November 7, 2025
It’s time for another Thought of the Day and Question of the Day, and today’s combo hits home for anyone whose brain never shuts up. Dostoyevsky once wrote, “I swear to you that to think too much is a disease, a real, actual disease.” And honestly, I think he was onto something, because sometimes it feels like the human mind didn’t come with an off switch. Today’s question keeps that energy going: Do you think cavemen ever lay awake worrying about what the other cave thought of their cave art? Let’s explore the sickness and comedy of thinking too much, both then and now.
Thought of the Day: I swear to you that to think too much is a disease, a real, actual disease. — Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Dostoyevsky was talking about the kind of mind that can’t stop chewing on its own thoughts. The kind that stays up late replaying conversations from three years ago, or reimagining scenarios that never happened. Overthinking isn’t always rational, it’s a fever that convinces you the cure is more thinking.
I’ve had days where I could’ve built an entire mental spreadsheet of regrets and what-ifs before breakfast. My brain doesn’t just think, it project manages every emotion, edits every memory, and schedules future anxiety. And yet, I suspect I’m not alone in this.
We call it being introspective. We call it self-awareness. But sometimes it’s just running laps in a mental maze with no exit. The truth is, our brains evolved for survival, not serenity. Cavemen didn’t have email, taxes, or slow Wi-Fi—but they did have wolves, famine, and a deep need to stay alert. So when Dostoyevsky says thinking too much is a disease, maybe he means it’s the modern mutation of ancient survival instincts. We’ve traded running from predators for running from our own thoughts.
Maybe peace isn’t about silencing the mind, but training it. Recognizing when the spiral starts and saying, “Ah yes, the committee in my head is meeting again,” and then politely excusing yourself.
If you’ve ever found yourself analyzing every word in a text message before hitting send, congratulations, you’re part of an ancient lineage of thinkers who never quite figured out how to stop.
Question of the Day: Do you think cavemen ever lay awake worrying about what the other cave thought of their cave art?
Imagine being the first person to paint on a wall. You just invented self-expression, and your neighbor Gruk walks in and says, “Interesting choice with the bison. A little derivative, don’t you think?” Suddenly, you’re lying awake on your stone pillow wondering if maybe mammoths would’ve been a better subject.
We laugh, but not much has changed. We still make art, just digital now, and still lie awake wondering if people will “like” it. The only difference is that the cave is now the internet, and everyone’s torch burns bright enough to see what you’ve done.
But maybe the cavemen had it right. Maybe they made their art because they had to. Because something in them demanded to be seen, even if nobody else understood it. That’s the antidote to Dostoyevsky’s disease of overthinking: creation. Doing the thing anyway.
The cure for thinking too much might just be doing something small and real. Write the line. Paint the wall. Tell the joke. Post the blog. Because in the end, nobody ever cured overthinking by sitting quietly and thinking harder about it.
If you liked this reflection, you might also enjoy:
- What Do You Have a Low Tolerance For? — on mental clutter and setting better boundaries.
- When You Think You’re Too Old to Try Something New — about getting unstuck from self-doubt.
💬 Your Turn
Do you ever catch yourself overthinking something that doesn’t deserve that much energy? Or do you think there’s wisdom hiding in all that mental noise?
Share your thoughts in the comments—or better yet, get the daily email and start your mornings with one question and one thought that make you see the world differently.
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