxication/) [Intoxication Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intoxication-moral-1784958/) [Madness Intoxication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness-intoxication-1163553/) [Man U](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-u/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Private life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private-life/) [Regarded Intoxicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regarded-intoxicated-1784960/) [Thank god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thank-god/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/)

## Related quotes

> [“Isn't it the task of the Holy Spirit to introduce some madness and intoxication into the world? Why this propensity for balance and safety?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rolheiser/isn-t-it-the-task-of-the-holy-spirit-to-introduce-some-madness-and/)

[Ron Rolheiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rolheiser/)

> [Hobbies should be wives, not mistresses. It will not do to have more than one at a time. One hobby leads you out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/hobbies-should-be-wives-not-mistresses-it-will-not-do-to-have-more/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [A large retinue upon a small income, like a large cascade upon a small stream, tends to discover its tenuity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/a-large-retinue-upon-a-small-income-like-a-large-cascade-upon-a-small/)

[William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/)

> [I like extravagance. Letters which give the postman a stiff back to carry, books which overflow from their covers, sexuality which bursts the thermometers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-like-extravagance-letters-which-give-the-postman-a-stiff-back-to/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [He that spends a Groat a day idly, spends idly above 6 l. a year, which is the Price of using 100 l.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/he-that-spends-a-groat-a-day-idly-spends-idly-above-6-l-a-year-which/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [If a man knows he will sooner or later be robbed upon a journey, he will have a bottle of the best in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/if-a-man-knows-he-will-sooner-or-later-be-robbed-upon-a-journey-he/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [My Christian Louboutins are also one of the secrets to my not-for-profit success. Here's why - and it's something that everyone who manages employees,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/my-christian-louboutins-are-also-one-of-the-secrets-to-my-not-for/)

[Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/)

> [Poverty is often concealed in splendor, and often in extravagance. It is the task of many people to conceal their neediness from others. Consequently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/poverty-is-often-concealed-in-splendor-and-often-in-extravagance-it/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [When all moves equally (says Pascal), nothing seems to move as in a vessel under sail; and when all run by common consent into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-all-moves-equally-says-pascal-nothing-seems-to-move-as-in-a/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [I would never want to model as my career, but fashion is my hobby. When you love what you're wearing, you feel good. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-valverde/i-would-never-want-to-model-as-my-career-but-fashion-is-my-hobby-when/)

[Maria Valverde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-valverde/)

> [“Heri kuwa maskini mwenye pesa nyingi kuliko tajiri mwenye mifuko iliyotoboka.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/heri-kuwa-maskini-mwenye-pesa-nyingi-kuliko-tajiri-mwenye-mifuko/)

[Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/)

> [It is not without trepidation that I have appropriated the codes of the Sublime and the Picturesque in my work. After all, serious photographers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pfahl/it-is-not-without-trepidation-that-i-have-appropriated-the-codes-of/)

[John Pfahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pfahl/)

> [We Japanese enjoy the small pleasures, not extravagance. I believe a man should have a simple lifestyle - even if he can afford more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaru-ibuka/we-japanese-enjoy-the-small-pleasures-not-extravagance-i-believe-a/)

[Masaru Ibuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaru-ibuka/)

> [One defining symptom of decadence is a fondness for vast and nonsensical extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/one-defining-symptom-of-decadence-is-a-fondness-for-vast-and/)

[Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/)

> [I adore extravagance but I abhor waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-copland/i-adore-extravagance-but-i-abhor-waste/)

[Aaron Copland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-copland/)

## More by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [All lyrical work must, as a whole, be perfectly intelligible, but in some particulars a little unintelligible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/all-lyrical-work-must-as-a-whole-be-perfectly-intelligible-but-in/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [We know accurately only when we know little, with knowledge doubt increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/we-know-accurately-only-when-we-know-little-with-knowledge-doubt/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [There is no patriotic art and no patriotic science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-is-no-patriotic-art-and-no-patriotic-science/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [The connoisseur of art must be able to appreciate what is simply beautiful, but the common run of people is satisfied with ornament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-connoisseur-of-art-must-be-able-to-appreciate-what-is-simply/)

[Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Nothing is worse than active ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/nothing-is-worse-than-active-ignorance/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Let us not dream that reason can ever be popular. Passions, emotions, may be made popular; but reason remains ever the property of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/let-us-not-dream-that-reason-can-ever-be-popular-passions-emotions/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Our foibles are really what make us lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/our-foibles-are-really-what-make-us-lovable/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/instruction-does-much-but-encouragement-everything/)

[Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Giving is the business of the rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/giving-is-the-business-of-the-rich/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Just begin and the mind grows heated; continue, and the task will be completed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/just-begin-and-the-mind-grows-heated-continue-and-the-task-will-be/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [I look upon all four Gospels as thoroughly genuine, for there shines forth from them the reflected splendor of a sublimity proceeding from Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-look-upon-all-four-gospels-as-thoroughly-genuine-for-there-shines/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Whatever we may say against collections, which present authors in a disjointed form, they nevertheless bring about many excellent results. We are not always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/whatever-we-may-say-against-collections-which-present-authors-in-a/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

[Explore all 2,052 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

## More Control quotes

> [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/)

[Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/)

> [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/)

[Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/)

> [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/)

[Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/)

> [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. I never let him get into his fight. I knew what I needed to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/i-thought-i-fought-a-really-good-orlando-salido-i-never-let-him-get/)

[Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/)

> [Don't think you can...know you can! You human body is the most impressive tool you'll ever own. Even if you can't control everything, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hardy/don-t-think-you-can-know-you-can-you-human-body-is-the-most/)

[Jeff Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hardy/)

> [If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/if-you-have-everything-under-control-you-re-not-moving-fast-enough/)

[Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/)

> [“Without time management, you lose control of your life and do what other people tell you to do. You lose control and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-miller/without-time-management-you-lose-control-of-your-life-and-do-what/)

[Thomas Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-miller/)

> [I started off as a model maker, so the first part of my career was a model maker and then a motion control camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knoll/i-started-off-as-a-model-maker-so-the-first-part-of-my-career-was-a/)

[John Knoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knoll/)

> [Many of us rely on our own illusion of control. But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/)

[Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/)

> [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/)

[Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/)

> [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/)

[Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/)

> [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [Some nights I'm funny with the between-song commentary, some nights I'm not. I have no control over this. I pace the stage a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berman/some-nights-i-m-funny-with-the-between-song-commentary-some-nights-i/)

[David Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berman/)

> [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

[Browse all 6,032 Control quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“That is quite another thing,\" said Albert; \"because a man under the influence of violent passion loses all power of reflection, and is regarded as intoxicated or insane.\" \"Oh! you people of sound understandings,\" I replied, smiling, \"are ever ready to exclaim 'Extravagance, and madness, and intoxication!' You moral men are so calm and so subdued! You abhor the drunken man, and detest the extravagant; you pass by, like the Levite, and thank God, like the Pharisee, that you are not like one of them. I have been more than once intoxicated, my passions have always bordered on extravagance: I am not ashamed to confess it; for I have learned, by my own experience, that all extraordinary men, who have accomplished great and astonishing actions, have ever been decried by the world as drunken or insane. And in private life, too, is it not intolerable that no one can undertake the execution of a noble or generous deed, without giving rise to the exclamation that the doer is intoxicated or mad? Shame upon you, ye sages!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert-because-a-man-under-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Control"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert-because-a-man-under-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f3e/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe-36_control_that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert_961733.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That is quite another thing,\" said Albert; \"because a man under the influence of violent passion loses all…” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
                "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": "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“That is quite another thing,\" said...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert-because-a-man-under-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/that-is-quite-another-thing-said-albert-because-a-man-under-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
