--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I take it for granted that there's a side…" description: "\"I take it for granted that there's a side of me that loves public action, and there's another side of me that really wants to be alone and work and wri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/norman-mailer-839_action_i-take-it-for-granted-that-there-s-a-sid_1888329.png" --- # I take it for granted that there's a side of me that loves… ![“I take it for granted that there's a side of me that loves public action, and there's another side of me that really wants to be alone and work and write. And I've learned to alternate the two as matters develop.” quote by Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/norman-mailer-839_action_i-take-it-for-granted-that-there-s-a-sid_1888329.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/norman-mailer-839_action_i-take-it-for-granted-that-there-s-a-sid_1888329.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/norman-mailer-839_action_i-take-it-for-granted-that-there-s-a-sid_1888329.png) > “I take it for granted that there's a side of me that loves public action, and there's another side of me that really wants to be alone and work and write. And I've learned to alternate the two as matters develop.” [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People possess conflicting desires for social engagement and solitude; balancing them as circumstances change leads to personal fulfillment. **In simple terms:** We need both social activity and alone time. Key Takeaway Alternate between interaction and solitude as needed. Themes balance identity solitude social Mood introspective motivational Type philosophical self‑help When to use this quote - creative work - public speaking - personal reflection Key Concepts dual nature self‑knowledge alternation Questions to Reflect On - When do you choose solitude over social action? - How does each side support your overall growth? A Different Perspective Constant switching can cause indecision or burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Wants to be alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-to-be-alone/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The test of a progressive policy is not private but public, not just rising income and consumption for individuals, but widening the opportunities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hobsbawm/the-test-of-a-progressive-policy-is-not-private-but-public-not-just/) [Eric Hobsbawm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hobsbawm/) > [“From private pain to public action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/from-private-pain-to-public-action/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As an activist, you do find yourself directed more toward public action. But I've always tried to use stories from my own life in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/as-an-activist-you-do-find-yourself-directed-more-toward-public/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Public action should seek to expand the set of opportunities of those who have the least voice and fewest resources and capabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/public-action-should-seek-to-expand-the-set-of-opportunities-of-those/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [I do receive some offers for live-action, but I'm not really that interested. It's not something you can just try out and give it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/i-do-receive-some-offers-for-live-action-but-i-m-not-really-that/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [I love action, so I would really love to get into doing more action movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serinda-swan/i-love-action-so-i-would-really-love-to-get-into-doing-more-action/) [Serinda Swan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serinda-swan/) > [I really like action. I really liked running around. I loved being really physical. I'm a big believer in it's okay if this job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-banks/i-really-like-action-i-really-liked-running-around-i-loved-being/) [Elizabeth Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-banks/) > [Action is not really my genre, but it's what people expect out of me. And it works, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabhu-deva/action-is-not-really-my-genre-but-it-s-what-people-expect-out-of-me/) [Prabhu Deva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabhu-deva/) > [All of my films I've made have had an element of physicality and action but I really enjoy the drama of it because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/all-of-my-films-i-ve-made-have-had-an-element-of-physicality-and/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [I've never done an action show, really. On 'Jericho,' other people got to ride horses and shoot guns, but I never did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sprague-grayden/i-ve-never-done-an-action-show-really-on-jericho-other-people-got-to/) [Sprague Grayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sprague-grayden/) > [Going into live action, the perception I had was that to be a director, you had to be loud, you had be physically fit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/going-into-live-action-the-perception-i-had-was-that-to-be-a-director/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [Germans aren't action fans. The only kind of action that really works is 'Bond.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/til-schweiger/germans-aren-t-action-fans-the-only-kind-of-action-that-really-works/) [Til Schweiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/til-schweiger/) > [I really love action. I really love doing my own stunts. I would love to do more of that. I've done a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-solo/i-really-love-action-i-really-love-doing-my-own-stunts-i-would-love/) [Ksenia Solo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-solo/) > [I realized being on the set that I love doing stunts and I love fighting and I love action, so it was really fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/i-realized-being-on-the-set-that-i-love-doing-stunts-and-i-love/) [Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/) > [Action was something I really wanted to do and will continue doing it in future as well, but at the same time, I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-jackson/action-was-something-i-really-wanted-to-do-and-will-continue-doing-it/) [Amy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-jackson/) ## More by Norman Mailer > [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [There's a subterranean impetus towards pornography so powerful that half the business world is juiced by the sort of half sex that one finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-s-a-subterranean-impetus-towards-pornography-so-powerful-that/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [So the blind will lead the blind, and the deaf shout warnings to one another until their voices are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/so-the-blind-will-lead-the-blind-and-the-deaf-shout-warnings-to-one/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Writing for a newspaper is like running a revolutionary war. You go to battle not when you are ready, but when action offers itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/writing-for-a-newspaper-is-like-running-a-revolutionary-war-you-go-to/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I would introduce myself if it were not useless. The name I had last night will not be the same as the name I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-would-introduce-myself-if-it-were-not-useless-the-name-i-had-last/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“City Point is so beautiful, she says. In the night they cannot see the garbage that litters the beach, the seaweed and driftwood, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/city-point-is-so-beautiful-she-says-in-the-night-they-cannot-see-the/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“I find it’s more fun to write about something that you don’t know completely and that you will discover on route. A dear friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-find-it-s-more-fun-to-write-about-something-that-you-don-t-know/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Part of the oncoming demise (of New York during its terrible fiscal crisis) is that none of us can simply believe it. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/part-of-the-oncoming-demise-of-new-york-during-its-terrible-fiscal/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I have always had this very strong, call it a feeling, call it a prejudice, call it a conviction ... that the mysteries are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-have-always-had-this-very-strong-call-it-a-feeling-call-it-a/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I do believe that America's deepest political sickness is that it is a self-righteous nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-do-believe-that-america-s-deepest-political-sickness-is-that-it-is/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are those fortunate if incredibly stupid and smug White Protestants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/america-is-a-hurricane-and-the-only-people-who-do-not-hear-the-sound/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I was thinking that surgeons had to be the happiest people on earth. To cut people up and get paid for it-that's happiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-was-thinking-that-surgeons-had-to-be-the-happiest-people-on-earth/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Movies are more likely than literature to reach deep feelings in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/movies-are-more-likely-than-literature-to-reach-deep-feelings-in/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) [Explore all 355 Norman Mailer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. 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