--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not a good idea to define the…" description: "\"It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality by tearing apart people who are outside of it.\" — Jon Ronson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png" --- # It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality… ![“It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality by tearing apart people who are outside of it.” quote by Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png) > “It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality by tearing apart people who are outside of 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. Defining normal by excluding others is harmful; we should not isolate those who differ. **In simple terms:** Don't label people as abnormal by separating them. Key Takeaway Include and understand diverse perspectives. Themes inclusion diversity social norms Mood reflective critical Type social philosophical When to use this quote - community building - education - policy making Key Concepts psychology social justice Questions to Reflect On - How can societies redefine normal without exclusion? - What steps foster genuine inclusion? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated biases is challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apart People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart-people-704242/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Boundaries Normality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries-normality-704241/) [Good ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-ideas/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Normality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normality/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Tearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tearing/) [Tearing apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tearing-apart/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [“Look! We're saying. "We're normal! This is the average!" We're defining the boundaries of normality by tearing apart the people outside of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/look-we-re-saying-we-re-normal-this-is-the-average-we-re-defining-the/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) > [Reading nice stuff about you is lovely, but I know it's going to be soul-destroying when you do something that everyone is tearing apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mackay/reading-nice-stuff-about-you-is-lovely-but-i-know-it-s-going-to-be/) [George MacKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mackay/) > [In the act of tearing something apart, you lose its meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/in-the-act-of-tearing-something-apart-you-lose-its-meaning/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [I will fight with all my power against the divisions that undermine us and which are tearing us apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-macron/i-will-fight-with-all-my-power-against-the-divisions-that-undermine/) [Emmanuel Macron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-macron/) > [Theres a way about it: tearing people down, but not tearing them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shanks/theres-a-way-about-it-tearing-people-down-but-not-tearing-them-apart/) [Michael Shanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shanks/) > [You're tearing me apart!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dean/you-re-tearing-me-apart/) [James Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dean/) > [“Her eyes on my eyes. I was tearing apart, inside and outside. Her life. My life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/her-eyes-on-my-eyes-i-was-tearing-apart-inside-and-outside-her-life/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [I can't take, seeing you with him, cause I know exactly what youll be, in his gallery, Its just not fair, and its tearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-take-seeing-you-with-him-cause-i-know-exactly-what-youll-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its tearing me apart cause I knw I can love the way yu need it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa/its-tearing-me-apart-cause-i-knw-i-can-love-the-way-yu-need-it/) [Melissa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa/) > [I can't carry this in my heart ... for it's tearing me apart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-carry-this-in-my-heart-for-it-s-tearing-me-apart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can either think about what is tearing you apart or what is keeping you together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-either-think-about-what-is-tearing-you-apart-or-what-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thank God that you know the art of tearing yourself apart - I mean the way to humble yourself truly by recognizing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-thank-god-that-you-know-the-art-of-tearing-yourself-apart-i-mean/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“While tearing apart a bird with fat fingers,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/while-tearing-apart-a-bird-with-fat-fingers/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [President Trump is tearing apart the moral fabric of this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/president-trump-is-tearing-apart-the-moral-fabric-of-this-country/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) ## 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 Boundaries quotes > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/) [Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/) > [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/) [A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/) > [Working against a restriction - for me - often produces greater things than getting rid of all boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lord/working-against-a-restriction-for-me-often-produces-greater-things/) [Jon Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lord/) > [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/) [Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) [Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality by tearing apart people who are outside of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Ronson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boundaries" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc4/jon-ronson-1772_boundaries_it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-bound_3171185.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's not a good idea to define the boundaries of normality by tearing apart people who are outside of it.” — 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's not a good idea to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/it-s-not-a-good-idea-to-define-the-boundaries-of-normality-by-tearing/#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 } } ] } ```