--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm not a control maniac." description: "\"I'm not a control maniac.\" — John Malkovich" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg" --- # I'm not a control maniac. ![“I'm not a control maniac.” quote by John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg) > “I'm not a control maniac.” [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) ## 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 denies being obsessive about control, suggesting a more relaxed or flexible approach to life. **In simple terms:** Not a control freak. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility over rigidity. Themes control flexibility identity psychology self-awareness Mood thoughtful balanced Type psychological self-help When to use this quote - workplace leadership - personal relationships - creative projects - stress management Key Concepts Self-determination theory personal agency Questions to Reflect On - When is control beneficial? - How do you balance control and spontaneity? A Different Perspective Control can be necessary in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) ## Related quotes > [“Things can always get worse, but only quitters quit!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ultra-maniac-nina-sakura/things-can-always-get-worse-but-only-quitters-quit/) Ultra Maniac Nina Sakura > [“Time...a maniac scattering dust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennyson/time-a-maniac-scattering-dust/) Tennyson > [I was a maniac as a teenager; I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I was crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/i-was-a-maniac-as-a-teenager-i-m-not-going-to-sugarcoat-it-i-was-crazy/) [Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/) > [I'm a Holy Spirit maniac, yeah. When I say maniac, to me, a maniac is a person that goes around telling you what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/i-m-a-holy-spirit-maniac-yeah-when-i-say-maniac-to-me-a-maniac-is-a/) [Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/) > [“Tristan stood in the damp back alley of an abandoned warehouse waiting quietly. Nearby, the orange haze of a streetlamp flickered in the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/tristan-stood-in-the-damp-back-alley-of-an-abandoned-warehouse/) [Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/) > [I'm such a maniac. Where wayne at, I'm tryna get sum brainiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/i-m-such-a-maniac-where-wayne-at-i-m-tryna-get-sum-brainiac/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [“My family is more fucked up than the norm. OK? That's why i work like a maniac,to keep out of my house. Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-key-meyeer/my-family-is-more-fucked-up-than-the-norm-ok-that-s-why-i-work-like-a/) Steven Key Meyeer > [Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-corbett/have-you-ever-noticed-anybody-going-slower-than-you-is-an-idiot-and/) [Ronnie Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-corbett/) > [But for my faith in God, I should have been a raving maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/but-for-my-faith-in-god-i-should-have-been-a-raving-maniac/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I've only been in one fight in my whole life... in 7th grade, yet everyone thinks I'm a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-liotta/i-ve-only-been-in-one-fight-in-my-whole-life-in-7th-grade-yet/) [Ray Liotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-liotta/) > [I used to be a mean maniac. Someone once threw a firecracker at a show and I jumped off the side of the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-used-to-be-a-mean-maniac-someone-once-threw-a-firecracker-at-a-show/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [Nobody knows who said it first, but somebody must have: 'Kid's gotta be a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/nobody-knows-who-said-it-first-but-somebody-must-have-kid-s-gotta-be/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [That's like making fun of a maniac because his brain isn't completely right, because he isn't in the norm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/that-s-like-making-fun-of-a-maniac-because-his-brain-isn-t-completely/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [We met in Cracker. I played a maniac fan who murders a policeman and she did my makeup. I thought anyone interested in me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-carlyle/we-met-in-cracker-i-played-a-maniac-fan-who-murders-a-policeman-and/) [Robert Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-carlyle/) > [“Who was this girl alone so late at night in search of a faded cassette illusion to disembowel the clocks of time’s intrusion? Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholaus-patnaude/who-was-this-girl-alone-so-late-at-night-in-search-of-a-faded/) [Nicholaus Patnaude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholaus-patnaude/) ## More by John Malkovich > [Films take too long. There's too much BS, too much nonsense. If I want to do a play, I just call the theater, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/films-take-too-long-there-s-too-much-bs-too-much-nonsense-if-i-want/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I don't want a trillion-dollar empire to run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-don-t-want-a-trillion-dollar-empire-to-run/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [Reviews are destructive by their very nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/reviews-are-destructive-by-their-very-nature/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I can see how, given a certain degree of sensitivities, proclivities and rage, I could have ended up differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-can-see-how-given-a-certain-degree-of-sensitivities-proclivities/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [Most filmmakers' entire body of knowledge is of other movies. When they describe things, they describe them in relation to other movies. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/most-filmmakers-entire-body-of-knowledge-is-of-other-movies-when-they/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I wouldn't say anything I ever did in film would be something I'd use the word proud about. I've done better work in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-wouldn-t-say-anything-i-ever-did-in-film-would-be-something-i-d-use/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I have driven school buses, sold egg rolls and painted houses, and I have often wondered what my life would have been like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-have-driven-school-buses-sold-egg-rolls-and-painted-houses-and-i/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [You have to play your characters, not like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/you-have-to-play-your-characters-not-like-them/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [One doesn't know if one had a happy childhood or not. I don't really know what it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/one-doesn-t-know-if-one-had-a-happy-childhood-or-not-i-don-t-really/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I'm more comfortable with whatever's wrong with me than my father was whenever he felt he failed or didn't measure up to the standard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-m-more-comfortable-with-whatever-s-wrong-with-me-than-my-father-was/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I was a very good baseball and football player, but my father always told me I was much more interested in how I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-was-a-very-good-baseball-and-football-player-but-my-father-always/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I think people seem to sort of associate me with danger. And I don't see that at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-think-people-seem-to-sort-of-associate-me-with-danger-and-i-don-t/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I like to direct movies, but I don't like to goof around for eight years talking about it. And it's pretty irritating to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-like-to-direct-movies-but-i-don-t-like-to-goof-around-for-eight/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I love to watch good actors who surprise and amuse me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-love-to-watch-good-actors-who-surprise-and-amuse-me/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) > [I find it hard to pre-plan every element of everything I do. It's not my thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-find-it-hard-to-pre-plan-every-element-of-everything-i-do-it-s-not/) [John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) [Explore all 169 John Malkovich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/) ## 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 > [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": "I'm not a control maniac.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Malkovich" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-m-not-a-control-maniac/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Control" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-m-not-a-control-maniac/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc6/john-malkovich-2387_power_i-m-not-a-control-maniac-1275108_1275108.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm not a control maniac.” — John Malkovich", "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": "John Malkovich", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm not a control maniac.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-m-not-a-control-maniac/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-m-not-a-control-maniac/#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 } } ] } ```