1 What is perfectly sane in one era turns out to be insane in another. -Matt Haig
The definition of sanity and what is socially acceptable keeps changing throughout history. What is perfect today may not be accepted tomorrow. As societal constructs change, so do the acceptance of various concepts and ways.
2 Make sure, as often as possible, you are doing something you’d be happy to die doing. -Matt Haig
Do the things that make you feel alive. It’s better to spend your time doing things that you love rather than those that you dread. In the end, what matters is that you do not regret the time that you had in the world.
3 So, we must conclude that madness is sometimes a question of time, and sometimes of postcode. -Matt Haig
Time and place determine what is considered sane. What might be madness today may have been considered perfectly normal centuries back. And culture too, plays a very important role. Different cultures and places have different norms.
4 No one will understand you, It is not, ultimately, that important, What is important is that you understand you. -Matt Haig
People will never wholly understand you. How can you expect someone else to be able to see things through your perspective when you clearly are so different. What actually matters is that you understand yourself first.
5 You can’t find happiness looking for the meaning of life, Meaning is only the third most important thing, It comes after loving and being. -Matt Haig
If you only focus on figuring out the meaning of your life to find happiness, you will end up nowhere. Only after loving yourself, everyone and everything around you can you gain happiness.
6 If you think something is ugly, look harder. Ugliness is just a failure of seeing. -Matt Haig
Nothing in the world is ugly. Beauty is ubiquitous and perpetual. If you believe something is ugly, that only means that you have failed to see the beauty hidden within. Look harder and you shall find it.
7 If getting drunk was how people forgot they were mortal, then hangovers were how they remembered. -Matt Haig
Getting drunk may get you high and euphoric, and it helps you forget the worst things about your life. You lose sight of your problems. But after every great high comes and equally deep low, much like how it is in life. And that’s when you realise what your life really is.
8 Knowledge is finite, Wonder is infinite. -Matt Haig
There’s only so much knowledge that one can have. But the imagination is infinite. You need to be able to look at things with wonder and curiosity, not just with existing knowledge.
9 The single biggest act of bravery or madness anyone can do is the act of change. -Matt Haig
It takes a lot of courage and strength to change yourself. You need to be brave enough to look at what is better for you and change for that. And only those who can change for the better can get anything meaningful from their lives.
10 As civilisation advances, so does indifference. -Matt Haig
It is human nature to walk towards apathy, chaos and violence. As civilisations advance, we eventually become more and more indifferent to things around us. Love and kindness, that once came naturally to us, end up rare and things of the past.
11 Immunize yourself with art, And love. -Matt Haig
Art is transcendental. It can heal you, touch your heart and soul and help you see things from a whole new perspective. Art and love are what make this dull and tragic life bearable. It immunizes you to hate, anger and, everything negative.
12 The point of love was to help you survive, The point was also to forget meaning, To stop looking and start living. -Matt Haig
Love is what life is really about and what helps you survive. It is what adds colour to your life. Love teaches you that maybe, life isn’t really about trying to find a meaning to it but rather, to live it to the fullest.
13 Dark matter is needed to hold galaxies together, Your mind is a Galaxy, More dark than light, But the light makes it worthwhile. -Matt Haig
The darkness is just as important as the light. Without the dark, you’ll never realise the value of the light. There’s always darkness within you. But the light is what makes it all worthwhile.
14 Laughter, along with madness, seemed to be the only way out, the emergency exit for humans. -Matt Haig
Laughter and madness are what make this life the way it is. You need to be able to look at life with a little fire in your eyes. Laugh, live and love – that’s the only escape from a dull life.
15 Don’t aim for perfection, Evolution, and life, only happen through mistakes. -Matt Haig
Perfection is unattainable. That’s not what we were built for. Perfection is a myth as it is through mistakes that we actually learn. Mistakes are substantial in life. Even something as important and basic as evolution is a result of the mistakes that happened.
15 Quotes from Matt Haig’s The Human about what it means to be a human.
1. What is perfectly sane in one era turns out to be insane in another. -Matt Haig
2. Make sure, as often as possible, you are doing something you’d be happy to die doing. -Matt Haig
3. So, we must conclude that madness is sometimes a question of time, and sometimes of postcode. -Matt Haig
4. No one will understand you, It is not, ultimately, that important, What is important is that you understand you. -Matt Haig
5. You can’t find happiness looking for the meaning of life, Meaning is only the third most important thing, It comes after loving and being. -Matt Haig
6. If you think something is ugly, look harder. Ugliness is just a failure of seeing. -Matt Haig
7. If getting drunk was how people forgot they were mortal, then hangovers were how they remembered. -Matt Haig
8. Knowledge is finite, Wonder is infinite. -Matt Haig
9. The single biggest act of bravery or madness anyone can do is the act of change. -Matt Haig
10. As civilisation advances, so does indifference. -Matt Haig
11. Immunize yourself with art, And love. -Matt Haig
12. The point of love was to help you survive, The point was also to forget meaning, To stop looking and start living. -Matt Haig
13. Dark matter is needed to hold galaxies together, Your mind is a Galaxy, More dark than light, But the light makes it worthwhile. -Matt Haig
14. Laughter, along with madness, seemed to be the only way out, the emergency exit for humans. -Matt Haig
15. Don’t aim for perfection, Evolution, and life, only happen through mistakes. -Matt Haig