--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must all face the fact that our…" description: "\"We must all face the fact that our leaders are certifiably insane or worse\" — William S. Burroughs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e72/william-s-burroughs-528_faces_we-must-all-face-the-fact-that-our-leade_2506529.png" --- # We must all face the fact that our leaders are certifiably… ![“We must all face the fact that our leaders are certifiably insane or worse” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e72/william-s-burroughs-528_faces_we-must-all-face-the-fact-that-our-leade_2506529.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e72/william-s-burroughs-528_faces_we-must-all-face-the-fact-that-our-leade_2506529.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e72/william-s-burroughs-528_faces_we-must-all-face-the-fact-that-our-leade_2506529.png) > “We must all face the fact that our leaders are certifiably insane or worse” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many leaders appear irrational or dangerous, challenging trust in authority. **In simple terms:** Leaders can be insane or worse. Key Takeaway Question authority and seek evidence. Themes politics trust madness Mood cynical critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - voting - activism - media consumption Key Concepts psychology of power authoritarianism Questions to Reflect On - How do you evaluate a leader’s mental fitness? - What mechanisms prevent dangerous leadership? A Different Perspective Not all leaders are overtly insane; some are subtly harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Certifiably Insane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certifiably-insane-662864/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fact Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-leaders-1115020/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Insane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insane/) [Insane Worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insane-worse-1115019/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders Certifiably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-certifiably-1115018/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) ## Related quotes > [“Going insane would be worse than dying. At least death is clear and final”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-stradling/going-insane-would-be-worse-than-dying-at-least-death-is-clear-and/) [Rita Stradling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-stradling/) > [A vegetarian? Are you insane? That's worse than bein' a quarter demon!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/a-vegetarian-are-you-insane-that-s-worse-than-bein-a-quarter-demon/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [ I started pulling gags on Al \[Pachino\]. That was the moment I realized that he was absolutely out of his mind. I mean that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/i-started-pulling-gags-on-al-pachino-that-was-the-moment-i-realized/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [Rule number 2 - don't listen to me!" Arriane laughed, "I'm certifiably insane!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/rule-number-2-don-t-listen-to-me-arriane-laughed-i-m-certifiably/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [“He was nuts. He'd scammed the quarterly mental health exam and was certifiably insane. Not that that's ever stopped me from sleeping with anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-castillo-price/he-was-nuts-he-d-scammed-the-quarterly-mental-health-exam-and-was/) [Jordan Castillo Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-castillo-price/) > [Americans are now certifiably insane. They are crazy. They are suffering a mass psychosis. They have lost their own ability to discern right from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-farah/americans-are-now-certifiably-insane-they-are-crazy-they-are/) [Joseph Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-farah/) > [Anyone contemplating world war is certifiably insane, no matter how calm they seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/anyone-contemplating-world-war-is-certifiably-insane-no-matter-how/) [Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/) > [I don’t like keeping her in the dark,” Jace said. “We’ll tell her in a week. 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He didn't even go insane doing anything good, like going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-posehn/grew-up-in-a-small-town-where-there-was-only-one-crazy-guy-he-didn-t/) [Brian Posehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-posehn/) > [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) [David Hudgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hudgins/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) ## More by William S. Burroughs > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/) [William S. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Faces quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. 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Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) [Browse all 13,128 Faces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must all face the fact that our leaders are certifiably insane or worse", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William S. 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