It is an old and ironic habit of human beings to run faster when we have lost our way; and we grasp more fiercely at research, statistics, and technical aids in sex when we have lost the values and meaning of love.
ROLLO MAYMany people feel they are powerless to do anything effective with their lives. It takes courage to break out of the settled mold, but most find conformity more comfortable. This is why the opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it’s conformity.
More Rollo May Quotes
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One of the few blessings of living in an age of anxiety is that we are forced to become aware of ourselves.
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This is what makes heroism so important: it reflects our own sense of identity and from this our own heroism is molded.
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The hallmark of courage in our age of conformity is the capacity to stand on one’s own convictions – not obstinately or defiantly
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Violence arises not out of superfluity of power but out of powerlessness.
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Deeds of violence in our society are performed largely by those trying to establish their self-esteem, to defend their self-image, and to demonstrate that they, too, are significant.
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There is no authentic inner freedom that does not, sooner or later, also affect and change human history.
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People attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day to day.
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This personal freedom to think and feel and speak authentically and to be conscious of so doing is the quality that distinguishes us as human.
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One of the easiest ways to be irresponsible about power is to forget you have it.
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People attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day by day. These decisions require courage.
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Freedom does not come automatically; it is achieved. And it is not gained in a single bound; it must be achieved each day.
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People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.
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Every human being must have a point at which he stands against the culture, where he says, “This is me and the world be damned!” Leaders have always been the ones to stand against the society – Socrates, Christ, Freud, all the way down the line.
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When people feel their insignificance as individual persons, they also suffer an undermining of their sense of human responsibility.
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Understanding and love require a wisdom that comes only with age.
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Memory is not just the imprint of the past time upon us; it is the keeper of what is meaningful for our deepest hopes and fears.
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Suffering is nature’s way of indicating a mistaken attitude or way of behavior, and to the nonegocentric person every moment of suffering is the opportunity for growth. People should rejoice in suffering, strange as it sounds, for this is a sign of the availability of energy to transform their characters.
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Forge in the smithy of your soul.
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In my clinical experience, the greatest block to a person’s development is his having to take on a way of life which is not rooted in his own powers.
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Life comes from physical survival; but the good life comes from what we care about.
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Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.
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Apathy adds up, in the long run, to cowardice.
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When we are dealing with human beings, no truth has reality by itself; it is always dependent upon the reality of the immediate relationship.
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A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.
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In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome the fear of being alone.
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The creative act arises out of the struggle of human beings with and against that which limits them.
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