The acorn becomes an oak by means of automatic growth; no commitment is necessary. The kitten similarly becomes a cat on the basis of instinct. Nature and being are identical in creatures like them. But a man or woman becomes fully human only by his or her choices and his or her commitment to them.
ROLLO MAYThere is nobody who totally lacks the courage to change.
More Rollo May Quotes
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Joy, rather than happiness, is the goal of life, for joy is the emotion which accompanies our fulfilling our natures as human beings. It is based on the experience of one’s identity as a being of worth and dignity.
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Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness: ecstasy.
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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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Therapy isn’t curing somebody of something; it is a means of helping a person explore himself, his life, his consciousness. My purpose as a therapist is to find out what it means to be human.
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If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself.
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The danger always exists that our technology will serve as a buffer between us and nature, a block between us and the deeper dimensions of our own experience.
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One central need in life is to fulfill its own potential.
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There can be no stronger proof of the impoverishment of our contemporary culture than the popular – though profoundly mistaken – definition of myth as falsehood.
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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 amazing thing about love is that it is the best way to get to know ourselves.
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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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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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Understanding and love require a wisdom that comes only with age.
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I learned that healing and cure are active processes in which I myself needed to participate.
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Ecstasy is the accurate term for the intensity of consciousness that occurs in the creative act.
ROLLO MAY