diff --git a/src/models/node.js b/src/models/node.js
index 7a7bf00a1..56af09654 100644
--- a/src/models/node.js
+++ b/src/models/node.js
@@ -524,14 +524,13 @@ const Node = {
    */
 
   getFurthest(key, iterator) {
-    let node = this.assertDescendant(key)
-    let furthest = null
-
-    while (node = this.getClosest(node, iterator)) {
-      furthest = node
+    let ancestors = this.getAncestors(key)
+    if (!ancestors) {
+      throw new Error(`Could not find a descendant node with key "${key}".`)
     }
 
-    return furthest
+    // Exclude this node itself
+    return ancestors.rest().find(iterator)
   },
 
   /**
@@ -1291,19 +1290,7 @@ const Node = {
     } else {
       return result
     }
-  },
-
-  /**
-   * Validate the node against a `schema`.
-   *
-   * @param {Schema} schema
-   * @return {Object || Void}
-   */
-
-  validate(schema) {
-    return schema.__validate(this)
   }
-
 }
 
 /**
@@ -1313,10 +1300,6 @@ const Node = {
 memoize(Node, [
   'assertChild',
   'assertDescendant',
-  'filterDescendants',
-  'filterDescendantsDeep',
-  'findDescendant',
-  'findDescendantDeep',
   'getAncestors',
   'getBlocks',
   'getBlocksAtRange',
@@ -1328,17 +1311,16 @@ memoize(Node, [
   'getChildrenBeforeIncluding',
   'getChildrenBetween',
   'getChildrenBetweenIncluding',
-  'getClosest',
   'getClosestBlock',
   'getClosestInline',
   'getComponent',
   'getDecorators',
   'getDepth',
   'getDescendant',
+  'getDescendantAtPath',
   'getDescendantDecorators',
   'getFirstText',
   'getFragmentAtRange',
-  'getFurthest',
   'getFurthestBlock',
   'getFurthestInline',
   'getHighestChild',
@@ -1362,8 +1344,7 @@ memoize(Node, [
   'hasChild',
   'hasDescendant',
   'hasVoidParent',
-  'isInlineSplitAtRange',
-  'validate'
+  'isInlineSplitAtRange'
 ])
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/models/text.js b/src/models/text.js
index dd3bca369..343e24a9a 100644
--- a/src/models/text.js
+++ b/src/models/text.js
@@ -328,18 +328,6 @@ class Text extends new Record(DEFAULTS) {
 
     return this.merge({ characters })
   }
-
-  /**
-   * Validate the node against a `schema`.
-   *
-   * @param {Schema} schema
-   * @return {Object || Void}
-   */
-
-  validate(schema) {
-    return schema.__validate(this)
-  }
-
 }
 
 /**
@@ -349,8 +337,7 @@ class Text extends new Record(DEFAULTS) {
 memoize(Text.prototype, [
   'getDecorations',
   'getDecorators',
-  'getRanges',
-  'validate',
+  'getRanges'
 ])
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/transforms/normalize.js b/src/transforms/normalize.js
index a9b6f633c..8e6e786fc 100644
--- a/src/transforms/normalize.js
+++ b/src/transforms/normalize.js
@@ -105,11 +105,19 @@ export function normalizeNodeWith(transform, schema, node, prevNode) {
     return transform
   }
 
+  // For performance considerations, we will check if the transform was changed
+  const opCount = transform.operations.length
+
   // Iterate over its children
   transform = _normalizeChildrenWith(transform, schema, node, prevNode)
 
-  // Refresh the node reference, and normalize it
-  node = _refreshNode(transform, node)
+  const hasChanged = transform.operations.length != opCount
+  if (hasChanged) {
+    // Refresh the node reference
+    node = _refreshNode(transform, node)
+  }
+
+  // Now normalize the node itself if it still exist
   if (node) {
     transform = _normalizeNodeWith(transform, schema, node)
   }
@@ -160,8 +168,8 @@ export function normalizeWith(transform, schema, prevDocument) {
   const { state } = transform
   const { document } = state
 
-  // Schema was not rule to edit the document
   if (!schema.isNormalization) {
+    // Schema has no normalization rules
     return transform
   }
 
diff --git a/src/utils/memoize.js b/src/utils/memoize.js
index 059cc4e0f..47f1f63bd 100644
--- a/src/utils/memoize.js
+++ b/src/utils/memoize.js
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ import { Map } from 'immutable'
 
 const LEAF = {}
 
+/**
+ * An unique value used to detect cache misses
+ *
+ * @type {Object}
+ */
+const NO_SET = {}
+
 /**
  * Memoize all of the `properties` on a `object`.
  *
@@ -31,7 +38,10 @@ function memoize(object, properties) {
       const keys = [property, ...args, LEAF]
       const cache = this.__cache = this.__cache || new Map()
 
-      if (cache.hasIn(keys)) return cache.getIn(keys)
+      const cachedValue = cache.getIn(keys, NO_SET)
+      if (cachedValue !== NO_SET) {
+        return cachedValue
+      }
 
       const value = original.apply(this, args)
       this.__cache = cache.setIn(keys, value)