Self-denial and the rejection of truth are the beginning of insanity. - Food for Thought • Quote

“ Self-denial and the rejection of truth are the beginning of insanity. ”

Quote Interpretations:

• In other words, insanity begins with self-denial and the rejection of truth. When you repeatedly deny your own feelings or inner reality, you create a split between who you are and who you pretend to be. This self-denial, compounded by rejecting the truth you know deep down, erodes your mental stability.

• Truth is the ground of existence — without it, one lives in illusion. To deny oneself (one’s identity, freedom, or authentic desires) and to reject truth is to live against reality. Insanity here is not just mental illness, but a way of being disconnected from what is. In other words, alienation from the truth and reality marks the beginning of existential madness — the loss of harmony with reality itself.

• When societies deny parts of their history or reject truths that are inconvenient, they begin to unravel. Cultural “insanity” arises when falsehoods replace truth and self-denial becomes normalized. In this sense, this can be termed collective denial — how nations, institutions, or groups can slide into dysfunction, extremism, or collapse by refusing to acknowledge the truth or reality.

- TemQBS’ Food for Thought