Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. — Albert Camus

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.

Author: Albert Camus

Insight: There's a peculiar exhaustion that comes from trying to fit in, and most of us never talk about it. Someone you know might be spending their entire day managing how they come across—moderating their voice in meetings, editing their texts before sending, wearing clothes that feel slightly wrong because they're "appropriate." It's not dramatic or visible, but it's real work. The weird part is that we often mistake this effort for laziness or lack of ambition in others. We see someone who seems tired and assume they're unmotivated, when they might actually be burning through their energy reserves just to show up as a version of themselves that doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the people who seem effortlessly confident might simply be expending that same energy on different things—or they've already decided the cost of conforming isn't worth it. This matters because once you notice it in yourself, you can't unsee it. And recognizing it in others changes how you judge them. That colleague who seems withdrawn might not be unfriendly—they might just be conserving energy. The question becomes worth asking: what parts of "normal" am I performing, and what would actually change if I stopped?

Source: Carnets: janvier 1942 – mars 1951 (Notebooks: January 1942 – March 1951) by Albert Camus, Cahier IV (Notebook 4), page 105, 1964

The Hidden Cost of Fitting In

There's a peculiar exhaustion that comes from trying to fit in, and most of us never talk about it. Someone you know might be spending their entire day managing how they come across—moderating their voice in meetings, editing their texts before sending, wearing clothes that feel slightly wrong because they're "appropriate." It's not dramatic or visible, but it's real work.

The weird part is that we often mistake this effort for laziness or lack of ambition in others. We see someone who seems tired and assume they're unmotivated, when they might actually be burning through their energy reserves just to show up as a version of themselves that doesn't make anyone uncomfortable. Meanwhile, the people who seem effortlessly confident might simply be expending that same energy on different things—or they've already decided the cost of conforming isn't worth it.

This matters because once you notice it in yourself, you can't unsee it. And recognizing it in others changes how you judge them. That colleague who seems withdrawn might not be unfriendly—they might just be conserving energy. The question becomes worth asking: what parts of "normal" am I performing, and what would actually change if I stopped?

Albert Camus

Albert Camus was a French philosopher, author, and journalist known for his existentialist works, including "The Stranger" and "The Myth of Sisyphus." He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957 for his contribution to literature, providing insight into the human condition and the search for meaning in an indifferent world.

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. — Albert Camus

The Hidden Cost of Fitting In

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Albert Camus

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