Bipolar Quote by Kay Redfield Jamison
““Her parents, she said, has put a pinball machine inside her head when she was five years old. The red balls told her when she should laugh, the blue ones when she should be silent and keep away from other people; the green balls told her that she should start multiplying by three. Every few days a silver ball would make its way through the pins of the machine. At this point her head turned and she stared at me; I assumed she was checking to see if I was still listening. I was, of course. How could one not? The whole thing was bizarre but riveting. I asked her, What does the silver ball mean? She looked at me intently, and then everything went dead in her eyes. She stared off into space, caught up in some internal world. I never found out what the silver ball meant.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Unquiet Mind, Kay Redfield Jamison, 1995
A metaphorical description of a mind with internal cues, colored balls, representing compulsive thoughts and unpredictable mental states, ending in an enigmatic silence.
In simple terms: A mind uses colored balls as cues, ending in mystery.
Key Takeaway
Seek clarity and support for confusing mental experiences.
Themes
mental health
perception
compulsion
Mood
introspective
curious
Type
narrative
metaphorical
When to use this quote
- therapy
- self‑reflection
- creative writing
Key Concepts
psychology
metaphor
neurodiversity
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the silver ball symbolize for you?
- How can you communicate internal experiences?
A Different Perspective
The metaphor may oversimplify complex mental health conditions.
![“...even though [my psychiatrist] understood mor than anyone how much I felt I was losing--in energy, vivacity, and originality--by taking medication, he never was seduced into losing sight of the overall perspective of how costly, damaging, and life threatening my illness was. He was at ease with…” quote by Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/57f/kay-redfield-jamison-1826_life_even-though-my-psychiatrist-understood-m_3399.jpg)
