--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was mad of course and still am, but…" description: "\"“I was mad of course and still am, but harmless, I passed for harmless, that's a good one. Not of course that I was really mad, just strange, a little ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/samuel-beckett-365_harmless_i-was-mad-of-course-and-still-am-but-har_596462.png" --- # I was mad of course and still am, but harmless, I passed… ![“I was mad of course and still am, but harmless, I passed for harmless, that's a good one. Not of course that I was really mad, just strange, a little strange, and with every passing year a little stranger, there can be few stranger creatures going about than me at the present day.” quote by Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/samuel-beckett-365_harmless_i-was-mad-of-course-and-still-am-but-har_596462.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/samuel-beckett-365_harmless_i-was-mad-of-course-and-still-am-but-har_596462.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d88/samuel-beckett-365_harmless_i-was-mad-of-course-and-still-am-but-har_596462.png) > ““I was mad of course and still am, but harmless, I passed for harmless, that's a good one. Not of course that I was really mad, just strange, a little strange, and with every passing year a little stranger, there can be few stranger creatures going about than me at the present day.”” [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker embraces eccentricity, acknowledging increasing oddness over time. **In simple terms:** I’m increasingly strange, but harmless. Key Takeaway Accept and own your unique quirks. Themes identity eccentricity self‑acceptance humor Mood reflective wry Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - social interactions - creative expression - mental health Key Concepts existentialism psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - How does your strangeness affect others? - What value does your uniqueness bring? A Different Perspective Being “strange” may isolate you. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Harmless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmless/) [Harmless Passed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmless-passed-4870986/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Passed Harmless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passed-harmless-4870987/) [Passing Year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-year-1023808/) [Present day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-day/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange Passing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-passing-1743771/) ## Related quotes > [“This was all of it, no doubt, the strange passing feeling that had come to me in the boat. Age. Vanity. The impossibility of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/this-was-all-of-it-no-doubt-the-strange-passing-feeling-that-had-come/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [I see a little more of me in you with each passing year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-see-a-little-more-of-me-in-you-with-each-passing-year/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With every passing year you grow naughtier, smarter, cleverer, more beautiful, more caring, more fun and more mature. Is this for real or am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-every-passing-year-you-grow-naughtier-smarter-cleverer-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hey buddy, may this life of yours be filled with happiness, cheer and lots of love. May faithful friends always stay by your side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hey-buddy-may-this-life-of-yours-be-filled-with-happiness-cheer-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With each passing year, one has less to say, and knows better how to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/with-each-passing-year-one-has-less-to-say-and-knows-better-how-to/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [With each passing year, because of advances in computer technology, there are more things, each more sophisticated, that we aren't allowed to do any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lutus/with-each-passing-year-because-of-advances-in-computer-technology/) [Paul Lutus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lutus/) > [Every passing year brings in an experience and a hope for tomorrow. May you have them both. Happy 60th Birthday!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-passing-year-brings-in-an-experience-and-a-hope-for-tomorrow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You grow sweeter with each passing year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-grow-sweeter-with-each-passing-year/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [May God bless you more and more with each passing year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-god-bless-you-more-and-more-with-each-passing-year/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now more than ever I am aware that a person's significant birthdays can either mark the passage of time, or they can mark changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/now-more-than-ever-i-am-aware-that-a-person-s-significant-birthdays/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [With a passing year, shall pass the pains and troubles of the past. Stop thinking about the times that are gone, instead waste your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/with-a-passing-year-shall-pass-the-pains-and-troubles-of-the-past/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every passing year brings us more past futures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/every-passing-year-brings-us-more-past-futures/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [I feel like I've matured more musically than I have personally. But I totally embrace what becoming older has to offer. I find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-hammett/i-feel-like-i-ve-matured-more-musically-than-i-have-personally-but-i/) [Kirk Hammett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-hammett/) > [Being harmless means being so strong, so empowered, that the idea of showing power through harm is not even a part of your consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/being-harmless-means-being-so-strong-so-empowered-that-the-idea-of/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) ## More by Samuel Beckett > [“It was December, I had never felt so cold, the eel soup lay heavy on my stomach, I was afraid I'd die, I turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/it-was-december-i-had-never-felt-so-cold-the-eel-soup-lay-heavy-on-my/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“To be always what I am - and so changed from what I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/to-be-always-what-i-am-and-so-changed-from-what-i-was/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [To what will love not stoop!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/to-what-will-love-not-stoop/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [With all this darkness round me I feel less alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/with-all-this-darkness-round-me-i-feel-less-alone/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“You may say it is all in my head, and indeed sometimes it seems to me I am in a head and that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/you-may-say-it-is-all-in-my-head-and-indeed-sometimes-it-seems-to-me/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“Here he stood. Here he sat. Here he knelt. Here he lay. Here he moved, to and fro, from the door to the window,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/here-he-stood-here-he-sat-here-he-knelt-here-he-lay-here-he-moved-to/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/what-are-we-doing-here-that-is-the-question-and-we-are-blessed-in/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-shall-state-silences-more-competently-than-ever-a-better-man/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [It is useless not to seek, not to want, for when you cease to seek you start to find, and when you cease to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/it-is-useless-not-to-seek-not-to-want-for-when-you-cease-to-seek-you/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [The new light above my table is a great improvement. With all this darkness around me I feel less alone. (Pause.) In a way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/the-new-light-above-my-table-is-a-great-improvement-with-all-this/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I lay down across her with my face in her breasts and my hand on her. We lay there without moving. But under us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-lay-down-across-her-with-my-face-in-her-breasts-and-my-hand-on-her/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Women are all the bloody sameyou can't love for five minutes without wanting it abolished in brats and house bloody wifery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/women-are-all-the-bloody-sameyou-can-t-love-for-five-minutes-without/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“ESTRAGON: Do you think God sees me? VLADIMIR: You must close your eyes. Estragon closes his eyes, staggers worse. ESTRAGON: (stopping, brandishing his fists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/estragon-do-you-think-god-sees-me-vladimir-you-must-close-your-eyes/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Deplorable mania, when something happens, to inquire what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/deplorable-mania-when-something-happens-to-inquire-what/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) [Explore all 609 Samuel Beckett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) ## More Harmless quotes > [Ninety-eight percent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They're not ever intended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/ninety-eight-percent-of-the-things-that-come-out-of-my-mouth-are/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [Being harmless means being so strong, so empowered, that the idea of showing power through harm is not even a part of your consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/being-harmless-means-being-so-strong-so-empowered-that-the-idea-of/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [Do I think or myself as dangerous? Not at all! We're really harmless and innocent in a way. It's a shame that he flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-urie/do-i-think-or-myself-as-dangerous-not-at-all-we-re-really-harmless/) [Brendon Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-urie/) > [Music should never be harmless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robbie-robertson/music-should-never-be-harmless/) [Robbie Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robbie-robertson/) > [My view of actors is that basically they're all harmless lunatics who'd be on the psychiatrist's couch, except that we get this sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/my-view-of-actors-is-that-basically-they-re-all-harmless-lunatics-who/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [“She will be your death. She will be everyone’s death.” “She has failed most miserably at being ‘everyone’s death.’ She’s effectively harmless, Membricus.” “No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-douglass/she-will-be-your-death-she-will-be-everyone-s-death-she-has-failed/) [Sara Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-douglass/) > [Satire also allows you to make fun of every different aspect. It allows you to make fun of both sides. It allows you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neill-blomkamp/satire-also-allows-you-to-make-fun-of-every-different-aspect-it/) [Neill Blomkamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neill-blomkamp/) > [Earth: mostly harmless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/earth-mostly-harmless/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“That's what friends should do. cherish the good and pretend not to notice the harmless rest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hoffman/that-s-what-friends-should-do-cherish-the-good-and-pretend-not-to/) [Beth Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hoffman/) > [WOMAN is the most harmless, self-controlled, well-mannered, undisturbed, non-violent human being…until her nail polish gets dried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asli/woman-is-the-most-harmless-self-controlled-well-mannered-undisturbed/) [Asli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asli/) > [I don't consider myself an offensive guy. I am just a harmless lovable little fuzzball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-don-t-consider-myself-an-offensive-guy-i-am-just-a-harmless-lovable/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Matthew had called her harmless. Harmless. And being with him made Frankie feel squashed into a box - a box where she was expected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/matthew-had-called-her-harmless-harmless-and-being-with-him-made/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [The reason we're so dangerous is because we're totally harmless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheech-marin/the-reason-we-re-so-dangerous-is-because-we-re-totally-harmless/) [Cheech Marin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheech-marin/) > [Religion is as harmless as a toddler with a handgun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/religion-is-as-harmless-as-a-toddler-with-a-handgun/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [As far as I was concerned men were something you had around the place, not particularly interesting, but quite harmless. I had never shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/as-far-as-i-was-concerned-men-were-something-you-had-around-the-place/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) [Browse all 60 Harmless quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmless/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was mad of course and still am, but harmless, I passed for harmless, that's a good one. 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