People are always selling the idea that people with mental illness are suffering. I think madness can be an escape. If things are not so good, you maybe want to imagine something better. John Forbes Nash, Jr. More Quotes by John Forbes Nash, Jr. More Quotes From John Forbes Nash, Jr. I would not dare to say that there is a direct relation between mathematics and madness, but there is no doubt that great mathematicians suffer from maniacal characteristics, delirium, and symptoms of schizophrenia. John Forbes Nash, Jr. greatmathematicsmadnessdoubt I think mental illness or madness can be an escape also. People don't develop a mental illness because they are in the happiest of situations, usually. One doctor observed that it was rare when people were rich to become schizophrenic. If they were poor or didn't have too much money, then it was more likely. John Forbes Nash, Jr. doctorrichmoneypeople I was the most important person of the world, and people like the Pope would be just like enemies, who would try to put me down in some way or another, or the president. People are always selling the idea that people who have mental illness are suffering. John Forbes Nash, Jr. mesufferingpeopleworld It has had a tremendous impact on my life, more than on the life of most Prize winners, because I was in an unusual situation. I was unemployed at the time. I was in good health, but I had reached the age of 66 and beginning to get social security, but I didn't have much of that. I had many years of unemployment before me. John Forbes Nash, Jr. goodmehealthlife In madness, I thought I was the most important person in the world. John Forbes Nash, Jr. thoughtmadnessimportantworld I never saw my grandfather because he had died before I was born, but I have good memories of my grandmother and of how she could play the piano at the old house. John Forbes Nash, Jr. nevergoodgrandfathermemories You don't have to be a mathematician to have a feel for numbers. John Forbes Nash, Jr. feelyoumathematiciannumbers In a dream it's typical not to be rational. John Forbes Nash, Jr. rationaltypicaldream I can see there's a connection between not following normal thinking and doing creative thinking. I wouldn't have had good scientific ideas if I had thought more normally. John Forbes Nash, Jr. thoughtgoodideasthinking The ideas I had about supernatural beings came to me the same way that my mathematical ideas did. So I took them seriously. John Forbes Nash, Jr. seriouslymewayideas Though I had success in my research both when I was mad and when I was not, eventually I felt that my work would be better respected if I thought and acted like a 'normal' person. John Forbes Nash, Jr. betterresearchworksuccess I seem to be thinking rationally again in the style that is characteristic of scientists. However, this is not entirely a matter of joy as if someone returned from physical disability to good physical health. John Forbes Nash, Jr. goodstylehealththinking I don't think exactly like a professional economist. I think about economics and economic ideas, but somewhat like an outsider. John Forbes Nash, Jr. professionalthinkeconomicsideas I can observe the game theory is applied very much in economics. Generally, it would be wise to get into the mathematics as much as seems reasonable because the economists who use more mathematics are somehow more respected than those who use less. That's the trend. John Forbes Nash, Jr. gameeconomicsmathematicswise I had been offered fellowships to enter as a graduate student at either Harvard or Princeton. But the Princeton fellowship was somewhat more generous, since I had not actually won the Putnam competition... Thus Princeton became the choice for my graduate study location. John Forbes Nash, Jr. studentchoicecompetitionstudy I was on the mathematics faculty at M.I.T. from 1951 through until I resigned in the spring of 1959. John Forbes Nash, Jr. untilthroughmathematicsspring I later spent... five to eight months in hospitals in New Jersey, always on an involuntary basis, and always attempting a legal argument for release. John Forbes Nash, Jr. legalnewalwaysargument I would finally renounce my delusional hypotheses and revert to thinking of myself as a human of more conventional circumstances and return to mathematical research. John Forbes Nash, Jr. moremyselfresearchthinking I did have strange ideas during certain periods of time. John Forbes Nash, Jr. strangeperiodstimeideas It's almost as if a demon might have passed from one host to another. John Forbes Nash, Jr. almostanotherhostdemon
