I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.

Ah yes, the iconic line:

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

Sounds like something Edgar Allan Poe scribbled in the margins of a coffee-stained napkin at 2 a.m. after a goth poetry slam. But here’s the twist: he never actually wrote it. That’s right—this quote is like the literary equivalent of an emo meme that got stuck to Poe’s name because it just feels so right.

The Poe-etic Breakdown:

Poe had what doctors today might call a rough time. He lost most of his loved ones, had the financial stability of a raccoon, and lived in a state of constant drama that would make any soap opera blush. So, the idea that he was teetering between madness and the dreadful awareness of reality? Yeah, sounds like a Tuesday for Edgar.

Think about it: the man who wrote stories about haunted houses, premature burials, and heartbeats under floorboards probably did feel like insanity was a spa day compared to the horrors of sanity. Sanity meant bills, grief, and deadlines. Madness? That meant hanging out with ravens and writing poems in candlelight while dramatically sighing.

The Origin? Kinda Nowhere:

This quote doesn’t appear in any known Poe story or poem. Scholars believe it’s either a misquote, a paraphrase of his general vibe, or something he mumbled at a dinner party right before someone passed him a very gothic cheese platter.

In Summary:

It’s not a real Poe quote, but let’s be honest—if anyone would complain that sanity is the worst part of life, it’s Edgar.

And honestly? Same, Edgar. Same.