--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Madness might sometimes give access to a…" description: "\"Madness might sometimes give access to a kind of knowledge. But was not a guarantee.\" — Shirley Hazzard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/shirley-hazzard-9123_access_madness-might-sometimes-give-access-to-a_2396505.jpg" --- # Madness might sometimes give access to a kind of… ![“Madness might sometimes give access to a kind of knowledge. But was not a guarantee.” quote by Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/shirley-hazzard-9123_access_madness-might-sometimes-give-access-to-a_2396505.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/shirley-hazzard-9123_access_madness-might-sometimes-give-access-to-a_2396505.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a2/shirley-hazzard-9123_access_madness-might-sometimes-give-access-to-a_2396505.jpg) > “Madness might sometimes give access to a kind of knowledge. But was not a guarantee.” [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Madness can unlock unique insights, but it isn’t reliable knowledge. **In simple terms:** Madness may reveal knowledge. Key Takeaway Seek insight, but verify sources. Themes madness knowledge uncertainty Mood thoughtful cautious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - artistic creation - scientific research - personal reflection Key Concepts creative cognition psychology epistemology Questions to Reflect On - When does madness become a hindrance? - How to differentiate true insight from delusion? A Different Perspective Insight may be distorted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Access](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) ## Related quotes > [Knowledge is no guarantee of good behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/knowledge-is-no-guarantee-of-good-behavior-but-ignorance-is-a-virtual/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [Knowledge is not a guarantee of good political behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/knowledge-is-not-a-guarantee-of-good-political-behavior-but-ignorance/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [“It suddenly seemed like something he needed to know. It was the kind of knowledge people who love needed to have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lee-raw-honey/it-suddenly-seemed-like-something-he-needed-to-know-it-was-the-kind/) [Frank Lee Raw Honey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lee-raw-honey/) > [Every kind of knowledge, every science, is as a tree: if the fruit of it be the love of God, then is it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/every-kind-of-knowledge-every-science-is-as-a-tree-if-the-fruit-of-it/) [Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/) > [“You can’t have that kind of knowledge in your head and not do something about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-j-wright/you-can-t-have-that-kind-of-knowledge-in-your-head-and-not-do/) Adam J. Wright > [Haha, shouldn't you be cghraing for that kind of knowledge?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morey/haha-shouldn-t-you-be-cghraing-for-that-kind-of-knowledge/) Morey > [“our knowledge physical, metaphysical, physiological, polemical, nautical, mathematical, ænigmatical, technical, biographical, romantical, chemical, and obstetrical, with fifty other branches of it, (most of ’em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/our-knowledge-physical-metaphysical-physiological-polemical-nautical/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [If I can give you some kind of knowledge of life you should listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-spinks/if-i-can-give-you-some-kind-of-knowledge-of-life-you-should-listen/) [Leon Spinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-spinks/) > [Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and consequences of human values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-hook/wisdom-is-a-kind-of-knowledge-it-is-knowledge-of-the-nature-career/) [Sidney Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-hook/) > [Arithmetic is a kind of knowledge in which the best natures should be trained, and which must not be given up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/arithmetic-is-a-kind-of-knowledge-in-which-the-best-natures-should-be/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [There is no kind of knowledge which is useful to one and unuseful to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akash-rajoriya/there-is-no-kind-of-knowledge-which-is-useful-to-one-and-unuseful-to/) [Akash Rajoriya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akash-rajoriya/) > [Cultivate that kind of knowledge which enables us to discover for ourselves in case of need that which others have to read or be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/cultivate-that-kind-of-knowledge-which-enables-us-to-discover-for/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [I should not like to say ... that any kind of knowledge is not to be learned; for all knowledge appears to be a good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/i-should-not-like-to-say-that-any-kind-of-knowledge-is-not-to-be/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Haha, shuoldn't you be charging for that kind of knowledge?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tawny/haha-shuoldn-t-you-be-charging-for-that-kind-of-knowledge/) Tawny > [Haha, shouldn't you be cahrigng for that kind of knowledge?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavrick/haha-shouldn-t-you-be-cahrigng-for-that-kind-of-knowledge/) Mavrick ## More by Shirley Hazzard > [It's nervous work. The state you need to write in is the state that others are paying large sums of money to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/it-s-nervous-work-the-state-you-need-to-write-in-is-the-state-that/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [I wasn't convinced a shop girl would know the word 'Oedipal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/i-wasn-t-convinced-a-shop-girl-would-know-the-word-oedipal/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [Great literature is like moral leadership; everyone deplores the lack of it, but there is a tendency to prefer it from the safely dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/great-literature-is-like-moral-leadership-everyone-deplores-the-lack/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [When people say of their tragedies, 'I don't often think of it now,' what they mean is it has entered permanently into their thoughts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/when-people-say-of-their-tragedies-i-don-t-often-think-of-it-now-what/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“But that's a way to go on loving--a place, or a person. To miss it. In fact, to go away, to put yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/but-that-s-a-way-to-go-on-loving-a-place-or-a-person-to-miss-it-in/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“I see that you are highly defensive." . . . Caro said, "I withhold my analysis of your own attitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/i-see-that-you-are-highly-defensive-caro-said-i-withhold-my-analysis/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“... although the sufferings of children are the worst, being inextinguishable--children themselves seldom have a proper sense of their own tragedy, discounting and keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/although-the-sufferings-of-children-are-the-worst-being/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [ “I said, "Some people do know more than others. That contributes to the impression that someone, somewhere,knows the whole thing." \[p. 38\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/i-said-some-people-do-know-more-than-others-that-contributes-to-the/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“Dark had meant Dora, had meant words and events sordid with self. Struggling to the light from Dora's darkness, Caro had acquired conscience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/dark-had-meant-dora-had-meant-words-and-events-sordid-with-self/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [Marriage is like democracy - it doesn't really work, but it's all we've been able to come up with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/marriage-is-like-democracy-it-doesn-t-really-work-but-it-s-all-we-ve/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“Sometimes, as now, her heart twisted and broke under his determination to wound her. At others, she was almost convinced that she felt nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/sometimes-as-now-her-heart-twisted-and-broke-under-his-determination/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“Chief Coordinator of DALTO – the Department of Aid to the Less technically Oriented, working to induce backwards nations to come forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/chief-coordinator-of-dalto-the-department-of-aid-to-the-less/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“Occasion revived an illusion of discovery, as if one woke in a strange room to wonder afresh not only where but who one was;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/occasion-revived-an-illusion-of-discovery-as-if-one-woke-in-a-strange/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [When you realize someone is trying to hurt you, it hurts less." "Unless you love them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/when-you-realize-someone-is-trying-to-hurt-you-it-hurts-less-unless/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [Since the moment of the United Nations' inception, untold energies have been expended by governments not only toward the exclusion of persons of principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/since-the-moment-of-the-united-nations-inception-untold-energies-have/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) [Explore all 75 Shirley Hazzard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) ## More Access quotes > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You can disseminate your art, and it's all such easy access now. The upside to it is that more people are creating than ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/you-can-disseminate-your-art-and-it-s-all-such-easy-access-now-the/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [It's the same with this idea of a literate public, and also of a democracy in which people have access to and really read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/it-s-the-same-with-this-idea-of-a-literate-public-and-also-of-a/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [My hope is that if people have the knowledge, and if they actually see where their food comes from and have access to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/my-hope-is-that-if-people-have-the-knowledge-and-if-they-actually-see/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [Leslie Stein's comics give readers privileged access to a complete and wholly original world of gently skewed wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/leslie-stein-s-comics-give-readers-privileged-access-to-a-complete/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [The best way to fight poverty is to empower people through access to quality education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/the-best-way-to-fight-poverty-is-to-empower-people-through-access-to/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Because the Internet's there, I have access to a lot of the legends, like Fela Kuti. I used to watch a lot of Fela…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/because-the-internet-s-there-i-have-access-to-a-lot-of-the-legends/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [There needs to be some regime that is overseeing access to broadband to make sure we have openess; otherwise, there is a risk it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/there-needs-to-be-some-regime-that-is-overseeing-access-to-broadband/) [Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/) > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Schools have never been about getting access to information. That's the job of libraries. Schools and universities have nobler missions as gentle gatekeepers. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-nikiforuk/schools-have-never-been-about-getting-access-to-information-that-s/) Andrew Nikiforuk > [To pray is to open the door unto Jesus and admit Him into your distress. Your helplessness is the very thing which opens wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-hallesby/to-pray-is-to-open-the-door-unto-jesus-and-admit-him-into-your/) [Ole Hallesby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ole-hallesby/) > [Broadband Internet access shouldn't depend on who you are or where you're from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajit-pai/broadband-internet-access-shouldn-t-depend-on-who-you-are-or-where/) [Ajit Pai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajit-pai/) [Browse all 2,178 Access quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/access/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Madness might sometimes give access to a kind of knowledge. 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