--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a frightening and huge thought,” I…" description: "\"“It is a frightening and huge thought,” I said, “that the ninety-nine percent of us wandering around down here are having our lives pushed and pulled a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg" --- # It is a frightening and huge thought,” I said, “that the… ![“It is a frightening and huge thought,” I said, “that the ninety-nine percent of us wandering around down here are having our lives pushed and pulled around by that psychopathic fraction up there.” “It” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg) > ““It is a frightening and huge thought,” I said, “that the ninety-nine percent of us wandering around down here are having our lives pushed and pulled around by that psychopathic fraction up there.” “It”” [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tiny elite can manipulate the masses, creating widespread fear. **In simple terms:** A small psychopathic group controls many lives. Key Takeaway Recognize and question unseen influences. Themes power manipulation society Mood skeptical alert Type critical analytical When to use this quote - political campaigns - media consumption - public health messaging Key Concepts elite theory social control Questions to Reflect On - Who might be influencing you unknowingly? - How can you protect yourself from hidden control? A Different Perspective Not all influence is overt or intentional. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [Frightening Huge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening-huge-5527748/) [Huge Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge-thought-5527750/) [Ninety percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ninety-percent/) [Psychopathic Fraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychopathic-fraction-5527749/) [Wandering around](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wandering-around/) ## Related quotes > [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I often look at women who wear great jeans and high heels and nice little T-shirts wandering around the city ,and I think, 'I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-often-look-at-women-who-wear-great-jeans-and-high-heels-and-nice/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [“When we reached the lobby outside the office, moving like a pair of power walkers--no running in the halls of Green Pastures because there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/when-we-reached-the-lobby-outside-the-office-moving-like-a-pair-of/) [Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/) > [When I started working, I didn't have a clue what I was doing, in that I was just wandering around, hoping that I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-garner/when-i-started-working-i-didn-t-have-a-clue-what-i-was-doing-in-that/) [James Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-garner/) > [The classical allusions and the Platonic disquisitions on beauty are no longer a form of cover, but integral to Aschenbach's complex sexuality. Moreover, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kitcher/the-classical-allusions-and-the-platonic-disquisitions-on-beauty-are/) [Philip Kitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kitcher/) > [“Before long, Maxine finds herself wandering around clicking on everything, faces, litter on the floor, labels on bottles behind the bar, after a while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/before-long-maxine-finds-herself-wandering-around-clicking-on/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [I'll always be playing shows. Even when I'm a crazy granny wearing weird old granny clothes and wandering around with dementia, I'll still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/i-ll-always-be-playing-shows-even-when-i-m-a-crazy-granny-wearing/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [I’m not a romantic, I’m a half-wit. Only stupid people would think I’m smart. I’m not something anyone should know. I’m a lunatic wandering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-m-not-a-romantic-i-m-a-half-wit-only-stupid-people-would-think-i-m/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) > [“I pretended not to notice, but Dad looked sort of deflated there on the edge of my bed. A lost, even humbled look was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-pretended-not-to-notice-but-dad-looked-sort-of-deflated-there-on/) [Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/) > [“A ten-year-old Amanda wandering around the sights and sounds of a carnival. Trying to take it all in as such an event was much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-allison-parker/a-ten-year-old-amanda-wandering-around-the-sights-and-sounds-of-a/) [Jaime Allison Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-allison-parker/) > [a few days ago she had been wandering around with a swatch of black silk tied over her eyes. Syrio was teaching her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-few-days-ago-she-had-been-wandering-around-with-a-swatch-of-black/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well, the first time I met The Beatles was through my former boyfriend, Klaus Voormann, who saw them one night when he was wandering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astrid-kirchherr/well-the-first-time-i-met-the-beatles-was-through-my-former-boyfriend/) [Astrid Kirchherr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astrid-kirchherr/) > [Sometimes I get lost in my thoughts, just wandering around in my own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-get-lost-in-my-thoughts-just-wandering-around-in-my-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There was a lot of playing by myself, wearing last year's Halloween costume and wandering around the yard talking to myself - which may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-mays/there-was-a-lot-of-playing-by-myself-wearing-last-year-s-halloween/) [Jefferson Mays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-mays/) > [“I mean, what kind of literature do you think ants would make if they could read? Not F. Scott Fuckin’ Fitzgerald, not Joyce or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bogosian/i-mean-what-kind-of-literature-do-you-think-ants-would-make-if-they/) [Eric Bogosian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bogosian/) ## More by Jon Ronson > [Sometimes labeling is only useful, like with OCD. Once you're labeled you can be treated. On other occasions labeling leads to tyranny, like with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/sometimes-labeling-is-only-useful-like-with-ocd-once-you-re-labeled/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“I wonder if I’ve got any of the 374 mental disorders,” I thought. I opened the manual again. And I instantly diagnosed myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/i-wonder-if-i-ve-got-any-of-the-374-mental-disorders-i-thought-i/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Trying to prove you’re not a psychopath is even harder than trying to prove you’re not mentally ill,’ said Tony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/trying-to-prove-you-re-not-a-psychopath-is-even-harder-than-trying-to/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It may very well be that the frotteurist is a helpless victim in the clutches of his obsession, but it’s equally possible that he’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-may-very-well-be-that-the-frotteurist-is-a-helpless-victim-in-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“We are defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/we-are-defining-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing-apart-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My worryingly paradoxical thought process could be summarized thus: Thank God I don't believe in the secret rulers of the world. Imagine what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-worryingly-paradoxical-thought-process-could-be-summarized-thus/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Friends are the fruitcake of life - some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/friends-are-the-fruitcake-of-life-some-nutty-some-soaked-in-alcohol/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“The consensus from the beginning was that only 1 percent of humans had it, but the chaos they caused was so far-reaching it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-consensus-from-the-beginning-was-that-only-1-percent-of-humans/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“That's an incredibly depressing thought," I said "that if you're in a room and at one end lies madness and at the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/that-s-an-incredibly-depressing-thought-i-said-that-if-you-re-in-a/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [The world outside Twitter was great. I read books. I reconnected with people I knew from real life and met them for drinks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/the-world-outside-twitter-was-great-i-read-books-i-reconnected-with/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“What a brilliant cover story. In a success-obsessed society like this one, what's the best rock to hide something under? It's the rock called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/what-a-brilliant-cover-story-in-a-success-obsessed-society-like-this/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Guy Savelli's role in the War on Terror began when half-a-dozen strangers, within days of one another, contacted him via e-mail and telephone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/guy-savelli-s-role-in-the-war-on-terror-began-when-half-a-dozen/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [My paranoia never ends, but I haven't been paranoid about being spied on my shadowy forces for some time now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/my-paranoia-never-ends-but-i-haven-t-been-paranoid-about-being-spied/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [“It is an awful lot harder, Tony told me, to convince people you’re sane than it is to convince them you’re crazy. “I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-an-awful-lot-harder-tony-told-me-to-convince-people-you-re-sane/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [It is slightly chilling to realize there are rational, functional people up there employed to spot, nurture, and exploit those down here among us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-slightly-chilling-to-realize-there-are-rational-functional/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) [Explore all 209 Jon Ronson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More Frightening quotes > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [“Because, in the dark, I’m equally as frightening as any”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-ellis/because-in-the-dark-i-m-equally-as-frightening-as-any/) [Joy Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-ellis/) > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“Missing: A teenaged girl with lanky, blonde hair and a sunburst tattoo on her cheek. The holographic posters, brighter than day itself, lit up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-l-bernstein/missing-a-teenaged-girl-with-lanky-blonde-hair-and-a-sunburst-tattoo/) [Amy L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-l-bernstein/) > [What if it turns out there really are witches and vampires and werewolves living right here alongside us? After all, what better disguise could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lukyanenko/what-if-it-turns-out-there-really-are-witches-and-vampires-and/) [Sergei Lukyanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lukyanenko/) > [Fiction that isn't an author's personal adventure into the frightening or the unknown isn't worth writing for anything but money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/fiction-that-isn-t-an-author-s-personal-adventure-into-the/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [Death is frightening, and so is Eternal Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/death-is-frightening-and-so-is-eternal-life/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I understand that change is frightening for people, especially if there's nothing to go to. It's best to stay where you are. I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/i-understand-that-change-is-frightening-for-people-especially-if/) [Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/) > [It's a question of dropping the armor and getting up and doing the work you want to do. And film at first is frightening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-question-of-dropping-the-armor-and-getting-up-and-doing-the/) [Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/) > [For any couple, once you delve into the idea of non-monogamy, you're entering pretty frightening territory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-lister-jones/for-any-couple-once-you-delve-into-the-idea-of-non-monogamy-you-re/) [Zoe Lister-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-lister-jones/) > [“Zam watched as the creature began to fade, until it disappeared altogether and all that remained was his own reflection in the mirror. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lambert/zam-watched-as-the-creature-began-to-fade-until-it-disappeared/) [Frank Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lambert/) > [Everything we have developed over the last 100 years should be destroyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pentti-linkola/everything-we-have-developed-over-the-last-100-years-should-be/) [Pentti Linkola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pentti-linkola/) [Browse all 960 Frightening quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is a frightening and huge thought,” I said, “that the ninety-nine percent of us wandering around down here are having our lives pushed and pulled around by that psychopathic fraction up there.” “It”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Ronson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-said-that-the-ninety-nine/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Frightening" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-said-that-the-ninety-nine/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/jon-ronson-1772_frightening_it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-s_2317494.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a frightening and huge thought,” I said, “that the ninety-nine percent of us wandering around down…” — Jon Ronson", "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": "Jon Ronson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is a frightening and huge...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-said-that-the-ninety-nine/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-is-a-frightening-and-huge-thought-i-said-that-the-ninety-nine/#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 } } ] } ```