Famous quote by Norman Mailer

Mobile Desktop
Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity, because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back t
Like

"Obsession is the single most wasteful human activity, because with an obsession you keep coming back and back and back to the same question and never get an answer"

- Norman Mailer

About this Quote

This quote by Norman Mailer speaks to the futility of obsession. When we become obsessed with something, we keep returning to the exact same question, however never get an answer. We become so focused on the question that we forget to look for the response. This can be a huge wild-goose chase and energy, as we are not making any development. It can likewise be mentally draining pipes, as we end up being frustrated with our absence of progress. We can end up being so obsessed that we forget to take an action back and look at the bigger picture. We can become so concentrated on the details that we miss out on the larger photo. Fascination can be a harmful thing, as it can result in a perpetual cycle of frustration and disappointment. It is important to remember to take an action back and take a look at the larger picture, and to not end up being too consumed with any one thing.

About the Author

USA Flag This quote is written / told by Norman Mailer between January 31, 1923 and November 10, 2007. He/she was a famous Novelist from USA. The author also have 37 other quotes.

Go to author profile

Similar Quotes

Small: Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are - Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
"Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are"
Oscar Wilde, Dramatist
Small: Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing - Euripides
Euripides
"Question everything. Learn something. Answer nothing"
Euripides, Poet
Small: Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty what is the matter wit
George Bernard Shaw
"Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness"
George Bernard Shaw, Dramatist
Small: Youth is not a question of years: one is young or old from birth - Natalie Clifford Barney
"Youth is not a question of years: one is young or old from birth"
Natalie Clifford Barney, Author
Small: The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but rather, Can they suffer? - Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham
"The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer?""
Jeremy Bentham, Philosopher
Small: The power to question is the basis of all human progress - Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
"The power to question is the basis of all human progress"
Indira Gandhi, Statesman
Small: Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much - Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
"Who questions much, shall learn much, and retain much"
Francis Bacon, Philosopher
Small: If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send o
Thomas Jefferson
"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour?"
Thomas Jefferson, President
Small: It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about? - Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
"It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?"
Henry David Thoreau, Author
Small: The only interesting answers are those that destroy the questions - Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
"The only interesting answers are those that destroy the questions"
Susan Sontag, Author