You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it. — Robin Williams

You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

Author: Robin Williams

Insight: That spark of madness isn't actually madness at all—it's the part of you that still asks "what if?" instead of just accepting how things are. It's the impulse to make a bad joke at the wrong time, to try something nobody asked you to try, to see connections others miss. Most of us get pretty good at stamping it down. School teaches you to raise your hand and wait for permission. Work teaches you to follow the process. Adult life teaches you that being reliably normal is safer than being weirdly yourself. But here's what's strange: the people who change things, who create things, who actually enjoy their lives—they're almost always the ones who kept that spark alive. Not in a self-destructive way, but in the way they stay curious, playful, and willing to look foolish. They're the ones who still laugh at absurdity instead of just nodding along. They notice when everyone's doing something the same way and wonder if there's a better way, or a weirder way, or just a more honest way. The real danger isn't keeping that spark. It's the slow, comfortable dimming of it—the gradual accommodation to how things are supposed to be done. That's when life stops surprising you, and you stop surprising yourself. Protecting that little bit of creative weirdness isn't self-indulgent. It's what keeps you alive in the ways that actually matter.

Source: Interview with Michael J. Fox, 2006