I had to post this, because I am so tired of people saying "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." People say and hear this quote so much that they actually BELIEVE that this is the actual definition of insanity. I just heard it again today from a public figure for whom I have a lot of respect, and it really ticked me off, because he was talking about this idea as if this is really what the word "insanity" means. I actually hear this a lot from people- "yeah, that's the actual definition of insanity..."
So I did a little research on this quote which has irked me for some time. It is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but according to several websites, there is no documentary evidence that he ever said or wrote this. Others attribute it to Ben Franklin, but there is also no evidence that he ever said or wrote it. Some sources say the first time the quote is found in a printed work is a book from 1983 called
Sudden Death by lesbian feminist writer Rita Mae Brown. Others point out that the quote was in print a few years before that, in the textbooks for AA or NA in 1981. So perhaps Ms. Brown borrowed the quote from "the big book."
Who first said the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect different results
If you, or someone you are close to is in a 12-step program, this is one of the mantras they repeat, kind of like "one day at a time," "KISS," "you can't heal it till you feel it," and "is there any more coffee?" It might work well as a mantra to give a person strength as they are fighting an addiction, but it's not a "definition" of
insanity.
Insanity also does not simply mean "mental illness," and it's not a diagnosis that anyone carries. Maybe way back in the old days, people were labeled "insane" as they were also labeled "mad" or "deranged."
Today, insanity is a
legal term, and the definition varies from state to state. But in all 50 states, the definition of insanity includes having a diagnosed mental illness,
and not understanding the difference between right and wrong. In some states, it might also include not understanding what is illegal vs. legal, or not recognizing the consequences of one's actions. In all cases, when a person is legally "insane" they are not responsible for their criminal actions and will get treatment rather than incarceration or capital punishment.
But so many people have heard the "doing the same thing over and over..." so much, that they now actually believe that this is the true dictionary definition of "insanity." This was merely a clever quote (whoever first said it) that really said that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is an
illustration of insanity, or an
example of being delusional, or the
embodiment of craziness. But in using the word "definition" people began to grab onto the idea that this was an
actual definition.
If I say "if you look up the word
sarcastic in the dictionary, you see a picture of TracySam" that's just a clever saying, to illustrate how TracySam is usually somewhat sarcastic. It does not literally mean that when you turn to that page in Webster's Dictionary, you see my actual photograph.
So please, when you hear this annoying quote, tell people that it's just a clever saying, and not the true definition of "insanity."
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