--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trick is to learn to believe that…" description: "\"“The trick is to learn to believe that it's a disconnected world, a lunatic world, where what is true now was not true then; where Thou Shalt Not Kill ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/sloan-wilson-30849_children_the-trick-is-to-learn-to-believe-that-it_2744183.png" --- # The trick is to learn to believe that it's a disconnected… ![“The trick is to learn to believe that it's a disconnected world, a lunatic world, where what is true now was not true then; where Thou Shalt Not Kill and the fact that one has killed a great many men mean nothing, and absolutely nothing, for now is the time to raise legitimate children, and make…” quote by Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/sloan-wilson-30849_children_the-trick-is-to-learn-to-believe-that-it_2744183.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/sloan-wilson-30849_children_the-trick-is-to-learn-to-believe-that-it_2744183.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85c/sloan-wilson-30849_children_the-trick-is-to-learn-to-believe-that-it_2744183.png) > ““The trick is to learn to believe that it's a disconnected world, a lunatic world, where what is true now was not true then; where Thou Shalt Not Kill and the fact that one has killed a great many men mean nothing, and absolutely nothing, for now is the time to raise legitimate children, and make money, and dress properly, and be kind to one's wife, and admire one's boss, and learn not to worry, and think of oneself as what? That makes no difference, he thought—I'm just a man in a gray flannel suit. I must keep my suit neatly pressed like anyone else, for I am a very respectable young man.”” [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator sees life as fragmented and absurd, urging focus on mundane responsibilities despite existential chaos. **In simple terms:** Life feels chaotic; focus on daily duties. Key Takeaway Embrace routine amid chaos. Themes existentialism absurdity daily life responsibility Mood cynical reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - parenting - career - financial planning - personal grooming - marriage Key Concepts nihilism social conformity identity crisis Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning in routine? - Can routine mask existential dread? A Different Perspective The view may ignore deeper systemic issues beyond personal routine. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Now Is The Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/now-is-the-time/) [Suburbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suburbia/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Listen; this world is the lunatic's sphere , Don't always agree it's real, Even with my feet upon it And the postman knowing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/listen-this-world-is-the-lunatic-s-sphere-don-t-always-agree-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We do live in a world with lunatic and mentally corrupted people, and still you expect I shouldn’t smash some faces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/we-do-live-in-a-world-with-lunatic-and-mentally-corrupted-people-and/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [It is as commendable to think well of oneself when alone, as it is ridiculous to speak well of oneself among others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-as-commendable-to-think-well-of-oneself-when-alone-as-it-is/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [The most important thing is not to think very much about oneself. To investigate candidly the charge; but not fussily, not very anxiously. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-most-important-thing-is-not-to-think-very-much-about-oneself-to/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [One would always want to think of oneself as being on the side of love, ready to recognize it and wish it well -but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/one-would-always-want-to-think-of-oneself-as-being-on-the-side-of/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [There's no better tonic for other people's bad ideas, than to think for oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-r-burch/there-s-no-better-tonic-for-other-people-s-bad-ideas-than-to-think/) [Michael R. Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-r-burch/) > [The first step towards madness is to think oneself wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-de-rojas/the-first-step-towards-madness-is-to-think-oneself-wise/) [Fernando de Rojas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-de-rojas/) > [How one hates to think of oneself as alone. How one avoids it. It seems to imply rejection or unpopularity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/how-one-hates-to-think-of-oneself-as-alone-how-one-avoids-it-it-seems/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [“This is who she is. She is this movement here, these steps, this turn, this raising of this arm. It's a waste of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/this-is-who-she-is-she-is-this-movement-here-these-steps-this-turn/) [Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/) > [“Hardly even does one think of oneself, but only how to escape from oneself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/hardly-even-does-one-think-of-oneself-but-only-how-to-escape-from/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [That is the whole trouble with being a heretic. One usually must think out everything for oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-menen/that-is-the-whole-trouble-with-being-a-heretic-one-usually-must-think/) [Aubrey Menen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-menen/) > [One trouble: to be a professional anything in the United States is to think of oneself as an expert and one's ideas as semisacred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/one-trouble-to-be-a-professional-anything-in-the-united-states-is-to/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [“The truest way to be deceived is to think oneself more knowing than others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-truest-way-to-be-deceived-is-to-think-oneself-more-knowing-than/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It's rather nice to think of oneself as a sailor bending over the map of one's mind and deciding where to go and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/it-s-rather-nice-to-think-of-oneself-as-a-sailor-bending-over-the-map/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [When one begins to think of oneself as growing old, one is already old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsie-de-wolfe/when-one-begins-to-think-of-oneself-as-growing-old-one-is-already-old/) [Elsie de Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsie-de-wolfe/) ## More by Sloan Wilson > [I don't have any contempt for the men who have to have jobs and have to commute and have to pay the mortgage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/i-don-t-have-any-contempt-for-the-men-who-have-to-have-jobs-and-have/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [The American middle class always wants to be upper class and is scared to death of being lower class. It's a highly mobile group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-american-middle-class-always-wants-to-be-upper-class-and-is/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [A man who wants time to read and write must let the grass grow long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/a-man-who-wants-time-to-read-and-write-must-let-the-grass-grow-long/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [You don't really know much until you get to be 70.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/you-don-t-really-know-much-until-you-get-to-be-70/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [The world's treated me awfully well, and I guess it's crept into my work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-world-s-treated-me-awfully-well-and-i-guess-it-s-crept-into-my/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [It is impossible to treat a child too well. Children are spoiled by being ignored too much or by harshness, not by kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/it-is-impossible-to-treat-a-child-too-well-children-are-spoiled-by/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [When you have children, you can't say you're not interested in money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/when-you-have-children-you-can-t-say-you-re-not-interested-in-money/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [“Only masochists can get along without editing their own memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/only-masochists-can-get-along-without-editing-their-own-memories/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [The definition of a beautiful woman is one who loves me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-definition-of-a-beautiful-woman-is-one-who-loves-me/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [Success in almost any field depends more on energy and drive than it does on intelligence. This explains why we have so many stupid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/success-in-almost-any-field-depends-more-on-energy-and-drive-than-it/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [The only real reason to write professionally is that you love it enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/the-only-real-reason-to-write-professionally-is-that-you-love-it/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [You're not going to go far unless you're a workaholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/you-re-not-going-to-go-far-unless-you-re-a-workaholic/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [People don't say 'Zounds!' anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/people-don-t-say-zounds-anymore/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [You won't understand me unless you understand that I am an odd ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/you-won-t-understand-me-unless-you-understand-that-i-am-an-odd-ball/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [When it comes to sending my children to college, I want the best education. It's the only thing I'm really leaving them - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/when-it-comes-to-sending-my-children-to-college-i-want-the-best/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) [Explore all 17 Sloan Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The trick is to learn to believe that it's a disconnected world, a lunatic world, where what is true now was not true then; where Thou Shalt Not Kill and the fact that one has killed a great many men mean nothing, and absolutely nothing, for now is the time to raise legitimate children, and make money, and dress properly, and be kind to one's wife, and admire one's boss, and learn not to worry, and think of oneself as what? 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