---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one…"
description: "\"Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one normal writer left on earth and it is this that adds to his isolation and so to his sense of guilt.\" — Malcol..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png"
---

#  Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one normal writer…

![“Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one normal writer left on earth and it is this that adds to his isolation and so to his sense of guilt.” quote by Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png)

> “Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one normal writer left on earth and it is this that adds to his isolation and so to his sense of guilt.”

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

## About This Quote

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

The writer feels isolated because he is the last normal one, leading to guilt and loneliness.

**In simple terms:** Isolation makes him feel guilty.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge solitude, seek connection.

Themes

isolation guilt creativity

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- writing
- social alienation
- mental health
- support groups

Key Concepts

existentialism artist's burden

Questions to Reflect On

- How does being "normal" affect your relationships?
- What steps can reduce creative isolation?

A Different Perspective

Loneliness can be mitigated by community.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Normal Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal-writer-1753558/) [Sense Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-guilt-703240/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Tragedy Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy-normal-1753557/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-left-983952/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the only normal writer left on earth -- and it is this that adds to his isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-only-normal-writer-left-on/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [My father was a very prolific writer and he left behind a huge body of unpublished work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carter-cash/my-father-was-a-very-prolific-writer-and-he-left-behind-a-huge-body/)

[John Carter Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carter-cash/)

> [I really wasn't equipped to be a writer when I left Oxford. But then I set out to learn. I've always had the highest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/i-really-wasn-t-equipped-to-be-a-writer-when-i-left-oxford-but-then-i/)

[V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/)

> [“today’s self is restlessly bent on reinvention mainly in order to get rid of a nagging sense of guilt that creates tremendous anxiety despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-horton/today-s-self-is-restlessly-bent-on-reinvention-mainly-in-order-to-get/)

[Michael S. Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-horton/)

> [“There has been no single influence which has done more to prevent man from finding God and rebuilding his character, has done more to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-has-been-no-single-influence-which-has-done-more-to-prevent-man/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [The experience of a sense of guilt for wrong-doing is necessary for the development of self-control. The guilt feelings will laterserve as a warning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-fraiberg/the-experience-of-a-sense-of-guilt-for-wrong-doing-is-necessary-for/)

[Selma Fraiberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-fraiberg/)

> [“In many criminals, especially youthful ones, it is possible to detect a very powerful sense of guilt which existed before the crime, and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/in-many-criminals-especially-youthful-ones-it-is-possible-to-detect-a/)

[Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/)

> [“The click of the seat belt securing into the buckle is the only sound to break the awkward silence. I feel his warm breath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-g-jones/the-click-of-the-seat-belt-securing-into-the-buckle-is-the-only-sound/)

[Nina G. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-g-jones/)

> [Don’t nurture a sense of guilt; rather, nurture a sense of responsibility married with a sense of humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/don-t-nurture-a-sense-of-guilt-rather-nurture-a-sense-of/)

[Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/)

> [“The opposite of forgiveness is judgment, and judgment always creates separation and guilt. Judgment will evoke a sense of guilt in the one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanti-christo-foundation/the-opposite-of-forgiveness-is-judgment-and-judgment-always-creates/)

[Shanti Christo Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanti-christo-foundation/)

> [When a white man in Africa by accident looks into the eyes of a native and sees the human being (which it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/when-a-white-man-in-africa-by-accident-looks-into-the-eyes-of-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [We have learned the lines of good taste through history and our sense of guilt, be it post-colonial or post-Holocaust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-chappatte/we-have-learned-the-lines-of-good-taste-through-history-and-our-sense/)

[Patrick Chappatte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-chappatte/)

> [Kafka had the sense of guilt. I don't think I have because I don't believe in free will. Because what I have done has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/kafka-had-the-sense-of-guilt-i-don-t-think-i-have-because-i-don-t/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [ I'm interested in avoiding two types of behaviour \[in my children\]: one is the sense of guilt and the other is a sense of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-elkann/i-m-interested-in-avoiding-two-types-of-behaviour-in-my-children-one/)

[John Elkann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-elkann/)

> [“We therefore need to be patient with ourselves, and look upon our sense of guilt as Witnesses!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-m-wanderer/we-therefore-need-to-be-patient-with-ourselves-and-look-upon-our/)

[Frank M. Wanderer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-m-wanderer/)

## More by Malcolm Lowry

> [“Night: and once again, the nightly grapple with death, the room shaking with daemonic orchestras, the snatches of fearful sleep, the voices outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/night-and-once-again-the-nightly-grapple-with-death-the-room-shaking/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [War is being declared to-morrow here so perhaps you can understand that I have been working under difficulties, but difficulties negligible compared with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/war-is-being-declared-to-morrow-here-so-perhaps-you-can-understand/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“He was safe here; this was the place he loved - sanctuary, the paradise of his despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/he-was-safe-here-this-was-the-place-he-loved-sanctuary-the-paradise/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [What I have absolutely no sympathy with is the legislator, the man who seeks, for his own profit, to exploit the weaknesses of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/what-i-have-absolutely-no-sympathy-with-is-the-legislator-the-man-who/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“The will of man is unconquerable. Even God cannot conquer it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/the-will-of-man-is-unconquerable-even-god-cannot-conquer-it/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“and as they stood in silence before her, prayed again. "Nothing is altered and in spite of God's mercy I am still alone. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/and-as-they-stood-in-silence-before-her-prayed-again-nothing-is/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Far above him a few white clouds were racing windily after a pale gibbous moon. Drink all morning, they said to him, drink all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/far-above-him-a-few-white-clouds-were-racing-windily-after-a-pale/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [Adiós," she added in Spanish, "I have no house only a shadow. But whenever you are in need of a shadow, my shadow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/adi-s-she-added-in-spanish-i-have-no-house-only-a-shadow-but-whenever/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“They were the cars at the fair that were whirling around her; no, they were the planets, while the sun stood, burning and spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/they-were-the-cars-at-the-fair-that-were-whirling-around-her-no-they/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“When I should have been producing obscure volumes of verse entitled the Triumph of Humpty Dumpty or the Nose with the Luminous Dong! Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/when-i-should-have-been-producing-obscure-volumes-of-verse-entitled/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“My lover. Oh come to me again as once in May.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/my-lover-oh-come-to-me-again-as-once-in-may/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“I have no house only a shadow. But whenever you are in need of a shadow, my shadow is yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/i-have-no-house-only-a-shadow-but-whenever-you-are-in-need-of-a/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Indeed, on the face of it, this man of abnormal strength and constitution and obscure ambition, whom Hugh would never know, could never deliver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/indeed-on-the-face-of-it-this-man-of-abnormal-strength-and/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [“Under the Volcano” embraces everything from Dante to Freud to the cabala. Here it shambles like Cervantes, there it rages like Ahab, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/under-the-volcano-embraces-everything-from-dante-to-freud-to-the/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

> [War is being declared tomorrow here so perhaps you can understand that I have been working under difficulties, but difficulties negligible compared with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/war-is-being-declared-tomorrow-here-so-perhaps-you-can-understand/)

[Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

[Explore all 78 Malcolm Lowry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/)

## More Add quotes

> [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/)

[James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [Writing adds up to the conscience of our times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-firrell/writing-adds-up-to-the-conscience-of-our-times/)

[Martin Firrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-firrell/)

> [A 'modern' man has nothing to add to modernism, if only because he has nothing to oppose it with. The well-adapted drop off the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/a-modern-man-has-nothing-to-add-to-modernism-if-only-because-he-has/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Observation and theory get on best when they are mixed together, both helping one another in the pursuit of truth. It is a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-eddington/observation-and-theory-get-on-best-when-they-are-mixed-together-both/)

[Arthur Eddington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-eddington/)

> [I may add that we have more than once stated our willingness to conclude nonaggression pacts with the states neighboring our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-may-add-that-we-have-more-than-once-stated-our-willingness-to/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-american-constitution-declares-all-men-are-born-equal-the-british/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [New generations of humans inherit the acquired discoveries of generations past, allowing cosmic insight to accumulate without limit. Each discovery of science therefore adds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/new-generations-of-humans-inherit-the-acquired-discoveries-of/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Thirty days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit - like watching the news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-cutts/thirty-days-is-just-about-the-right-amount-of-time-to-add-a-new-habit/)

[Matt Cutts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-cutts/)

> [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/)

[John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/)

> [The Greeks said grandly in their tragic phrase, 'Let no one be called happy till his death;' to which I would add, 'Let no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/the-greeks-said-grandly-in-their-tragic-phrase-let-no-one-be-called/)

[Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/)

> [Mostly we just add to the piles of rainbow glass that's been blown off the exteriors of the cany-colored buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/mostly-we-just-add-to-the-piles-of-rainbow-glass-that-s-been-blown/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [Global is a unifying bond for people. Once they get outside their own heads and their own communities and see themselves in a broader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-calvin/global-is-a-unifying-bond-for-people-once-they-get-outside-their-own/)

[Kathy Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-calvin/)

[Browse all 2,710 Add quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one normal writer left on earth and it is this that adds to his isolation and so to his sense of guilt.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Malcolm Lowry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-one-normal-writer-left-on-earth/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Add"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-one-normal-writer-left-on-earth/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/malcolm-lowry-8442_add_perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-on_957967.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Perhaps his tragedy is that he is the one normal writer left on earth and it is this that adds to his…” — Malcolm Lowry",
                "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": "Malcolm Lowry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Perhaps his tragedy is that he...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-one-normal-writer-left-on-earth/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/perhaps-his-tragedy-is-that-he-is-the-one-normal-writer-left-on-earth/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
