--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To study the abnormal is the best way of…" description: "\"To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png" --- # To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the… ![“To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png) > “To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying deviations from the norm reveals underlying principles that define typical behavior. **In simple terms:** Abnormal study clarifies normal patterns. Key Takeaway Examine outliers. Themes psychology learning analysis Mood analytical inquisitive Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - research - clinical practice - education - policy making Key Concepts theory critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - What abnormal cases challenge your assumptions? - How does focusing on outliers improve understanding? A Different Perspective Normal cases may dominate data, limiting insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abnormal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abnormal/) [Abnormal Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abnormal-best-5095764/) [Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normal/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Study Abnormal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study-abnormal-5095763/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Understanding Normal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding-normal-3744277/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“One's appreciation of, and understanding of the normal or the usual is requisite for any understanding of the abnormal or the unusual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-erickson/one-s-appreciation-of-and-understanding-of-the-normal-or-the-usual-is/) [Milton Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-erickson/) > [Any child soldier has to go through a lot of love, care and understanding to become normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/any-child-soldier-has-to-go-through-a-lot-of-love-care-and/) [Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/) > [One of the difficulties with grief research is that it risks making certain kinds of grief seem normal and others abnormal - and of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/one-of-the-difficulties-with-grief-research-is-that-it-risks-making/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [The church is so subnormal that if it ever got back to the New Testament normal it would seem to people to be abnormal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/the-church-is-so-subnormal-that-if-it-ever-got-back-to-the-new/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [Victory is the normal experience of a Christian; defeat should be the abnormal experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/victory-is-the-normal-experience-of-a-christian-defeat-should-be-the/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [My work involves the physical manifestation of emotional reality. Thus, the invisible becomes visible; the normal, abnormal; and the familiar, unfamiliar. Ordinary life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-skoglund/my-work-involves-the-physical-manifestation-of-emotional-reality-thus/) [Sandy Skoglund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-skoglund/) > [“A ‘normal person’ is what is left after society has squeezed out all unconventional opinions and aspirations out of a human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-normal-person-is-what-is-left-after-society-has-squeezed-out-all/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it is not cured by medication. Depression may not even be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/depression-is-not-caused-by-a-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain-and-it/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [In the theory of gender I began from zero. There is no masculine power or privilege I did not covet. But slowly, step by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/in-the-theory-of-gender-i-began-from-zero-there-is-no-masculine-power/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [It may be an extreme example brought about by abnormal circumstances - but the criteria of human rights kick in, surely, precisely when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breyten-breytenbach/it-may-be-an-extreme-example-brought-about-by-abnormal-circumstances/) [Breyten Breytenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breyten-breytenbach/) > [You don't want to love - your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren't positive, you're negative. You absorb, absorb, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-want-to-love-your-eternal-and-abnormal-craving-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think the thing that music can do is be unsettling. It is abnormal - music that's perceived to be different in an unresolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-mccreary/i-think-the-thing-that-music-can-do-is-be-unsettling-it-is-abnormal/) [Bear McCreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-mccreary/) > [Power when wielded by abnormal energy is the most serious of facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/power-when-wielded-by-abnormal-energy-is-the-most-serious-of-facts/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“The abnormal ones stand out. Thankfully I'm abnormal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/the-abnormal-ones-stand-out-thankfully-i-m-abnormal/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [While sleep is clearly vital to emotional well-being, what is it, exactly, about sleep that is so necessary? As it turns out, mood disorders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/while-sleep-is-clearly-vital-to-emotional-well-being-what-is-it/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Abnormal quotes > [While sleep is clearly vital to emotional well-being, what is it, exactly, about sleep that is so necessary? As it turns out, mood disorders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/while-sleep-is-clearly-vital-to-emotional-well-being-what-is-it/) [Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/) > [“The abnormal ones stand out. Thankfully I'm abnormal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-bekoe/the-abnormal-ones-stand-out-thankfully-i-m-abnormal/) [Marion Bekoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-bekoe/) > [Power when wielded by abnormal energy is the most serious of facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/power-when-wielded-by-abnormal-energy-is-the-most-serious-of-facts/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [I think the thing that music can do is be unsettling. It is abnormal - music that's perceived to be different in an unresolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-mccreary/i-think-the-thing-that-music-can-do-is-be-unsettling-it-is-abnormal/) [Bear McCreary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-mccreary/) > [You don't want to love - your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren't positive, you're negative. You absorb, absorb, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-want-to-love-your-eternal-and-abnormal-craving-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It may be an extreme example brought about by abnormal circumstances - but the criteria of human rights kick in, surely, precisely when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breyten-breytenbach/it-may-be-an-extreme-example-brought-about-by-abnormal-circumstances/) [Breyten Breytenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breyten-breytenbach/) > [Depression is not caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it is not cured by medication. Depression may not even be an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kirsch/depression-is-not-caused-by-a-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain-and-it/) [Irving Kirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kirsch/) > [“A ‘normal person’ is what is left after society has squeezed out all unconventional opinions and aspirations out of a human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-normal-person-is-what-is-left-after-society-has-squeezed-out-all/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [In the theory of gender I began from zero. There is no masculine power or privilege I did not covet. But slowly, step by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/in-the-theory-of-gender-i-began-from-zero-there-is-no-masculine-power/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Fury is an entirely appropriate response to a system that sends young people to kill other young people in a war that never should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/fury-is-an-entirely-appropriate-response-to-a-system-that-sends-young/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [I guess I'm attracted to these off beat roles because my life has been a bit abnormal. The only thing I have a problem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/i-guess-i-m-attracted-to-these-off-beat-roles-because-my-life-has/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [My work involves the physical manifestation of emotional reality. Thus, the invisible becomes visible; the normal, abnormal; and the familiar, unfamiliar. Ordinary life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-skoglund/my-work-involves-the-physical-manifestation-of-emotional-reality-thus/) [Sandy Skoglund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-skoglund/) > [Victory is the normal experience of a Christian; defeat should be the abnormal experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/victory-is-the-normal-experience-of-a-christian-defeat-should-be-the/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [“He knew that he was caught up in one of those stretches of time when for anything to happen normally would be abnormal. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/he-knew-that-he-was-caught-up-in-one-of-those-stretches-of-time-when/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [Benedict XVI kept saying that homosexuals are deviant. They're not deviant. They're deviant only if you say that anyone who is different from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/benedict-xvi-kept-saying-that-homosexuals-are-deviant-they-re-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Browse all 260 Abnormal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abnormal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of-understanding-the-normal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abnormal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of-understanding-the-normal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19e/william-james-228_abnormal_to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of_632657.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.” — William James", "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": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To study the abnormal is the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of-understanding-the-normal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/to-study-the-abnormal-is-the-best-way-of-understanding-the-normal/#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 } } ] } ```